Romanian Film Wins Golden Leopard at 79th Locarno Film Festival

The Romanian film "You Don't Belong Here," directed by Florin Serban, won the Golden Leopard, the top prize, at the 79th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. The jury, presided over by Belgian director Fabrice Du Welz, praised the film for its screenplay, vision, and mastery of cinematic language. The plot focuses on the relationship between a father, a former chief physician, and his son, who killed a man from the Roma community.

The Brazilian film "A Margem do Rio," directed by Matheus Farias and Enock Carvalho, received the Special Jury Prize. This Brazil-Germany co-production, filmed in Recife, was awarded 30,000 Swiss francs, which is approximately 190,000 Brazilian reais. The jury described the film as an erotic and magical horror rooted in the political tradition of Brazilian cinema. During his acceptance speech, Enock Carvalho dedicated the award to his family, the film crew, and the Brazilian LGBTQIA+ community.

Other major awards included the Best Director prize for South Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo for "Nowhere to Lay My Eyes." Best Performance awards were given to actress Kim Min-hee for "Nowhere to Lay My Eyes" and Monica Bellucci for the Italian film "Ketticè." Honorable mentions for acting were given to Xavier Bergeron and Teodor Butanescu. Additionally, "The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer" by Alessandra Sanguinetti won both the Golden Leopard for Filmmakers of the Present and the Swatch First Feature Award.