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Festival coverage

Locarno Film Festival

7 August – 17 August 2024

This year's Locarno Film Festival features an eclectic mix of exciting titles from around the world, right in the heart of Europe. It's a chance for fans to see some of the year's most exciting premières, along with much-loved classics, outside underneath the stars.

The festival runs from 7 to 17 August.

Other years (8)

Latest reviews

  • Weightless
    Review preview for Weightless

    Like the protagonist we are swept up by a wave of questions about aviation and identity and the unbearable heaviness of memory.

    Anne-Katrin Titze · 4.5 out of 5
    A grief-stricken amnesiac tries to regain his memory.
  • Invention
    Review preview for Invention

    A proper little indie with a lot of heart and inspiration

    Marko Stojiljkovic · 4 out of 5
    In the aftermath of a conspiracy-minded father’s unexpected death, his daughter receives his patent for an experimental healing device.
  • Drowning Dry
    Review preview for Drowning Dry

    By withholding information from us, Bareisa puts us in a similar headspace to the main characters.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
    Two familes try to cope with trauma after a weekend getaway turns sour.
  • Toxic
    Review preview for Toxic

    The imagery is almost dream-like, feverish and intense without straying away from reality.

    Andy Stoeva · 4 out of 5
    Two teenage girls, eager to escape from the bleakness of their industrial town, form an unexpected bond at a local modelling school that pushes their bodies to the limit.
  • Holy Electricity
    Review preview for Holy Electricity

    Despite its tendency to lose sight of a unifying thread, Holy Electricity picks up a musical cadence, guiding the viewer through a series of moments that shine with a disarming honesty.

    Sergiu Inizian · 3 out of 5
    When young Gonga and his uncle Bart stumble upon a case of rusty crosses in a scrapyard, they repurpose them into neon crucifixes and start selling them in their neighbourhood.
  • Hymn Of The Plague
    Review preview for Hymn Of The Plague

    Small children reciting old rhymes is surely one of the oldest tricks in the book for generating atmosphere but Ataka51 employ it with the smoothness of a tried and tested magician.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
    Strange things happen at a recording studio.
  • Bogancloch
    Review preview for Bogancloch

    If it wasn’t for the excellent, immersive sound design from Chu-Li Shewring, you could easily believe you were watching a piece of silent movie found footage.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Documentary sequel about a former sailor and his off-the-grid life.
  • The Sparrow In The Chimney
    Review preview for The Sparrow In The Chimney

    As Zürcher explores his protagonist's psyche, straining the limits of a pervasive sense of turbulence, he steers the narrative into a dream-like realm of refreshing sincerity.

    Sergiu Inizian · 2.5 out of 5
    A family gathering is triggering for everyone.
  • Mexico 86
    Review preview for Mexico 86

    Diaz has drawn partially on his relationship with his own mother and the specificity of place and time also help the tensions to feel authentic.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A woman tries to juggle being a revolutionary with motherhood.
  • Fréwaka
    Review preview for Fréwaka

    Clarke’s utilisation of eerie Irish lore and the supernatural to explore very real horror, and the lifelong lingering aftermath of a single, damning moment, is a potent and unsettling brew.

    James Gracey · 4.5 out of 5
    A troubled home carer finds her grip on reality starts to slip after she goes to help an elderly agoraphobic.

A–Z of Locarno Film Festival 2024 reviews

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