The Locarno Film Festival has announced the full lineup for its 78th edition, which will take place from August 6 to 16 in Switzerland, and confirmed the participation of two Argentine films directed by women in the Filmmakers of the Present section, dedicated to emerging voices in world cinema. These are Hijo mayor by Cecilia Kang and Olivia by Sofía Petersen.

Hijo mayor, produced by Tarea Fina (Argentina) and co-produced by In Vivo Films (France), tells the story of Lila, a Korean-Argentine teenager who has yet to find her place in the world. The film travels back eighteen years in time to follow her father, Antonio, a Korean immigrant who arrives in Latin America pursuing the dream of a new life. With sensitivity and an intimate gaze, Kang revisits themes such as uprooting and identity construction through the lens of a migrant family.

For her part, Sofía Petersen’s Olivia offers a mystical and poetic approach to the theme of disappearance. Shot on 16mm in Tierra del Fuego with a crew of just six people and a cast of over thirty non-professional actors, the film stands out for its formal singularity and visual strength. The feature was one of only two projects selected for the HBF+Europe post-production scheme, confirming the international interest it has already sparked.

Locarno’s international competition will feature 17 world premieres and high-profile directors such as Radu Jude—who will present Dracula, a radical political comedy he describes as a “love letter to Ed Wood”—as well as Abdellatif Kechiche, Ben Rivers, and Maureen Fazendeiro. In addition, Piazza Grande will screen films by Jafar Panahi and Joachim Trier, along with classics like Police Story by Jackie Chan, who will receive a lifetime achievement award. The festival will also present films starring Willem Dafoe and Emma Thompson, the latter being honored with a special tribute.

Artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro emphasized the festival’s commitment to cinema as a living and evolving art form, stating that Locarno “works for humanity, one film at a time.” Festival president Maja Hoffmann noted that this edition will be “ambitious and exciting,” and a statement in defense of independent cinema in times of change.

Competencia Internacional

Desire Lines
Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Netherlands, Croatia, Germany
Directed by Dane Komljen
World premiere

Donkey Days
Netherlands, Germany
Directed by Rosanne Pel
World premiere

Dracula
Romania, Austria, Luxembourg
Directed by Radu Jude
World premiere

Dry Leaf
Germany, Georgia
Directed by Alexandre Koberidze
World premiere

God Will Not Help
Croatia, Italy, Romania, Greece, France, Slovenia
Directed by Hana Jušić
World premiere

Le Lac
Switzerland
Directed by Fabrice Aragno
World premiere

Mosquitos
Italy, Switzerland, France
Directed by Valentina Bertani, Nicole Bertani
World premiere

Mare’s Nest
United Kingdom, France, Canada
Directed by Ben Rivers
World premiere

Mektoub, My Love: Canto Due
France
Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche
World premiere

Phantoms of July
Germany
Directed by Julian Radlmaier
World premiere

The Seasons
Portugal, France, Spain, Austria
Directed by Maureen Fazendeiro
World premiere

Solomamma
Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Finland
Directed by Janicke Askevold
World premiere

Sorella di clausura
Romania, Serbia, Italy, Spain
Directed by Ivana Mladenović
World premiere

Tales of the Wounded Land
Lebanon
Directed by Abbas Fahdel
World premiere

Two Seasons, Two Strangers
Japan
Directed by Sho Miyake
World premiere

White Snail
Austria, Germany
Directed by Elsa Kremser, Levin Peter
World premiere

With Hasan in Gaza
Palestine, Germany, France, Qatar
Directed by Kamal Aljafari
World premiere

Cineastas del Presente

Affection Affection
France
Directed by Alexia Walther, Maxime Matray
World premiere

A Balcony in Limoges
France
Directed by Jérôme Reybaud
World premiere

Balearic
Spain, France
Directed by Ion de Sosa
World premiere

Becoming
France, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Lithuania, Sweden
Directed by Zhannat Alshanova
World premiere

Blue Heron
Canada, Hungary
Directed by Sophy Romvari
World premiere

Don’t Let the Sun
Switzerland, Italy
Directed by Jacqueline Zünd
World premiere

Don’t Let Me Die
Romania, Bulgaria, France
Directed by Andrei Epure
World premiere

Fantasy
Slovenia, North Macedonia
Directed by Kukla
World premiere

The Fin
South Korea, Germany, Qatar
Directed by Park Syeyoung
World premiere

Follies
Canada
Directed by Eric K. Boulianne
World premiere

Hair, Paper, Water…
Belgium, France, Vietnam
Directed by Nicolas Graux, Trương Minh Quý
World premiere

Hijo Mayor
Argentina, France
Directed by Cecilia Kang
World premiere

Olivia
Argentina, United Kingdom, Spain
Directed by Sofía Petersen
World premiere

The Plant from the Canaries
Germany
Directed by Ruan Lan-Xi
World premiere

Sweetheart
Italy
Directed by Margherita Spampinato
World premiere

Piazza Grande

In the Land of Arto
France, Armenia
Directed by Tamara Stepanyan
World premiere

The Birthday Party
Greece, Spain, Netherlands, United Kingdom
Directed by Miguel Ángel Jiménez
World premiere

The Dead of Winter
USA, Germany
Directed by Brian Kirk
World premiere

The Deal
Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium
Directed by Jean-Stéphane Bron
Swiss premiere

Heads of Tails?
Italy, USA
Directed by Alessio Rigo de Righi, Matteo Zoppis
Swiss premiere

Irkala – Gilgamesh’s Dream
Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, France, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia
Directed by Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji
World premiere

It Was Just an Accident
Iran, France, Luxembourg
Directed by Jafar Panahi
Swiss premiere

Kiss of the Spider Woman
USA, Uruguay
Directed by Bill Condon
International premiere

La Petite Dernière
France, Germany
Directed by Hafsia Herzi
Swiss premiere

Police Story
Hong Kong
Directed by Jackie Chan

Sentimental Value
Norway, France, Denmark, Germany, Sweden
Directed by Joachim Trier
Swiss premiere

The Shining
United Kingdom, USA
Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Rosemead
USA
Directed by Eric Lin
International premiere

Together
Australia, USA
Directed by Michael Shanks
Swiss premiere

Fuera de Concurso

Bobò
Italy
Directed by Pippo Delbono
World premiere

The Deal
Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium
Directed by Jean-Stéphane Bron
World premiere
(Episodes 3–6)

Deathstalker
Canada
Directed by Steven Kostanski
World premiere

E
Finland
Directed by Anna Eriksson
World premiere

Exile
Tunisia, Luxembourg, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
Directed by Mehdi Hmili
World premiere

I Live Here Now
USA
Directed by Julie Pacino
European premiere

Judas’ Gospel
Italy, Poland
Directed by Giulio Base
World premiere

Keep Quiet
USA
Directed by Vincent Grashaw
World premiere

Kerouac’s Road: the Beat of a Nation
United Kingdom, USA
Directed by Ebs Burnough
International premiere

Le Chantier
France, Switzerland
Directed by Jean-Stéphane Bron
World premiere

Legend of the Happy Worker
USA
Directed by Duwayne Dunham
World premiere

Nova ’78
United Kingdom, Portugal
Directed by Aaron Brookner, Rodrigo Areias
World premiere

Silence
Spain
Directed by Eduardo Casanova
World premiere

Some Notes on the Current Situation
Israel
Directed by Eran Kolirin
World premiere