Key Facts
The Locarno Film Festival, a cornerstone of independent cinema, has announced its 2026 lineup featuring over 200 titles, nearly half of which are world premieres. Artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro has curated a diverse selection that includes works by renowned auteurs and emerging talents, with a focus on community, family, and the body. Notable names attending include Isabella Rossellini, Darren Aronofsky, Olivia Wilde, and Caleb Landry Jones.
Curated Diversity: The New Mantra
Nazzaro describes this year's philosophy as 'curated diversity,' a deliberate choice to bring back unpredictability and surprise in an age of algorithm-driven recommendations. 'It puts the accent on curation and diversity—diversity understood in all its forms,' he explains. The lineup aims to offer a multiplicity of filmic expressions, challenging audiences with unexpected narratives.
Opening Film: 'The Green Eyes'
The festival opens with Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh's 'The Green Eyes,' a film that blends social realism with fantasy. It follows a refugee child whose father abandons the family to avoid deportation, leading the child into a deep sleep filled with dreams. Nazzaro calls it 'quintessentially a Locarno film,' weaving together social issues and fantastical elements for a broad audience.
Competition Strands: Community, Family, and the Body
Nazzaro highlights two narrative threads in the competition: 'community and family' and 'the body.' Examples include Florin Șerban's 'You Don’t Belong Here,' about a teenage boy who kills an old Romani man and questions his place in post-Ceaușescu Romania, and Isabelle Stever's 'I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming,' which explores gender identity against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 'The common element is that the world is getting smaller due to wars everywhere,' Nazzaro notes.
Notable Non-Competition Titles
Among the out-of-competition highlights are Abdelhamid Bouchnak's 'Bakma,' an urban horror thriller from Tunisia; Rebekah McKendry's vampire film 'Sundown' starring Daniel Bernhardt; Vincent Grashaw's new film; Bertrand Mandico's 'Roma Elastica'; and Edgar Pêra's 'Asphalt Guerrilla,' partly made with AI.
Caleb Landry Jones' Passion Project
The Piazza Grande section features the world premiere of Caleb Landry Jones' 'Down the Arm of God,' based on firsthand accounts of homeless people in Texas. The film follows a pastor who offers church shelter to the homeless, sparking community revolt. 'It's about a small community with a church outside the city boundaries,' Nazzaro explains, tying it to the festival's theme of community.
FAQ
What is the theme of the Locarno Film Festival 2026 lineup?
Artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro has introduced a 'curated diversity' mantra, emphasizing a handpicked selection of films that offer unpredictability and surprise, countering algorithmic homogeneity.
Which films are opening the Locarno Film Festival 2026?
The festival opens with 'The Green Eyes' by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh, a social-issue fantasy about a refugee child's trauma and dreams.
What is Caleb Landry Jones' film at Locarno about?
His passion project 'Down the Arm of God' is based on firsthand accounts of homeless people in Texas, focusing on a church community divided over sheltering the homeless.