Romanian filmmaker Florin Șerban’s You Don’t Belong Here has won the Pardo d’Oro (Golden Leopard) for Best Film in the International Competition at the 79th Locarno Film Festival, which concluded on August 15 in Locarno, Switzerland. The International Competition jury was presided over by Belgian filmmaker Fabrice Du Welz.
The film is a father-and-son drama set in a small Romanian town. It follows a man raising his teenage son, Ioan, alone after the death of his wife. Unknown to his father, Ioan spends his nights cycling through the town with a group of masked vigilantes who vandalise cars. Their already difficult circumstances take a darker turn when the police begin to suspect Ioan of murder.
You Don’t Belong Here marks Șerban’s return to feature filmmaking after an eight-year absence. The director has described the film as a portrait of a way of seeing the world that may be disappearing. Its young star, Teodor Butănescu, also received a Special Mention for his performance.
The Special Jury Prize went to The Riverbank (A Margem do Rio), directed by Matheus Farias and Enock Carvalho. The Brazil-Germany co-production shares a contemporary social concern with the Golden Leopard winner, addressing the rise of hate speech and violence against people who are considered different.
South Korean filmmaker Hong Sangsoo won the Pardo for Best Direction for Nowhere to Lay My Eyes. The film marks Hong’s 35th feature and his fifth invitation to Locarno. He previously won the Best Director award for Our Sunhi in 2013 and the Golden Leopard for Right Now, Wrong Then in 2015.
Nowhere to Lay My Eyes follows Sang-hee, played by Kim Min-hee, as she travels to the southern Korean island of Jeju to find her divorced mother, whom she last saw 10 years earlier. The film also explores memory and intergenerational connections.
The Best Performance award was shared by Kim Min-hee and Monica Bellucci. Kim was recognised for Nowhere to Lay My Eyes, marking her second Best Performance award at Locarno after her 2024 win for By the Current.
Bellucci was honoured for her performance in Italian filmmaker Giovanni Tortorici’s Ketticè. She plays the mother of the young protagonist in the film, which focuses on teenagers searching for identity and freedom. The role represents a departure from the iconic image associated with Bellucci’s career, placing her in a supporting role.
Canadian actor Xavier Bergeron received a Special Performance Mention for his work in Denis Côté’s Violence du Corps de L’Autre.
In the Filmmakers of the Present section, which focuses on debut and second features, the Golden Leopard went to Alessandra Sanguinetti’s The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer. The film also received the Swatch First Feature Award.
Beatrice Gibson won the Best Emerging Director Award for At Night, while Mohanad Yaqubi’s Revolutionaries Never Die received the Special Jury Prize. The Best Performance awards went to Idrissu Tontie Jr. for Our Time Will Come and Manal Issa for Summer Meadow.
Special Mentions in the section went to Lucila Mariani for The Days Off and Ana Vaz for Hanabi.
The 79th Locarno Film Festival ran from August 5 to 15, 2026, in Locarno, Switzerland. The edition opened with The Green Eyes and once again used the city’s Piazza Grande as its major outdoor screening venue. The festival poster was designed by American artist Cindy Sherman.
The festival’s 2026 awards brought together films dealing with contemporary social concerns, personal relationships and questions of identity, reflecting Locarno’s continued focus on intimate and distinctive filmmaking.
Full Winners List: 79th Locarno Film Festival
International Competition:
Golden Leopard: You Don’t Belong Here — Florin Șerban, Romania
Special Jury Prize: The Riverbank — Matheus Farias and Enock Carvalho, Brazil/Germany
Best Direction: Hong Sangsoo — Nowhere to Lay My Eyes, South Korea
Best Performance: Kim Min-hee — Nowhere to Lay My Eyes; Monica Bellucci — Ketticè
Special Mentions: Xavier Bergeron — Violence du Corps de L’Autre; Teodor Butănescu — You Don’t Belong Here
Filmmakers of the Present
Golden Leopard: The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer — Alessandra Sanguinetti
Swatch First Feature Award: The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer
Best Emerging Director: Beatrice Gibson — At Night
Special Jury Prize: Revolutionaries Never Die — Mohanad Yaqubi
Best Performance: Idrissu Tontie Jr. — Our Time Will Come; Manal Issa — Summer Meadow
Special Mentions: The Days Off — Lucila Mariani; Hanabi — Ana Vaz
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