After 11 days chock-full of intense cinematic experiences, special guests and “packed, engaged theatres”, to quote artistic director Giona A Nazzaro, the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival has come to a close. This year’s winners reflect the vital need for filmmakers to tell powerful stories that break the mould and counter the dangerous encroachment of conformity that threatens to seep in everywhere. The top accolade, the Golden Leopard, went this year to You Don’t Belong Here, marking Romanian director Florin Șerban’s return to feature filmmaking. The film, a gripping three-hour drama, portrays a father and son - the latter played masterfully by Teodor Butănescu, who picked up a Special Mention for Best Performance from the jury - who are unable to communicate or forge a deep, sincere relationship. You Don’t Belong Here, which also took home the Europa Cinemas Label, reflects on the excesses of a patriarchal model deeply rooted in Romanian society and beyond.

Chaired by Belgian filmmaker Fabrice Du Welz, the International Competition jury also rewarded the potent, sensual The Riverbank by Brazilian directorial duo Matheus Farias and Enock Carvalho, handing them the Special Jury Prize. At the awards ceremony, the pair dedicated the prize to Brazil’s LGBTIQ+ community which, as shown in the film, fights to exist with dignity and a healthy dose of self-irony within a society that tries to render it invisible.

The same jury was also seduced by South Korean auteur Hong Sangsoo’s new film, Nowhere To Lay My Eyes, which received the Leopard for Best Direction and the Leopard for Best Performance, presented to its intense leading lady, Kim Minhee. The feature also picked up the Ecumenical Jury Prize.

The second Leopard for Best Performance went to international star Monica Bellucci for her supporting turn - albeit no less intense or surprising for being secondary - as the protagonist’s mother in Ketticè by Giovanni Tortorici. The second Special Mention was awarded to Xavier Bergeron for his role in Nobody's Violence by Denis Côté. Finally, the powerful and personal Far from the Trees by Spanish director Meritxell Colell Aparicio nabbed the FIPRESCI Award.

In the Filmmakers of the Present competition, the top spots were taken by the touching, poetic The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer by Argentinian director and photographer Alessandra Sanguinetti, which scooped the Golden Leopard and the First Feature Award, and the autofiction At Night by Franco-British artist and director Beatrice Gibson, which received the Best Emerging Director Award. The Palestinian-Belgian-Qatari co-production Revolutionaries Never Die by Mohanad Yaqubi picked up the CINE+OCS Special Jury Prize. The two Leopards for Best Performance went to Idrissu Tontie Jr for Our Time Will Come by Ghanaian director Amartei Armar and to Manal Issa for Summer Meadow by Belgian-Palestinian helmer Naël Khleifi. The jury also awarded a Special Mention to The Days Off, a film taking the form of a “love letter to the internet”, to quote its director Lucila Mariani, and to Fire Flower by Brazilian artist and director Ana Vaz.

For its part, the Pardo for Change jury was won over by Our Time Will Come, a veritable “odyssey dedicated to the resilience of Ghanaian youth”, in the words of the film’s director, Amartei Armar. The jury also handed out two Special Mentions, the first to the new flick by Mexican director Rodrigo Plá, The Newcomers (screened in Locarno Kids), and the second to the short Private Property by Deepak Rauniyar.

As for the inimitable Piazza Grande, the prison drama and first English-language feature by Swiss director Petra Volpe, Frank & Louis, won over audiences, clinching the UBS Audience Award. Already showcased at the Sundance Film Festival, the movie charts the deep, sincere bond between two inmates, played with great intensity by Kingsley Ben-Adir and Rob Morgan.

Here is the full list of award winners:

International Competition

Golden Leopard
You Don’t Belong Here - Florin Șerban (Romania)

Special Jury Prize
The Riverbank – Matheus Farias, Enock Carvalho (Brazil/Germany)

Leopard for Best Direction
Hong Sangsoo - Nowhere To Lay My Eyes (South Korea)

Leopard for Best Performance
Kim Minhee – Nowhere To Lay My Eyes
Monica Bellucci – Ketticè (Italy)

Special Mentions
Xavier Bergeron – Nobody's Violence (Canada)
Teodor Butănescu – You Don’t Belong Here

Filmmakers of the Present Competition

Golden Leopard
The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer – Alessandra Sanguinetti (Argentina/USA)

Best Emerging Director Award
At Night – Beatrice Gibson (UK/France)

Ciné+OCS Special Jury Prize
Revolutionaries Never Die - Mohanad Yaqubi (Palestine/Belgium/Qatar)

Leopard for Best Performance
Amartei Armar - Our Time Will Come (Ghana/France/Saudi Arabia)
Manal Issa – Summer Meadow (Belgium/France)

Special Mentions
The Days Off – Lucila Mariani (Argentina/Brazil/Mexico/France)
Fire Flower – Ana Vaz (France/Brazil)

Pardi di domani competitions

International Competition

Pardino d’oro Arts3 Foundation for Best International Short Film
Melk – Filip Anthonissen (Belgium)

Pardino d’argento Arts3 Foundation for the International Competition
Khufu – Mahmoud Assi (Egypt/France/Sweden/Canada)

WeShort Award for Best Direction
Mutrion – Marco Cavazzin (Italy)

Special Mention
Las damas – Camille Zéhenne (France)

National Competition

Pardino d’oro SRG SSR for Best Swiss Short Film
Typhoon Mambo – Domenico Singha Pedroli (Switzerland/France/Thailand)

Pardino d’argento SRG SSR for the National Competition
Alles Gute – Patricia Strübin (Switzerland)

Best Swiss Newcomer Award
Respirer une fois sur trois – Charlyne Genoud (Switzerland)

Corti d’autore Competition

Pardino d’oro WePresent for Best Auteur Short Film
The Bovine Comedy – Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (France)

Special Mention
Et si Thuy n’existait pas – Carlo Francisco Manatad (Philippines/France/Indonesia)

Locarno Film Festival short-film candidate for the European Film Awards
Melk – Filip Anthonissen

Semaine de la Critique

Grand Prix Semaine de la critique – Prix SRG SSR
Blossoming – Kamila Serwicka (Poland)

Marco Zucchi Award
Only the Serpent Knows – Olivier Séron, Martin Verdet (France)

Other awards

Swatch First Feature Award (Premio per la miglior opera prima)
The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer – Alessandra Sanguinetti

UBS Audience Award
Frank & Louis - Petra Volpe (Switzerland/UK)

Pardo for Change
Our Time Will Come - Amartei Armar
Special Mentions
The Newcomers – Rodrigo Plá (Mexico/Spain)
Private Property – Deepak Rauniyar (USA/Nepal/France/Australia, short film)

Europa Cinemas Label
You Don’t Belong Here - Florin Șerban

FIPRESCI Award
Far from the Trees - Meritxell Colell Aparicio (Spain/Peru/Italy)

Ecumenical Prize
Nowhere To Lay My Eyes - Hong Sangsoo