Locarno Pro, the industry platform of the Locarno Film Festival, has announced the 2026 winners across three of its main initiatives: First Look, Alliance 4 Development and the Locarno Heritage Restoration Contest.
This year’s awards span projects at very different stages, from Uruguayan works in progress and European co-development titles to the restoration of a landmark Swiss film. Support includes post-production services, studio access, marketing, consultancy, location scouting and film restoration.
Uruguayan projects stand out at First Look
Running from August 7 to 9, this year’s First Look put the spotlight on Uruguayan cinema, with six upcoming projects presented to international industry professionals through a partnership with ACAU.
Historia de primavera (Spring Story) by Gabriela Guillermo and Irina Raffo was among the strongest performers, taking home two prizes. Produced by Guillermo and Raffo for L’Avventura Cine and Germán Ormaechea for Animista Cine, the film received the Bright Side of the Moon First Look Award, which includes complete colour grading services, as well as the Le Film Français Award, worth €5,600 in advertising space.
Jury members praised the film for its candid approach to longing and desire and for the way those emotions connect people willing to follow them.
Three awards went to El Surubí (The Surubí) by Lorenzo Tocco, produced by Pancho Magnou Arnabal and Isabel García for Montelona, with Brazil’s Kocria as co-producer.
Its prizes include the La Mayor Cine Award for complete sound post-production services, the Music Library & SFX/Acorde Award, worth €45,000 in music supervision services, and the Jannuzzi Smith Award, providing an international poster design valued at €10,000.
Choosing this year’s First Look winners were Ana David, Programme Advisor at Berlinale; Susana Santos Rodrigues, Co-Director of IndieLisboa; and Triin Tramberg, Artistic Director of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
Alliance 4 Development awards European projects
Sunday, August 9 also marked the close of Alliance 4 Development, Locarno Pro’s co-development platform for projects from Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
Yazz by Florian Hoffmann collected two prizes. Produced by Katrin Renz of tellfilm GmbH in Switzerland, Nicole Gerhards of NiKo Film in Germany and Xénia Maingot of Eaux Vives Productions in France, the project won the NEBEL Studios Award, estimated at CHF 30,500, including three days of studio use and five days of camera equipment.
A second prize, the Studio13/Valais Film Commission Award, adds five days of studio use at Studio13, with an estimated value of CHF 12,000.
Italian project Sparare alle Angurie (Shooting Watermelons) by Antonio Donato, produced by Santiago Fondevila Sancet for Cinedora, received the Masé Studios Award, consisting of a CHF 3,000 cash voucher.
Post-production support also went to Cuore Matto by Tamer Ruggli and Les Orages Magnétiques (Magnetic Storms) by Wendy Pillonel. Both projects shared the Masé Studios Post-Production Award, worth CHF 25,000 in services.
Jessica Puppo’s Le Règne des Silures (Reign of Silures), produced by Alexis Perrin for Rumble Fish Productions, secured the Ticino Film Commission Residence Award. It includes a two-day location scout valued at CHF 4,000, along with a Letter of Intent for financial support of up to CHF 12,000 if the project shoots in Ticino.
Further recognition went to Third Take by Bruce LaBRUCE, produced by Nicolas Brevière of Local Films, which received the Alphapanda Market Breakout Award, offering consultancy services worth €3,500.
Les Orages Magnétiques added another prize with the MIDPOINT Consulting Award, providing an online script consultancy with a MIDPOINT Institute expert.
Anne-Marie Miéville film wins Heritage Restoration Contest
For its 2026 edition, the Locarno Heritage Restoration Contest selected Nous sommes tous encore ici (We’re All Still Here), the 1997 film by Anne-Marie Miéville.
Structured as a three-part meditation on philosophy and everyday life, the film also features Jean-Luc Godard in a rare on-screen role. A complete restoration will now be carried out by film laboratory Cinegrell, with the restored version scheduled to premiere at the 2027 Locarno Film Festival.
Selecting the winning title were Amy Homma, Director and President of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and Academy Collection; Leslie Vuchot, CEO and Founder of The Festival Agency; and Nicole T. Allemann, Head of Film Restoration and Lab at Cinegrell Postproduction.
In its statement, the jury described Miéville’s film as an essential work of Swiss cinema and highlighted the restoration as an opportunity to bring renewed attention to both the film and the director’s contribution to the country’s cinematic heritage as its 30th anniversary approaches.
Now in its fourth edition, the contest previously selected Safi Faye’s Letter From My Village in 2025, Liliana Cavani’s The Cannibals in 2024 and Alberto Cavalcanti’s Mulher de Verdade in 2023.
Supporting cinema from development to preservation
Taken together, this year’s awards underline the broad role of Locarno Pro within the international film industry. First Look gives works in progress exposure to international professionals, Alliance 4 Development helps European projects move closer to production, while the Heritage Restoration Contest brings important films from the past back into circulation.
From emerging Uruguayan filmmakers to European co-productions and the restoration of Anne-Marie Miéville’s work, the 2026 winners show how Locarno Pro continues to support cinema across development, production, post-production and preservation.
