The 76th annual Locarno Festival was held from 2 August to 12 August 2023 in Locarno, Switzerland.

French actor Lambert Wilson was the head of the Main Competition Jury. American filmmaker Harmony Korine received the Pardo d’Onore Manor.

The Iranian film Critical Zone, directed by Ali Ahmadzadeh, was the winner of the Golden Leopard, the festival's top prize. Radu Jude's Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World won the Special Jury Prize.

For this year's edition, the acting categories (Best Actor/Best Actress) became gender-neutral after the creation of the Best Performance category. In the Main Competition, the winners were Dimitra Vlagopoulou for Animal and Renée Soutendijk for Sweet Dreams.

Juries

Concorso Internazionale - Main Competition

Lambert Wilson, French actor - Jury President Charlotte Wells, Scottish filmmaker Matthijs Wouter Knol, Dutch CEO and Director of the European Film Academy Lesli Klainberg, President of Film at Lincoln Center Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Iranian actress and producer

Filmmakers of the Present Competition

Beatrice Fiorentino, Italian General Delegate of the Film Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival Erige Sehiri, French-Tunisian director Helena Wittmann, German filmmaker

Leopard of Tomorrow

Matthew Rankin, Canadian filmmaker Amos Sussigan, Swiss director and production designer Ewa Puszczyńska, Polish producer

First Feature

Devika Girish, Indian-American film critic and programmer Omar El Zohairy, Egyptian filmmaker Isabel Sandoval, Filipina filmmaker

Pardo Verde Ricola (Green Leopard)

Firouzeh Khosrovani, Iranian filmmaker Arami Ullón, Swiss-Paraguayan director, screenwriter and producer Moussa Sene Absa, Senegalese filmmaker and painter

Official Sections

Piazza Grande 17 films, including 9 world premieres, were screened at the Piazza Grande, Locarno's open-air theater that accommodates a nightly audience of up to 8,000 people: English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countryAnatomy of a FallAnatomie d'une chuteJustine TrietFranceAntarctica CallingContinent MagnétiqueLuc JacquetThe Beautiful SummerLa Bella EstateLaura LuchettiItalyCity of Women (1980)La città delle donneFederico FelliniDammiYann Mounir DemangeFranceThe Falling StarL'Étoile FilanteDominique Abel and Fiona GordonFrance, BelgiumFalling StarsRichard Karpala, Gabriel BienczyckiUnited StatesGuardians of the FormulaČuvari formuleDragan BjelogrlićSerbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, North MacedoniaThe Old OakKen LoachUnited Kingdom, Belgium (1974)Daniel SchmidSwitzerland, FranceFirst CasePremière affaireVictoria MusiedlakFranceShayda (closing film)Noora NiasariAustraliaSmugglers밀수Ryoo Seung-wanSouth KoreaNon sono quello che sono - The Tragedy of Othello di W. ShakespeareI Am Not What I Am - The Tragedy of Othello by W. ShakespeareEdoardo LeoItalyTheater CampMolly Gordon, Nick LiebermanUnited StatesThe Path of ExcellenceLa Voie RoyaleFrédéric MermoudSwitzerland, FrancePiazza Grande: Pre-festivalChicken for Linda!Linda veut du poulet!Chiara Malta, Sébastien LaudenbachFrance, Italy

Main Competition (Concorso Internazionale) The Concorso internazionale explores new territories in moviemaking. This year's selection of 17 titles, all world premieres and one as an international premiere, will be competing for the Pardo d’oro: English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countryAnimalSofia ExarchouGreece, Austria, Romania, Cyprus, BulgariaCritical Zoneمنطقه بحرانیAli AhmadzadehIran, GermanyDo Not Expect Too Much from the End of the WorldNu aștepta prea mult de la sfârșitul lumiiRadu JudeRomania, Luxembourg, France, CroatiaEssential Truths of the LakeLav DiazPhilippines, France, Portugal, Singapore, Italy, Switzerland, United KingdomHomeBaanLeonor TelesPortugalThe Human Surge 3El auge del humano 3Eduardo WilliamsArgentina, Portugal, Netherlands, Taiwan, Brazil, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, PeruThe Invisible FightNähtamatu võitlusRainer SarnetEstonia, Latvia, Greece, FinlandLousy CarterBob ByingtonUnited StatesManga D'TerraBasil Da CunhaSwitzerland, PortugalObscure Night - Goodbye Here, AnywhereNuit obscure - Au revoir ici, n'importe oùSylvain GeorgeFrance, SwitzerlandPatagoniaSimone BozzelliItalyThe Permanent PictureLa imatge permanentLaura FerrésSpain, FranceRossosperanzaAnnarita ZambranoItaly, FranceStepneMaryna VrodaUkraine, Germany, Poland, SlovakiaSweet DreamsEna SendijarevićNetherlands, Sweden, IndonesiaThe Vanishing Soldierהחייל הנעלםDani RosenbergIsraelYannickQuentin DupieuxFrance

Out of Competition (Fuori Concorso) The Fuori concorso section features 12 films, of which 11 are world premieres, from outstanding directors’ intent on exploring new possibilities in filmic narration: English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country5 HectaresÉmilie DeleuzeFranceBest Secret PlaceCaroline Poggi, Jonathan VinelBonjour la LanguePaul VecchialiLovano SupremeFranco MarescoItalyMademoiselle KenopsiaDenis CôtéCanadaMimì – Prince of DarknessMimì – Il principe delle tenebreBrando De SicaItalyProcidaAntonella Di NoceraRicardo and PaintingRicardo et la PeintureBarbet SchroederSwitzerland, FranceShe Is ConannBertrand MandicoLuxembourg, France, BelgiumTriggeredTopakkRichard V. SomesPhilippines, United StatesWe BarbariansNous les BarbaresBertrand MandicoLuxembourg, Belgium, FranceWhat RemainsRan HuangHong Kong, United Kingdom, Finland

Filmmakers of the Present Competition (Concorso Cineasti del presente) The Concorso Cineasti del presente selection, dedicated to discovering the cinema of tomorrow, comprises 15 films: first and second features, all world premieres: English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countryA Good PlaceEin schöner OrtKatharina HuberGermanyAll the FiresTodos los IncendiosMauricio Calderón RicoMexicoBittenLa MorsureRomain de Saint-BlanquatFranceCamping du LacEléonore SaintagnanBelgium, FranceDreaming & DyingHao jiu bu jianNelson YeoSingapore, IndonesiaExcursionEkskurzijaUna GunjakBosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, France, Norway, QatarFamily PortraitLucy KerrUnited StatesNegu hurbilakColectivo NeguSpainOf Living Without IllusionUnd dass man ohne Täuschung zu leben vermagKatharina LüdinGermany, SwitzerlandOn the GoMaría Gisèle Royo, Julia de CastroSpainRaptureRimdogittangaDominic SangmaIndia, China, Switzerland, Netherlands, QatarRivièreHugues HaricheSwitzerland, FranceTouchedClaudia RorariusGermanyWest Border西渡Yan LuoChinaWhispers of Fire & WaterLubdhak ChatterjeeIndia

Leopard of Tomorrow (Pardi di Domani) The Pardi di domani section, dedicated to short films by emerging Swiss and international directors, combines with auteur shorts competition Concorso Corti d’autore to screen a total of 40 films, all presented as world premieres. The selection is completed by the collection of short films made during the Spring Academy, led this year by director Radu Jude:

Concorso Internazionale English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countryA Bird Called MemoryPássaro MemóriaLeonardo MartinelliBrazil, United KingdomAs if Mother Cried That NightEngar madaram geriste bud aan shabHoda TaheriGermanyA Study of EmpathyEn undersøgelse af empatiHilke RönnfeldtDenmark, GermanyA Tortoise's Year of FateYi zhi wu gui de ben ming nianYi XiongChinaThe Currency - Sensing 1 AgbogbloshieElom 20ce, Musquiqui Chihying, Gregor KasperGermany, Taiwan, TogoDe ImperioAlessandro NovelliPortugal, SpainDu bist so wunderbarLeandro Goddinho, Paulo MenezesGermany, BrazilFull NightPleine NuitManon CoubiaBelgium, FranceThe GuardNegahbanAmirhossein ShojaeiIrani look into the mirror and repeat to myselfGiselle LinSingaporeKinderfilmTotal Refusal, Adrian Jonas Haim, Michael Stumpf, Robin KlengelAustriaThe LoversCarolina SandvikSwedenMaking BabiesFaire un enfantEric K. BoulianneCanadaThe Moon Will Contain UsSolo la luna comprenderáKim TorresCosta Rica, United StatesPrayCaleb Azumah NelsonUnited KingdomScorched EarthMarkela KontaratouGreece, United KingdomSlimaneCarlos PereiraGermanyLa Vedova Nerafiume, Julian McKinnonFranceThe WavesPadoYumi JoungSouth KoreaZ.O.Loris G. NeseItaly

Concorso Nazionale English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countryAbout a CowO krávěPavla BaštanováCzech Republic, SwitzerlandAlexx196 & the pink sand beachAlexx196 & la plage de sable roseLoïc HobiSwitzerland, FranceDuckCanardElie ChapuisSwitzerland, BelgiumEver Since, I Have Been FlyingO gün bu gündür, uçuyorumAylin GökmenSwitzerlandThe IslandJulien PujolFrance, EstoniaJaimaFrancesco PereiraSwitzerlandLast NightLetzte NachtLea BlochNIGHT SHIFTKayije Kagame, Hugo RadiRemember, Broken Crayons Colour TooUrša Kastelic, Shannet ClemmingsSearching for the 5th DirectionMatthias Herr Schüpbach

Concorso Corti d’Autore English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production countryBeen ThereCorina Schwingruber IlićSwitzerlandiNTELLIGENCEJeanne Frenkel, Cosme CastroFranceI Used to Live ThereRyan McKennaCanadaKill 'Em AllMátalos a todosSebastian Molina RuizMexicoLoving in BetweenJyoti MistryAustria, South AfricaMy Mother Is a SaintI mitera mou ine agiaSyllas TzoumerkasGreeceNocturne for a ForestNocturno para uma florestaCatarina VasconcelosPortugalThe PassingIvete Lucas, Patrick BresnanUnited StatesRainer, a Vicious Dog in a Skull ValleyBertrand MandicoFranceValley PrideLukas MarxtAustria, Germany

Pardi di Domani: Special event Original titleDirector(s)Production countryFind a Film!Coline Confort, Slava Doytcheva, Federico Frefel, Alessandro Garbuio, Andrea Gatopoulos, Ambra Guidotti, Jumana Issa, Zhenia Kazankina, Bohao Liu, Diego Andres Murillo, Chiara ToffolettoSwitzerland

Open Doors: Screenings In the second of three years dedicated to cinemas in Latin America and the Caribbean, Open Doors will offer an overview of the most interesting independent productions from its current focus region. For the Open Doors Screenings, this year's focus will be on film from South American continent, with 18 long, medium and short films, of which one is a world premiere: English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country98 Seconds Without Shadow (2021)98 Segundos sin SombraJuan Pablo RichterBoliviaAutoerótica (2021)Andrea Fernanda Hoyos ValderramaPeruBoreal (2022)Federico AdornoParaguay, MexicoMe & The Beasts (2021)Yo y las BestiasNico ManzanoVenezuelaOnce Upon a Time in Venezuela (2020)Érase una vez en VenezuelaAnabel Rodríguez RíosVenezuela, United Kingdom, Austria, BrazilThe Preacher (2021)El RezadorTito Jara H.Ecuador, Colombia, SpainThe Shape of Things to Come (2021)Tiempos FuturosVíctor ChecaPeru, Germany, Spain, Mexico, EcuadorShort FilmsAngelo (2022)Alex PlumbBoliviaThe Distance of Time (2021)La distancia del TiempoCarlos Ormeño PalmaPeruEating Papaw On The Seashore (2022)Rae Wiltshire, Nickose LayneGuyanaHidden World (2018)Kenrich CairoSuriname, NetherlandsPlástico (2022)Vero KompalicVenezuelaThe Red Spiral (2021)La Espiral RojaLorena ColmenaresVenezuela, GermanyRimana Wasi: Home of Stories (2022)Rimana Wasi: Hogar de HistoriasXimena Málaga Sabogal, Piotr TurlejPeruVolivia (2014)Leandro GrilloBoliviaWhat Do You See? (2019)Veo, veoTania Cattebeke LaconichParaguayWillkawiwa (The Sacred Fire of the Dead) (2022)Willkawiwa (El Sagrado Fuego de los Muertos)Pável Quevedo UllauriEcuador, Costa RicaYou Can Read, Can't You? (2018)Je kan toch lezenAnanta KhemradjSuriname, Netherlands

Histoire(s) du Cinéma Unprecedented perspectives on movie history with 18 films, including prestigious restored titles, valuable rediscoveries and works that have become part of the collective imagination: