The Locarno Film Festival unveiled this Tuesday the eagerly awaited selection for its Pardi di Domani section, dedicated to short and medium-length films. According to the festival organizers, this space represents “a fertile ground for expressive experimentation and innovative forms of cinematic poetry.”
The 2025 edition of this emblematic section — regarded by Locarno as “a cornerstone of its mission” and a bridge between generations and traditions — features works by emerging talents and acclaimed auteurs such as Neo Sora, Marta Popivoda, Abdellah Taïa, Salvatore Mereu, and Radu Muntean. In total, 40 world premieres from 25 countries will be showcased across three competition strands.
The Concorso Internazionale and Concorso Nazionale will offer an international platform for new voices from around the world and from Switzerland, respectively. Meanwhile, the Concorso Corti d’Autore will highlight how directors experienced in feature-length storytelling find formal and narrative freedom in the short format.
Among the filmmakers featured in this latter category are Mongolian director Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, Italian filmmaker Salvatore Mereu, Japanese director Neo Sora, Serbian artist Marta Popivoda, Moroccan writer-director Abdellah Taïa, the Serbo-Croatian duo Matija Gluščević and Dušan Zorić, Laotian filmmaker Mattie Do, Canadian director Ryan McKenna, Romanian auteur Radu Muntean, and German director Katharina Huber, who won the Best Emerging Director award at Locarno in 2023 for her feature Ein schöner Ort.
“The Pardi di Domani program has not only gained more and more followers over the years but has also become one of the unmissable events for short film lovers,” said Giona A. Nazzaro, artistic director of the festival. “It’s a breeding ground for experimentation and creative joy that continues to reap success and launch filmmakers poised to leave a mark on contemporary cinema.”
Eddie Bertozzi, head of the section’s selection committee, added that this year’s edition offers “a selection of bold films that plunge us into the heart of today’s most urgent tensions.” He continued: “With established voices and striking new discoveries, the program sparks a dialogue between diverse cinematic experiences and offers a radical invitation to rethink identity, bodies, and conflict from fresh and provocative perspectives.”
Concorso Corti d’Autore
A VERY STRAIGHT NECK by Neo Sore – Japan, China – 2025
World Premiere
CAIRO STREETS by Abdellah -rata – France – 2025
World Premiere
HISTERIÖNI NAPAD SMEHA (HYSTERICAL FIT OF LAUGHTER) by Duöan Zorié, Matija Gluööevié – Serbia, Croatia – 2025
World Premiere
INDEX by Radu Muntean — Romania — 2025
World Premiere
NANG NORN (THE SLEEPING BEAUTY) by Mattie Do – USA, Laos, Thailand -2025
World Premiere
SLET 1988 by Marta Popivoda — Germany, France, Serbia — 2025
World Premiere
SOLITUDES by Ryan McKenna – Canada – 2025
World Premiere
SPÄTERNTE (LATE HARVEST) by Katharine Huber – Germany – 2025
World Premiere
SU CANE EST SU MIU (THE DOG IS MY DOG) by Salvatore Mereu – Italy -2025
UNE FENETRE PI-EIN SUD (A SOUTH FACING WINDOW) by Lkhagvadulam PurevOchir — France, Mongolia — 2025
World premiere
Concorso Internazionale
BAISANOS by Andrés Khamis Giacoman, Francisca Khamis Giacoman — Chile, Spain,
Palestine — 2025
World Premiere
BLEIFREI 95 (UNLEADED 95) by Emma Hütt, Tina Emy Muffler -Austria, Germany —
2025
World Premiere
BLIND, INS AUGE (BLIND, INTO THE EYE) by Atefeh Kheirabadi, Mehrad Sepahnia Germany, Iran — 2025
BOA by Alexandre Dostie — Canada, France — 2025
World Premiere
CE QU’ON LAISSE DERRIÉRE (WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND) by Alexandra Myotte, JeanSébastien Hamel – Canada – 2025
World Premiere
DIE UNIFORMIERTEN (THE UNIFORMED) by Timon Ott -Germany -2025
World Premiere
ELDORADO by Anton Bialas – France – 2025
World Premiere
FORCE TIMES DISPLACEMENT by Angel WU -Taiwan — 2025
World Premiere
HONEY, MY LOVE, SO SWEET by UT Trinidad – Philippines — 2025
World Premiere
HYENA by Altay Ulan Yang – USA – 2025
World Premiere
JOLIE PETITE HISTOIRE (HAPPILY EVER AFTER) by Elodie Beaumont -rarillon France – 2025
KOZE! (GOATS!) by -ronéi Gaéina – Croatia, France – 2025
World Premiere
PI-ÄNCTON (PLANCTON) by Irene Moray – Spain, France – 2025
World Premiere
POI-UOTOK (PENINSULA) by David Gaöo – Croatia – 2025
World Premiere
PRIMERA ENSENANZA (PRIMARY EDUCATION) by Aria Sénchez, Marina Meira Cuba, Spain — 2025
World Premiere
RANDAGHI by Enrico Motti, Emanuele Motti – Italy – 2025
World Premiere
STILL PLAYING by Mohamed Mesbah – France – 2025
World Premiere
UN CIE’ BAS (A SKY SO LOW) by Joachim Michaux – Belgium, France – 2025
World Premiere
UNA VEZ EN UN CUERPO (ONCE IN A BODY) by Maria Cristina Pérez Gonzélez Colombia, USA – 2025
World Premiere
YOYO by Mohammadreza Mayghani – Iran, France -2025
World Premiere
Concorso Nazionale
AIR HORSE ONE by Lasse Linder – Switzerland, Belgium -2025
World Premiere
ICH BIN NICHT SICHER (I’M NOT SURE) – Luisa Zürcher – Switzerland — 2025
World Premiere
I-IAVANT-POSTE 21 by Camille Surdez – Switzerland – 2025
World Premiere
LES DIEUX (THE GODS) by Anas Sareen – Switzerland – 2025
LOST TOUCH by Justine Klaiber — Switzerland — 2025
World Premiere
NEST by Stefania Burla — Switzerland — 2025
World Premiere
NOIRS MATINS (BLACK MORNINGS) by David Gonseth – Switzerland – 2025
World Premiere
O RIO DE JANEIRO CONTINUA I-INDO (RIO REMAINS BEAUTIFUL) by Felipe Casanova — Belgium, Brazil, Switzerland — 2025
World Premiere
TUSEN TONER by Francesco Poloni – Switzerland – 2025
World Premiere
YONNE by Julietta Korbel, Yan Ciszewski – Switzerland, France -2025
World Premiere
