Locarno 2025

The first two episodes of the THE DEAL, a six-part thriller series set in Geneva’s diplomatic milieu during the 2015 nuclear negotiations between the USA and Iran, will be screened on the Piazza Grande. Following a classic cliffhanger, audiences will be able to watch the remaining four episodes in cinemas. Director Jean-Stéphane Bron (Bande à part Films), who also developed the series and co-wrote the screenplay, has already won the Buyers Choice Award at the prestigious Series Mania event with THE DEAL. 

World premieres in the competitions  

Swiss director Fabrice Aragno, Jean-Luc Godard’s long-time close collaborator, will celebrate the premiere of his first feature film LE LAC (Casa Azul Films) in Concorso Internazionale. The film captures the character of the lake with extraordinarily stunning shots on the water. 
Read our interview with cinematographer Joseph Areddy

Also screened in the International Competition is LE BAMBINE by Italian directors Valentina and Nicole Bertani (IT, CH, FR), a Swiss coproduction by Cinedokké. The film tells the story of the friendship between three girls who try to retain their childhood despite their difficult circumstances.

Jacqueline Zünd’s DON’T LET THE SUN, produced by Lomotion AG, will be screened in the Concorso Cineasti del presente. This is the first feature film by the director, who won the Marché du Film’s “Goes To Cannes Award” in 2024 with this work. 

LE CHANTIER, Jean-Stéphane Bron’s second directorial work in Locarno, was also produced by Bande à part Films. The French-Swiss documentary film will celebrate its world premiere in the noncompetitive Fuori Concorso section. 

FLYING SENTS - OF PLANTS AND PEOPLE will celebrate its world premiere in the Semaine de la Critique, the festival’s independent documentary film section. The graduation film by Antshi von Moos at the Zurich University of the Arts was produced by Mira Film. In the film, the director accompanies the protagonists from the worlds of science and art as they illuminate the complex interactions between plants, insects and humans.

Emerging talent and films for kids

Ten new works by up-and-coming directors will be screened in the National Competition of the Pardi di domani section for short films. A diverse range of films can be discovered, such as Luisa Zürcher’s animated documentary ICH BIN NICHT SICHER, Camille Surdez’s short fiction film L'AVANT-POSTE 21 from Écal Lausanne and Lasse Linder’s documentary AIR HORSE ONE.

Swiss director and character designer Marcel Barelli will be honoured with the Locarno Kids Award. In addition, his feature-length animated film MARY ANNING (Nadasdy Film), which premiered in Annecy, will celebrate its Swiss premiere in Locarno. The film is an homage to the British palaeontologist of the same name and was produced by Nadasdy Film. OLIVIA AND THE INVISIBLE EARTHQUAKE is a further animated film with Swiss participation by Nadasdy Film to be screened in the Locarno Kids programme.

Looking back on Swiss filmmaking 

The Panorama Suisse programme takes a look back at Swiss films that have enjoyed success at festivals or in cinemas over the course of the year. This year’s selection includes Petra Volpe’s box-office hit HELDIN, the Berlinale Competition film LA CACHE by Lionel Baier, the Ticinese documentary film IL RAGAZZO DELLA DRINA by Zijad Ibrahimovic and IMMORTALS by Maja Tschumi, winner of the Prix de Soleure 2025. The selection of 10 feature films and 2 short films was curated by SWISS FILMS, the Solothurn Film Festival and the Swiss Film Academy.

The Histoire(s) du Cinéma – Cinéma Suisse Redécouvert programme takes a look even further back with the screening of two restored films by Simon Edelstein: LES VILAINES MANIÈRES (1973) and L'OGRE (1986).

Swiss projects at Locarno Pro

SWISS FILMS has organised its annual SWISS FILMS Previews in partnership with Locarno Pro. Six current Swiss film projects shortly before release will be pitched by their directors and producers to an international industry audience. (Fri, August 8, 11:00, Cinema Rialto)
Find all the projects in our SWISS FILMS Preview Booklet

The Alliance 4 Development programme by Locarno Pro has selected three Swiss projects in development: 3RD EYE OF SHIVA by Maria Kaur Bedi and Satindar Singh Bedi, produced by Esther van Messel, First Hand Films; NEIGE (SNOW) by Jenna Hasse, produced by Olivier Zobrist, Langfilm; and CHOCOLAT AMER (DARK CHOCOLATE) by Valentin Merz produced by Marie Lanne-Chesnot, Andrea Film.

On Thursday, August 7, there will be a SWISS FILMS Talk on the topic of “Innovative Marketing Strategies for Swiss Films”. Marketing experts of three of the six projects selected for the new Campaign Booster will present their campaigns, followed by a Q&A (Thursday, August 7, 1:00 p.m., Davide Campari Lounge @Magnolia)
On behalf of the Federal Office of Culture (FOC), SWISS FILMS supports the international launch of Swiss films in the festival programme.
An overview of all festival films and coproductions as well as a curated selection of new films and projects in production can be found in the 
SWISS FILMS Line-up Locarno 2025