Introduction to Locarno 2025
The Japanese filmmaker Sho Miyake’s film "Two seasons, two strangers" has taken home the main prize, the Golden Lion, at the Locarno 2025 edition. This film is based on a manga by the surrealistic artist Yoshiharu Tsuge and stars Korean actress Shim Eun-Kyung as a screenwriter who reflects on her life through a journey triggered by a random encounter with a stranger.
Main Prizes and Awards
The Golden Leopard for the best film comes with a cash prize of CHF 75,000 (86,650 US dollars), which is shared between the director and the film producer. The Special Jury Prize was awarded to Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter’s film "White snail," which comes with a price of CHF 35,000 (40,400 US dollars). This highly improvised film focuses on the relationship between a model and a mysterious loner and also received the drama award for Marya Imbro and Mikhail Senkov. Another performance price went to Chiles Manuel Martelli and Croatia Ana Marija Veselcic for Hana Jusic’s film "God will not help."
Best Direction and Special Mentions
The Iraqi-French filmmaker Abbas Fahdel was awarded the prize for the best direction for his film "Stories of the wounded country," worth 20,000 CHF (25,000 US dollars), which records the destruction of the war in South Lebanon. Alexandre Koberidze’s Germany-Georgia co-production "Drylet" received a special mention.
Filmmakers of the Present and Other Prizes
The jury of the filmmakers of the current competition awarded their main prize to "Hair, paper, water" directed by Nicolas Graux and Vietnam’s TrươNG Minh Quy with a price of CHF 35,000 ($ 40,400). The best aspiring director went to Argentina’s Cecilia Kang for "Son May"R, a co-pro with France with a price of CHF 20,000 (25,000 US dollars). The film also received one of the best performance prices in the category for Aurora Quattrocchi, while the other best performance price went to Levan Gelbakhiani for Jacqueline Zünd’s "Don’t let the sun."
Additional Awards and Recognition
The Swatch First Feature Award, worth 15,000, went to the Canadian co-production of Sophy Romvari’s "Blue Heron." The Europa Cinemas Label Best European Film Prize was awarded to Kamal Aljafari’s "With Hasan in Gaza." This film now receives the support of the Europa Cinemas Network with additional advertising and incentives for exhibitors to expand the film’s reach on the screen.
Conclusion and Future Edition
Giona A. Nazzaro, the artistic director of Locarno, expressed his gratitude to all the directors who trusted the festival with their works, enabling the creation of a future-oriented edition. Locarno will return from August 5th to 15th in 2026, bringing together communities to share the gifts of cinema and peace. The festival celebrates the permanent and gentle power of cinema and its ability to bring people together. With a look into the future, the festival is sure that these works will pass the test of time and bring hope to young talents who are just starting to dream of the films they want to make tomorrow.
