Locarno Film Festival
Every year, 180.000 people gather in Locarno to celebrate cinema and visual story-telling. With over 450 screenings, talks and events, this is a real Mecca for film lovers.
Locarno Film Festival
While it may not be quite so famous as Cannes, Locarno Film Festival is one of the oldest film festivals in Europe. Now into it's 77th year, it still stands by it's original principals of focusing on quality and independence, and to champion films that enrich culture, art, and society. Big name directors will find their films sitting alongside up-and-coming community film-makers, and selection for the film festival is a real mark of quality for a film.
The star of the show is the biggest open-air cinema in Europe! Every night during the festival, 8.000 people come together in the Piazza Grande to watch the latest, specially selected masterpiece.
Venues for the festival
There are 10 different venues that participate in the Locarno Film Festival. All are centrally located, and it's easy to walk from one venue to another.
- Piazza Grande
- Palexpo (FEVI), Via Alla Peschiera 9
- PalaCinema, Piazza Remo Rossi 1
- L'altra Scala, Via Francesco Chiesa 17
- La Sala, Via Francesco Chiesa 15a
- GranRex Auditorium Leopard Club, Via Bossi 2
- Teatro Kursaal, Largo Franco Zorzi 1
- PalaVideo, Palazzo dei Congressi Muralto, Via Municipio 2
- Cinema Rialto, Via S. Gottardo 1
- Forum @ Spazio Cinema, Via Alla Peschiera 9
Photo credit: © Locarno Film Festival
Film sections
The festival has so many events and films being screened, it is broken into sections to make it easier to navigate. The jewel in the crown is the Pardo d'Oro, the golden leopard, Locarno's main prize and their answer to the Palme d'Or from Cannes. There are countless other awards given throughout the festival, for a range of categories. In 2024, Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan will be awarded with the Festival’s career achievement award, the prestigious Pardo alla Carriera.
The Concorso Internazionale features works shown primarily as world premieres, coming from all over the globe and competing for the prestigious Pardo d’Oro. Last year, over 80% of the films at the festival were world premieres!
The Concorso Cineasti del Presente offers a selection of first and second feature films, again primarily world premieres, directed by emerging global talents.
A territory for expressive experimentation and innovative formal poetry, the Pardi di Domani section showcases short and medium length films.
Fuori Concorso is the meeting point for languages and stories exploring the form of cinematic storytelling, from cinema without genres to the reinvention of genre. This is a free space for exploring new concepts and experimenting with film making.
La Retrospettiva spends time looking back and honouring certain parts of film history. In 2024, it is looking back at 100 years of Columbia Pictures, and the genre- and era-defining films that they have produced over the years.
Histoire(s) du Cinéma is dedicated to the history of cinema. It shows works from film makers and artists to whom the Festival dedicates special tributes, restored prints of rare and important works, and films that shed new light on the history of cinema.
Every year the Semaine de la Critique shows seven documentary feature films as world or international premieres. The section focuses on innovative films on the brink of the mainstream – either in terms of their form or their content.
Panorama Suisse presents 10 current Swiss films such as festival successes, audience favourites and films that have not yet been released in theatres. Film lovers from all over the world have the opportunity to discover current Swiss film making in its own dedicated section at the Locarno Festival.
Photo credit: © Locarno Film Festival
More arts around the area
In addition to all of the above, there are several supporting arts programmes throughout the city.
La Rotonda is a free-to-enter entertainment space, for meeting others and relaxing. With live music, art exhibitions, family activities and more, it's a great place to use as your hub when visiting the festival.
The film festival is such a draw for people to visit Locarno, often for the first time, so the festival also encourages visitors to get out and explore more of Ticino. Any ticket you buy for the festival includes free public transport for anywhere in the Ticino region!
Photo credit: © Locarno Film Festival
Attending the Locarno Film Festival
The film festival is held throughout the city of Locarno, which is easily reached by public transport from other Swiss cities. With the SBB RailAway combined offer, if you travel in by train, you get a 20% discount on a Day Pass or on a ticket for the Piazza Grande showing. Parking in Locarno is extremely limited. If you are driving in, it is recommended to use the Park&Ride options, but even then, spaces are not guaranteed.
To help you get around the city, there is the Pardo Bus, which is a free service that shuttles you between the Piazza Grande, the Park&Ride and the Spazio Cinema. This service runs every 20 minutes from 8.30am to 9.30pm.
Tickets are available for the whole festival, if you're a serious cinema lover, but also for a whole day or for individual screenings. You can buy your tickets and explore the whole programme on the Locarno Film Festival website.
Thumb photo credit: © Locarno Film Festival