Locarno Pro (7-12 August), the Locarno Film Festival’s industry platform, has revealed its 2025 winners across several prestigious initiatives dedicated to supporting emerging filmmakers, promoting international co-productions and preserving cinema history.

Held between 8 and 10 August, this year’s edition of the First Look section spotlighted six promising Canadian feature projects for industry professionals, thanks to a partnership with Telefilm Canada (see the report). The First Look jury, composed of Franck Finance-Madureira, Kim Yutani and Jacqueline Lyanga, awarded multiple prizes to Canadian titles that stood out for their creative vision and technical excellence.

Nina Roza by Geneviève Dulude-De Celles (Canada/Italy/Belgium/Bulgaria) took a double prize haul, winning both the Urban Post First Look Award and the Jannuzzi Smith Award. The former supports post-production services up to CHF 50,000 (€53,000), whilst the latter grants €10,000 worth of international poster design. Nina Roza impressed the jury with its integration of music and art alongside a narrative exploring themes of identity, exile and belonging.

Other standout winners in the First Look category included Bryce Hodgson’s Thanks to the Hard Work of the Elephants (Canada), which received €45,000 in music supervision services from Music Library & SFX/Acorde, and Lunar Sway by Nick Butler (Canada), which was awarded both the Cineground Award for image finishing services (CHF 15,000, or €15,914) and the Le Film Français Award for advertising space (€5,600).

Meanwhile, the festival’s new Spanish Previews segment made its debut this year, culminating in the presentation of the Antaviana Spanish Previews Award. This accolade, offering €10,000 in post-production facilities such as editing and colour grading, went to Lóngquán: The Dragon Spring by Adrià Guxens (Spain).

In the co-development arena, the Alliance 4 Development programme – which brings together projects from Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland – also handed out several awards that demonstrate the gathering’s commitment to fostering cross-border collaboration and artistic growth. The programme’s partnership with Masé Studio yielded three new awards, including the inaugural Masé Studio Award (a CHF 3,000 cash voucher) for Dark Chocolate by Valentin Merz (Switzerland), and two post-production service prizes totalling CHF 35,000 (€37,135) for In the Hidden by Goran Rebić (Austria/Luxembourg/Slovakia) and Snow by Jenna Hasse (Switzerland).

Further recognition went to The Flowering of a Chimera by Simon Maria Kubiena (Austria), which received both the Alphapanda Market Breakout Award (€3,500 in consultancy services) and the MIDPOINT Consulting Award for its fearless exploration of complex themes surrounding violence and healing.

A Special Mention was also bestowed on Primo Viaggio by Alessandro Cassigoli and Casey Kauffman, produced by Sacher Film (Italy). The French DreamAgo Script Consultancy Residency, backed by the Valais Film Commission, handed out a CHF 5,000 (€5,304) script doctoring session to Najma and Salomé by Anne Zinn-Justin (France), praised for its universal yet rooted storytelling about the alliance between two women confronting communal illness and mistrust.

The Ticino Film Commission offered a residency prize combining a two-day location scout and a letter of intent for up to CHF 12,000 (€12,731) in production support to Solastalgia by Yosr Gasmi and Mauro Mazzocchi (Italy/Tunisia), a poignant reflection on environmental loss shot in Italy and Tunisia.

Moreover, the Locarno Heritage Restoration Contest named the ground-breaking 1975 debut Letter from My Village by pioneering Senegalese helmer Safi Faye as its winner. This project marks the third edition of the restoration initiative and was selected from over 30 submissions worldwide. The restored film, which will premiere at the 2026 Locarno Film Festival, offers a poetic homage to African cinema and celebrates Faye’s legacy as a trailblazer for women filmmakers.

Here is the list of this year’s winners:

First Look

Urban Post First Look Award
Nina Roza - Geneviève Dulude-De Celles (Canada/Italy/Belgium/Bulgaria)
Producers: Colonelle films, Umi Films, Echo Bravo, Ginger Light, Premier Studio

Music Library & SFX/Acorde Award
Thanks to the Hard Work of the Elephants - Bryce Hodgson (Canada)
Producers: Coukuma, Harrington Studio

Cineground Award
Lunar Sway - Nick Butler (Canada)
Producer: Cloudy Pictures

Jannuzzi Smith Award
Nina Roza - Geneviève Dulude-De Celles

Le Film Français Award
Lunar Sway - Nick Butler

Spanish Previews

Antaviana Spanish Previews Award
Lóngquán: The Dragon Spring - Adrià Guxens (Spain)
Producers: La Charito Films, Pausa Dramática Films

Alliance 4 Development

Masé Studio Award
Dark Chocolate - Valentin Merz (Switzerland)
Producer: Cinédokké

Masé Studio Post-Production Award
In the Hidden - Goran Rebić (Austria/Luxembourg/Slovakia)
Producers: Amour Fou Vienna, Amour Fou Luxembourg, PubRes

Masé Studio Post-Production Special Award
Snow - Jenna Hasse (Switzerland)
Producer: Langfilm

Alphapanda Market Breakout Award
The Flowering of a Chimera - Simon Maria Kubiena (Austria)
Producer: Chimera Film
Special Mention
Primo Viaggio - Alessandro Cassigoli, Casey Kauffman (Italy)
Producer: Sacher Film

Script Consultancy Residency at DreamAgo/Valais Film Commission
Najma and Salomé - Anne Zinn-Justin (France)
Producer: so-cle

MIDPOINT Consulting Award
The Flowering of a Chimera - Simon Maria Kubiena

Ticino Film Commission Residence Award
Solastalgia - Yosr Gasmi, Mauro Mazzocchi (Italy/Tunisia)
Producers: Chiotto Film, Utopia Films

Locarno Heritage Restoration Contes
Letter from My Village - Safi Faye (Senegal, 1975)