The 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival opens today, August 5, transforming the Swiss city into the capital of auteur cinema until August 15. This edition received over 7,000 submissions, up 21% from 2025, from which 233 films were selected, including 103 world premieres, involving a total of 69 countries.
The beating heart of the festival remains Piazza Grande, the historic open-air arena that welcomes thousands of spectators every night. The bond between the Locarno Film Festival and Italian cinema is a long-standing one, and this year it is particularly strong. Piazza Grande will host Armony by Dario Albertini, starring Valerio Mastandrea and Asia Argento. In the International Competition is Ketticè by Giovanni Tortorici, produced by Luca Guadagnino and also starring Monica Bellucci. On the awards front, this year’s honorees include Isabella Rossellini, Rick Baker, Asia Argento and Virginie Efira — a roll of honor that has often celebrated Italian cinema over the years: one need only think of La bella estate by Laura Luchetti, which screened at Locarno in 2023.
One notable story concerns three feature films linked to MIA – International Audiovisual Market in Rome. Before reaching the Locarno Film Festival, they were developed or presented as works in progress at past editions of MIA. We’re talking about Il Cileno, Lejos de los árboles and Alberi erranti. Here is when they arrive on screen, in order of programming.
Alberi erranti – International Competition, August 10
This is the first of the three titles to premiere, scheduled for the afternoon of August 10, in the International Competition. The film is directed by Salvatore Mereu. The cast includes Romeo Perrone, Giulia Maenza, Lorenzo Richelmy, Lupo Barbiero, Edoardo Raiola, Alessandro Haber and Massimo Popolizio. The project was presented in 2024 as part of MIA’s C EU Soon work-in-progress showcase. Based on the novel by Alberto Capitta, the film is set in a Sardinia suspended between realism and fairy tale. It tells the story of three very different families: one lives in isolation on the outskirts of town, caring for injured animals; another is dominated by an authoritarian father; the third belongs to a respected notary. The fates of the three households intertwine. They collide and reconnect. At the center of the story lies generational conflict and the search for identity.
Lejos de los árboles – International Competition, August 13
The film is directed by Catalan filmmaker Meritxell Colell Aparicio. It premieres worldwide on August 13, in the International Competition. The cast includes Angélica Castelló, Jose Luis López Cama, Teresita Sánchez and Caterina Ramirez Guallar. The project was presented at the MIA Film Co-Production Market in 2023. The film follows the journey of a Mexican sound artist who ventures into the Peruvian rainforest to record sounds on the verge of extinction, in a road movie shot between Catalonia and various regions of Peru, from the Andes to Cuzco. The journey, suspended between dream and memory, becomes a reckoning with her own roots and family exile.
Il Cileno – Piazza Grande, August 13
Also on August 13, but in the evening, Il Cileno arrives at Piazza Grande. It is directed by Sergio Castro-San Martín. The cast includes Camilo Arancibia, Sara Serraiocco, Gaetano Bruno, Andrew Bargsted, and, in a supporting role, Lorenzo Richelmy. The project passed through MIA twice: in 2023 at the Co-production Market, and in 2025 at C EU Soon, while in post-production. The screening is scheduled for 9:30 PM. The story is set in 1976. A young militant skilled in explosives is forced into exile from Chile. He leaves behind his wife and newborn son to get by on odd jobs in Turin. Everything changes when he meets a doctor connected to anarchist circles. She offers him the chance to reunite with his family — but in exchange, he will have to return to a dangerous trade.
The complete program for the 79th edition, including screening times, venues and ticket availability, is available on the official Locarno Film Festival website.
