Romanian father-son drama 'You Don't Belong Here' wins Golden Leopard at Locarno 79
Florin Șerban's 'You Don't Belong Here' took the top prize at the 79th Locarno Film Festival, with Monica Bellucci and Hong Sangsoo among other winners announced Saturday, August 15.
Top honor for Romanian father-son drama
The 79th Locarno Film Festival concluded on Saturday, August 15, 2026, after eleven days of screenings that drew large and enthusiastic audiences to the Swiss town's cinemas. The top prize, the Pardo d'Oro (Golden Leopard), went to Romanian director Florin Șerban's "You Don't Belong Here (Nu e locul tău aici)," carrying CHF 75,000 shared equally between director and producer. The film marks Șerban's return to feature filmmaking after eight years.
The drama centers on a widowed physician raising his teenage son, Ioan, alone after his wife's death. Unbeknownst to the father, the boy cycles through town at night, joining a gang of masked youths who vandalize cars. The family's equilibrium shatters when police come to suspect the teenager of murdering an elderly Romani man. The international competition jury, overseen by Belgian filmmaker Fabrice Du Welz, praised the film "for the strength of its writing, the singularity of its vision, and its exceptional command of cinematic language."
Acting and directing awards
South Korean director Hong Sangsoo won the Pardo for Best Direction for "Nowhere to Lay My Eyes (Nun Dul Dega Eomne)," a chamber piece filmed on Jeju Island. The film's lead actress Kim Minhee received one of two gender-neutral Best Performance awards. The other went to Italian actress Monica Bellucci for her portrayal of the wealthy, fragile, and desperate mother of the protagonist in Giovanni Tortorici's coming-of-age film "Ketticè."
- Pardo d'Oro
- 75000 CHF
- Special Jury Prize
- 30000 CHF
- Junior Jury First Prize
- 6000 CHF
Romanian actor Teodor Butănescu earned a special mention for his performance in "You Don't Belong Here," his first leading role, as the violent, xenophobic son. The film also collected the Europa Cinemas Label and the Junior Jury first prize in the international competition, worth CHF 6,000.
Other competition winners
The Special Jury Prize, worth CHF 30,000, went to "The Riverbank (A Margem do Rio)," a Brazilian-German co-production directed by Matheus Farias and Enock Carvalho. The film examines a gay love story threatened by intolerance and violence.
In the Filmmakers of the Present Competition (Concorso Cineasti del Presente), the Golden Leopard and the Swatch First Feature Award were both awarded to "The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer (La Ilusión de un Verano Sin Fin)" by Alessandra Sanguinetti. Additional awards recognized Beatrice Gibson for "At Night" and "Revolutionaries Never Die" by Mohanad Yaqubi.
Festival close and next edition
Festival artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro described the awards as "a vital and contemporary slate of awards, in close dialogue with the transformations in the industry and in our world today." He specifically cited the Romania of Șerban's film, the Brazil of "The Riverbank," and the South Korea of "Nowhere to Lay My Eyes" as settings the jury recognized, adding that the jury "upheld the primacy of form and of language, while remaining, in its choices, completely accessible."
The closing night in Piazza Grande on Saturday featured the Prix du Public UBS ceremony before a screening of Marc Fitoussi's "Ni vue, ni connue (All About Corinne)," starring Isabelle Huppert, Sandrine Kiberlain, and Diane Kruger. The 80th Locarno Film Festival is scheduled for August 4 to 14, 2027.
