Belgian filmmaker Fabrice Du Welz will lead the Concorso Internazionale jury at this year’s Locarno Film Festival.
He will be joined by Italian producer Marco Alessi, French actress Lolita Chammah; Chilean actress Paulina García; and Olivier Père, former General Delegate of the Quinzaine des cinéastes and Artistic Director of the Locarno Film Festival, now Executive Director of ARTE France Cinéma.
The Concorso Cineasti del Presente, dedicated to emerging directors, will be led by Tunisian actress, director, producer, and director of the Gabès Cinéma Fen Festival Afef Ben Mahmoud; Czech producer and director Radovan Síbrt; and filmmaker Margherita Spampinato (Sweetheart).
The Pardi di Domani section will be judged by a trio of filmmakers: Lebanese director, writer, and actress Mounia Akl; South African producer Steven Markovitz; and Italian director Antonio Piazza.
The 79th Locarno Film Festival will take place from 5 to 15 August 2026. Films set for the fest include new titles from Hong Sang-soo, Basil Da Cunha, Gurvinder Singh and Denis Côté.
The festival will open with a Piazza Grande world premiere for Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh’s The Green Eyes. Following two children whose lives are turned upside down when their father abandons the family home to escape deportation, it is the directorial duo’s second feature after their 2020 breakout Gagarine.
Other Piazza Grande highlights include The Invite, with director and co-star Olivia Wilde due to attend the screening, as well as Cannes 2026 contender Paper Tiger and a newly restored copy of Kevin Costner’s Dancing With Wolves.
Check out this year’s full Locarno lineup here.
