The 78th Locarno Film Festival has announced the winners of its main competitions, in a ceremony highlighting the geographical and artistic diversity of the filmmakers honoured.
The prestigious Golden Leopard (Pardo d’Oro), the festival’s top prize, was awarded to Tabi to Hibi (Two Seasons, Two Strangers) by Japanese director Sho Miyake. The film, praised by the jury for its narrative sensitivity and emotional depth, follows Lee, a screenwriter processing what’s happening in her life through the tools of imagination. The jury, chaired by Rithy Panh, praised it as profoundly moving and finely crafted.
“The main character is a screenwriter,” Miyake told C7nema in Locarno. “That lets me weave my own thoughts directly into the story without disrupting its charm—in fact, it enhances the experience, allowing the audience to engage more deeply and reflect alongside us.”
The Special Jury Prize, offered by the cities of Ascona and Losone, went to White Snail by Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter (Austria/Germany). The Best Direction award was given to Abbas Fahdel for Tales of the Wounded Land (Lebanon).
Two films shared the Leopard for Best Performance: Manuela Martelli and Ana Marija Veselčić for Bog neće pomoći (God Will Not Help), and Marya Imbro and Mikhail Senkov for White Snail. A Special Mention was awarded to Dry Leaf by Alexandre Koberidze.
In the Cineasti del Presente section, dedicated to emerging talents, the Golden Leopard went to Tóc, Giấy Và Nước… (Hair, Paper, Water…) by Nicolas Graux and Trương Minh Quý (Belgium/France/Vietnam). Cecilia Kang received the Best Emerging Director award for Hijo Mayor. In Pardi di Domani, the Japanese short film A Very Straight Neck by Neo Sora won the Pardino d’Oro.
Here is the full list of winners:
International Competition
Golden Leopard – Grand Prize of the Festival and City of Locarno
TABI TO HIBI (TWO SEASONS, TWO STRANGERS) – Sho Miyake
Special Jury Prize – Cities of Ascona and Losone
WHITE SNAIL – Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter
Best Direction – City and Region of Locarno
TALES OF THE WOUNDED LAND – Abbas Fahdel
Best Performance Leopard
BOG NEĆE POMOĆI (GOD WILL NOT HELP) – Manuela Martelli and Ana Marija Veselčić
Best Performance Leopard
WHITE SNAIL – Marya Imbro and Mikhail Senkov
Special Mention
DRY LEAF – Alexandre Koberidze
Cineasti del Presente
Golden Leopard – Cineasti del Presente
TÓC, GIẤY VÀ NƯỚC… (HAIR, PAPER, WATER…) – Nicolas Graux and Trương Minh Quý
Best Emerging Director – City and Region of Locarno
HIJO MAYOR – Cecilia Kang
Special Jury Prize CINÉ+
GIOIA MIA (SWEETHEART) – Margherita Spampinato
Best Performance Leopard
GIOIA MIA (SWEETHEART) – Margherita Spampinato
Best Performance Leopard
DON’T LET THE SUN – Jacqueline Zünd
Pardi di Domani – Author Short Films
Pardino d’Oro WePresent by WeTransfer – Best Author Short Film
A VERY STRAIGHT NECK – Neo Sora
Pardi di Domani – International Competition
Pardino d’Oro Arts3 Foundation – Best International Short Film
HYENA – Altay Ulan Yang
Silver Pardino Arts3 Foundation – International Competition
STILL PLAYING – Mohamed Mesbah
Pardi di Domani Best Direction Prize – BONALUMI Engineering
PRIMERA ENSEÑANZA (PRIMARY EDUCATION) – Aria Sánchez and Marina Meira
Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Prize
FORCE TIMES DISPLACEMENT – Angel WU
Pardi di Domani – Swiss Competition
Pardino d’Oro SRG SSR – Best Swiss Short Film
O RIO DE JANEIRO CONTINUA LINDO (RIO REMAINS BEAUTIFUL) – Felipe Casanova
Silver Pardino SRG SSR – National Competition
TUSEN TONER – Francesco Poloni
Best Swiss Newcomer Prize
L’AVANT-POSTE 21 – Camille Surdez
Locarno Film Festival Candidate for the European Film Awards – Best Short Film
O RIO DE JANEIRO CONTINUA LINDO (RIO REMAINS BEAUTIFUL) – Felipe Casanova