Locarno Film Festival Awards Go to ‘You Don’t Belong Here,’ Hong Sangsoo and Monica Bellucci

The Locarno Film Festival handed out top awards on Saturday for its Filmmakers of the Present competition, with Alessandra Sanguinetti’s “The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer” emerging as the night’s main winner at Switzerland’s Palexpo exhibition venue. The Hollywood Reporter reported that the film won the Golden Leopard, the festival’s best-known prize, and also received the first feature award, marking a double win for Sanguinetti within the competition slate.

The same competition lineup also recognized filmmaker Hong Sangsoo, according to The Hollywood Reporter report, which placed Sanguinetti’s win alongside other major category selections. The outlet’s coverage linked the broader set of honors to the festival’s theme of contemporary filmmakers, where different prizes are distributed across acting, directing, and feature categories rather than a single overall winner.

Monica Bellucci was also named among the leading figures associated with the festival’s awards in the Filmmakers of the Present section, with The Hollywood Reporter describing her as part of the winners’ list. In that report, Bellucci’s inclusion is presented as part of Locarno’s recognition of prominent international talent, alongside awards given to filmmakers and their projects.

The Hollywood Reporter framing of the awards emphasized that “The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer” did not simply take the Golden Leopard as a standalone prize. The outlet reported that the film also received the first feature award, an indication that the festival’s jury or awarding bodies viewed the debut-length work as distinct enough to merit recognition beyond its overall top honor.

Locarno’s awards are typically closely tied to the festival’s competition sections, with the Filmmakers of the Present category designed to spotlight work by emerging and established voices in a contemporary context. The prize structure allows for multiple forms of recognition, and Sanguinetti’s double win underscored how a single film can be evaluated both as the top competitive title and as a standout debut.

For industry observers, Locarno’s awards can affect how a film is positioned for distribution and further festival travel. A Golden Leopard win often heightens visibility for a director and cast, while an additional first feature prize can sharpen marketing around the filmmakers’ career arc, especially when a first-time feature is seen as a breakthrough moment.

No additional jury citations or winners outside the Filmmakers of the Present section were included in The Hollywood Reporter’s summary of the awards, and details of which other specific prizes were awarded to Hong Sangsoo and Bellucci were not expanded in the brief account. The festival’s subsequent announcements and the full awards breakdown are expected to provide the complete category list and official citations.