The official selection for the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival was unveiled at a press conference in Zurich, featuring 103 world premieres and eight international premieres.
“Highly anticipated films by emerging and established filmmakers” will feature in the three main competitions, alongside a “rich programme within the non-competitive sections”.
“Between 5 and 15 August 2026, the Swiss city of Locarno will once again become a meeting point for filmmakers, audiences, and professionals drawn to cinema that both dares to take risks and capture the imagination of the broader public,” said Locarno.
“From a record 7,759 submissions, the selection for Locarno79 has been shaped as both a space of discovery and a testing ground for new cinematic voices, confirming the festival’s role as an essential platform for independent filmmaking, captivating cinema intended for large audiences, and for the new forms of tomorrow.”
This year’s programme comprises 233 films, including 103 world premieres, “reflecting a spectrum that ranges from formally daring works to inspiring films with strong popular appeal”.
Eleven first features are eligible for the prestigious Swatch First Feature Award, while 19 films are in the running for the Pardo for Change, which “highlights works engaging with urgent environmental, ethical, social, and cultural questions of broad public relevance”.
With films originating from up to 69 countries of production and co-production across all formats, the 79th edition “underscores Locarno’s specific place in the international landscape: a celebration of the art of cinema that makes visible the forms, voices, and stories to come, by bringing emerging talents and independent perspectives into conversation with enthusiastic and curious audiences”.
Giona A. Nazzaro, artistic director, said: “An adventurous selection, full of surprises, which tackles the challenges of the present without ever sacrificing the pleasures of storytelling and entertainment.
“Ours is a selection of films deliberately set against the complexities of the present day, which explores and reflects on the transformations currently taking place within cinema and in the wider audiovisual sector.
“Cinema, then – in all its forms and possibilities. A cinema that curiously explores genres and styles in search of that spark of the future we all need.”
The full official selection is available on the Locarno website.
