Locarno Film Festival 2026: Three Luxembourgish Co-productions Selected
Three co-productions supported by Film Fund Luxembourg will be featured in the programme of the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival, which will take place from 5 to 15 August 2026, confirming the presence of Luxembourg cinema on the international stage.
Object A in international competition
Among the selected films, Object A joins the prestigious International Competition, the festival's main competition, where he will compete for The Golden Pardo (Golden Leopard), the highest award given in Locarno.
Directed by Ann Oren, Object A is a Luxembourg co-production with Tarantula Luxembourg (producer: Donato Rotunno), Germany and Greece. The film also benefits from significant Luxembourgish involvement in key artistic and technical roles, with Audrey Hernu (production design), Aaron Baustert (sound mixing), Kyan Bayani (original music), Carmen Di Pinto (costumes), Gabriel Ohresser (sound engineer), Jasmine Schmit (head makeup artist) and Ingo Dumlich (dialogue editing).
Synopsis: Ingeborg and Adam are visionary hand surgeons bound by love, control and irresistible fixations. She is compelled to steal objects; he longs to become one. When an accident brings the enigmatic Gaia into their lives, unexpected desires begin to take shape, unsettling the careful balance that has long defined their relationship.
Bringing together world and international premieres, the Concorso Internazionale highlights demanding contemporary cinema, between classic storytelling and formal experimentation.
Luxembourgish animation also in the spotlight
Luxembourg will also be present in the new competition Locarno Kids Screenings with New York, Miriam and I (Children of Liberty).
Created this year, this competitive section highlights works intended for young audiences and for all generations wishing to discover the world through a fresh perspective. A jury made up of young viewers will present the Locarno Kids Award. The Mobiliare.
Directed by Rémy Schaepman and Léahn Vivier-Chapas, this animated feature film is co-produced in Luxembourg by Mélusine Productions (Producers: Stéphan Roelants and Fabien Renelli) with France. Following its selection at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the film continues its journey on the major international festival circuit with this new selection at the Locarno Festival.
Death Has No Master in the «History of Cinema» section»
Finally, Luxembourg will be represented in the non-competitive section Histoire(s) du Cinéma with the drama Death Has No Master, which was presented earlier this year at the Directors' Fortnight of the Cannes Film Festival.
Directed by Venezuelan filmmaker Jorge Thielen Armand, this feature film is a Luxembourgish co-production between Deal Productions (Producers: Alexandra Hoesdorff and Désirée Nosbusch) and partners from Venezuela, Canada and Italy.
The film's lead actress, Asia Argento, will be presented with the Life Achievement Award as part of the festival.
Through this triple selection, Luxembourg once again confirms the vitality of its audiovisual sector and the quality of its international collaborations.
Beyond film selections, the Film Fund Luxembourg will be a partner of Locarno Pro's Open Doors programme, the festival's co-production and talent development platform dedicated to supporting under-represented regions and communities or those facing challenging creative conditions. One of the strands of Open Doors involves promoting audiovisual collaborations and co-productions with the featured region, which this year covers 42 countries across the African continent.
Within this same framework, and in collaboration with the Luxembourgish continuing education organisation EAVE, the Film Fund will award a scholarship to one of the producers selected as part of Open Doors, enabling them to participate in the EAVE Marketing Workshop, which will be held in Luxembourg in November.
