Locarno Film Festival Awards Go to ‘You Don’t Belong Here,’ Hong Sangsoo, Monica Bellucci

The winners are in, as the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival revealed its 2026 awards and special mentions in the Swiss town on Saturday. In the international competition, Romanian director Florin Șerban’s Nu E Locul Tau Aici (You Don’t Belong Here) was honored with the Pardo d’Oro, or Golden Leopard. The father-son drama, set in a small town, revolves around a man raising his teenage son, Ioan, alone after the death of his wife. He doesn’t know that his son gets up at night to cycle through town and vandalize cars with a gang of masked vigilantes. His world is shaken when he learns that the police suspect his son of murder.The film marks the Romanian director’s return to feature filmmaking after eight years. The jury lauded it “for the strength of its writing, the singularity of its vision, and its exceptional command of cinematic language.” Meanwhile, the Pardo, or Leopard, for best director was awarded to Hong Sangsoo for Nun Dul Dega Eomne (Nowhere to Lay My Eyes). And among the performance honors, Monica Bellucci received one for her role in Giovanni Tortorici’s Ketticè. In the Filmmakers of the Present Competition, La Ilusión De Un Verano Sin Fin (The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer) by Alessandra Sanguinetti was honored with the Golden Leopard. ‘Nowhere to Lay My Eyes’ Courtesy of Jeonwonsa Film Co. Said Locarno artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro: “A vital and contemporary slate of awards, in close dialogue with the transformations in the industry and in our world today. Whether in highlighting the Romania of You Don’t Belong Here, or the Brazil of The Riverbank, or the South Korea of Nowhere to Lay My Eyes, the jury upheld the primacy of form and of language, while remaining, in its choices, completely accessible, as the packed and engaged screenings of all competitions demonstrated throughout the festival.” Other Locarno 2026 awards were bestowed upon Beatrice Gibson for At Night and Revolutionaries Never Die by Mohanad Yaqubi, among others. Meanwhile, the festival’s industry strand, Locarno Pro, hit a record, crossing the 2,000 industry registration mark for the first time. This year’s 2,140 industry accreditations were up 10 percent from last year’s 1,940. Professionals from nearly 100 countries participated. Said Markus Duffner, director of Locarno Pro: “The numbers show Pro is cementing its place as an essential industry platform, but what matters more to me is what happens inside those numbers: honest conversations about where this industry is heading, the consolidation, the shifting financing logic, the questions Stephen Follows put to us on how little we actually know about ourselves. We kept building the next generation of producers, distributors, sales agents, programmers and filmmakers who’ll have to navigate all of that, and with the Locarno Investment Community, we’re building a platform diverse and resilient enough to keep backing the talent this industry depends on.” The fest’s closing night will take place in the picturesque Swiss town’s Piazza Grande on Saturday, with Marc Fitoussi’s Ni vue, ni connue (All About Corinne), starring Isabelle Huppert, Sandrine Kiberlain, Anne Marivin, Emmanuelle Bercot and Diane Kruger, as the closing film. Check out the full list of Locarno 2026 winners below. Concorso Internazionale (International Competition) Pardo d’Oro – Grand Prize of the Festival and City of Locarno CHF 75,000 to be shared equally between the director and the producerNu E Locul Tau Aici (You Don’t Belong Here) by Florin Șerban, Romania Special Jury Prize – Cities of Ascona and Losone CHF 30,000 to be shared equally between the director and the producerA Margem do Rio (The Riverbank) by Matheus Farias, Enock Carvalho, Brazil/Germany Pardo for Best Direction – City and Region of Locarno CHF 20,000 to the directorHong Sangsoo for Nun Dul Dega Eomne (Nowhere to Lay My Eyes), South Korea Pardo for Best PerformanceKim Minhee for Nun Dul Dega Eomne (Nowhere to Lay My Eyes) by Hong Sangsoo, South KoreaPardo for Best PerformanceMonica Bellucci for Ketticè by Giovanni Tortorici, Italy Special Performance Mentions Xavier Bergeron for Violence du Corps de L’Autre by Denis Côté, Canada andTeodor Butănescu for Nu E Locul Tau Aici (You Don’t Belong Here) by Florin Șerban, Romania Concorso Cineasti del Presente (Filmmakers of the Present Competition) Pardo d’Oro – Concorso Cineasti del Presente CHF 35,000 to be shared equally between the director and the producerLa Ilusión De Un Verano Sin Fin (The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer) by Alessandra Sanguinetti, Argentina/USA Best Emerging Director Award – City and Region of LocarnoCHF 20,000 to the director Beatrice Gibson for At Night, United Kingdom/France Special Jury Prize CINE+OCS A promotional campaign to the value of CHF 25,000 on CINE+OCS channels at the time of its theatrical release in FranceRevolutionaries Never Die by Mohanad Yaqubi, Palestine/Belgium/Qatar Pardo for Best PerformanceIdrissu Tontie Jr. for Ego Reach We All (Our Time Will Come) by Amartei Armar, Ghana/France/Saudi Arabia Pardo for Best PerformanceManal Issa for L’Estive (Summer Meadow) by Naël Khleifi, Lisa Debauche, Belgium/France Special MentionsLos Días Libres (The Days Off) by Lucila Mariani, Argentina/Brazil/Mexico/France andHanabi (Fire Flower) by Ana Vaz, France/Brazil Pardi di Domani (Leopards of Tomorrow) Concorso Corti d’Autore Pardino d’Oro WePresent by WeTransfer for the Best Auteur Short Film CHF 15,000 to the directorThe Bovine Comedy by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, France Special MentionEt si Thuy n’existait pas (And if Thuy Didn’t Exist) by Carlo Francisco Manatad, Philippines/France/Indonesia Concorso Internazionale Pardino d’Oro Arts3 Foundation for the Best International Short Film CHF 10,000 to the directorMelk by Filip Anthonissen, Belgium Pardino d’Argento Arts3 Foundation for the International Competition CHF 5,000 to the directorKhufu by Mahmoud Assi, Egypt/France/Sweden/Canada Pardino for the Best Direction WeShort for the International Competition CHF 5,000 to the directorMutrion by Marco Cavazzin, Italy Locarno Short Film Candidate for the European Film AwardsMelk by Filip Anthonissen, Belgium Special MentionLas Damas by Camille Zéhenne, France Concorso Nazionale Pardino d’Oro SRG SSR for the Best Swiss Short Film CHF 10,000 to the directorTyphoon Mambo by Domenico Singha Pedroli, Switzerland/France/Thailand Pardino d’Argento SRG SSR for the National Competition CHF 5,000 to the directorAlles Gute (Take Care) by Patricia Strübin, Switzerland Best Swiss Newcomer Award Equipment and services offered by Downtown Studio (CHF 10,000) and Taurus Studio (CHF 2,000) Respirer Une Fois Sur Trois by Charlyne Genoud, Switzerland OTHER AWARDSSwatch First Feature AwardCHF 15,000 to the directorLa Ilusión De Un Verano Sin Fin (The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer) by Alessandra SanguinettiPardo for ChangeCHF 20,000 to the directorEgo Reach We All (Our Time Will Come) by Amartei ArmarSpecial MentionsLos Nuevos (The Newcomers) by Rodrigo Plá, Mexico/SpainandPrivate Property by Deepak Rauniyar, USA/Nepal/France/Australia Locarno Kids Award la MobiliareCHF 15,000 to the directorParadeisa by Marleen Valien, Germany Independent Juries and Awards Ecumenical Jury PrizeCHF 10,000 to the directorHong Sangsoo for Nun Dul Dega Eomne (Nowhere to Lay My Eyes), South Korea FIPRESCI Prize (International Federation of Film Critics)Lejos de Los Árboles (Far from the Trees) by Meritxell Colell Aparicio, Spain/Peru/Italy Europa Cinemas LabelNu E Locul Tau Aici (You Don’t Belong Here) by Florin Șerban, Romania Semaine de la Critique Awards (Critics’ Week)Grand Prix Semaine de la Critique – Prix SRG SSR CHF 5,000 to the director and the producerA Teraz Wiosna (Blossoming) by Kamila Serwicka, Poland Marco Zucchi Award CHF 2,000 to the formally and most aesthetically innovative documentarySeul Le Serpent Sait (Only the Serpent Knows) by Olivier Séror, Martin Verdet, France Junior Jury AwardsInternational CompetitionFirst Prize (CHF 6,000) Nu E Locul Tau Aici (You Don’t Belong Here) by Florin Șerban, Romania Second Prize (CHF 4,000) Violence du Corps de L’Autre by Denis Côté, Canada Third Prize (CHF 2,000) Manhunt by Wayne Wapeemukwa, Canada “The Environment Is Quality of Life” Prize CHF 3,000 offered by the Ticino Department of Internal AffairsI Rarely Wake Up Dreaming by Isabelle Stever, Germany/Ukraine Special MentionD’Ici Là by Sarah Leonor, France Pardi di Domani International CompetitionHershewe Fazanawerd (Forgotten Spaceman) by Elham Ehsas, United Kingdom/AfghanistanNational CompetitionRespirer Une Fois Sur Trois by Charlyne Genoud, Switzerland Auteur Short FilmsÃsheghetam by Filmsaaz, France/Switzerland/Iran Special Mention – International CompetitionPremier Feu (First Fire) by Blanca Camell Galí, France/Spain Special Mention – Auteur Short FilmsThe Bovine Comedy by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, France Open Doors Screenings – “The Environment Is Quality of Life” PrizeConcrete Moves by Fagamou Fama Ndiaye, Senegal h