Locarno Film Festival Launches with Midnight Program on the Piazza Grande

A Program Spanning Genre, Epic, and the Metropolis

With the combination of genre cinema, western, and urban thriller, the festival leadership is taking up a concept that has repeatedly drawn attention in earlier editions. The uncut version of «Dances with Wolves» is considered a rarity among film collectors and has rarely been seen on large screens. Scorsese is regarded, through «Taxi Driver», as one of the defining directors of 1970s American cinema.

The Locarno Film Festival belongs, alongside the Venice International Film Festival — held since 1932 — Cannes, founded in 1946, and the Berlinale, founded in 1951, to the oldest and most prestigious film events in the world. In the coming days, premieres, retrospectives, and sections dedicated to international auteur cinema will be screened on the Piazza Grande and at other venues.

The organizers emphasized in the lead-up that the midnight series on the Piazza Grande has been a hallmark of the festival for years. Films that run outside the competition program but attract a broad audience through their cultural radiance are regularly presented here as well. With the choice of Lynch, Costner, and Scorsese, this year's edition is betting on a mix of independent spirit, epic storytelling, and urban despair.

The Piazza Grande as a Stage for Auteur Cinema

In addition to the midnight screenings, the program encompasses numerous competition films, encounters with filmmakers, and special series. The Piazza Grande offers space for several thousand spectators and is considered one of the largest open-air screens in Europe. Owing to its distinctive atmosphere, it has evolved over the years into a symbol of the festival.

Wednesday's opening marks the start of eleven days of films, discussions, and award ceremonies. Further sections include the competition «Filmmakers of the Present», which focuses on debut works and second films by young directors, as well as the «Open Doors» section, which turns its attention to filmmakers from regions with restricted production freedom. The program is complemented by an extensive retrospective dedicated this year to works from the early career of Joseph Losey.

Retrospective on Joseph Losey

Losey, whose career began in the 1940s with films such as «Body and Soul» (1947) with John Garfield and «The Boy with Green Hair» (1948), spent a large part of his working life in European exile. His later works, including «The Servant» (1963) and «The Go-Between» (1971), are regarded as milestones of the European arthouse tradition. According to the organizers, the retrospective in Locarno is intended to offer a comprehensive look at the oeuvre of a director who, between Hollywood and Europe, wrote a distinctive chapter of film history.

Parallel to the retrospective, the festival turns its attention in panel discussions to the subjects of film language and production conditions in Europe. Swiss filmmakers such as Petra Volpe, whose screenplay «The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch» attracted international attention, are also represented in the program. By industry observers' assessment, she numbers among the most distinguished voices of contemporary Swiss cinema.

With this year's selection, the festival leadership underscores its aspiration to position Locarno as a place of ambitious cinema — between established classics, experimental forms, and politically relevant voices from around the world. President Paul Baumann had emphasized in his opening address that, in difficult times, cinema can open up spaces for reflection and dialogue. The complete list of award winners will be announced at the end of the festival.

A Look at the Broader Program

The industry is meanwhile watching with keen interest the international reception of the new works celebrating their world or international premieres in Locarno. Festival directors emphasized that, for many filmmakers, Locarno deliberately remains a platform beyond the large market dynamics that shape other festivals. This independence is considered one of the reasons why productions from smaller countries and by lesser-known authors regularly have their first major appearances in Switzerland.

Overall, the organizers expect several tens of thousands of visitors, including numerous professionals and journalists. The screenings on the Piazza Grande are ticketed and typically sell out quickly; those who cannot snag a ticket can see many films in the city's other cinemas. The festival's closing ceremony and award presentation are scheduled for next Saturday.