Locarno Film Festival opens 79th edition with spotlight on audience “liberation” in era of algorithms

The 79th Locarno Film Festival opened on August 5 with a major in-person focus, bringing an anticipated 8,000 spectators to the Piazza Grande waterfront setting for the world premiere of The Green Eyes, a new film by the French directorial duo Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh.

The opening ceremony is also scheduled to honor Isabella Rossellini with the festival’s Excellence Award, according to festival coverage announcing the start of the new edition. The program is designed around high-profile screenings at the Piazza Grande, a longtime centerpiece of the event’s public-facing lineup.

Festival director Giona A. Nazzaro used the opening to outline what he described as a cultural mission aimed at restoring audience agency as recommendation systems and algorithm-driven platforms increasingly shape what viewers watch. In coverage of the festival’s kickoff, Nazzaro framed the issue as one of “liberating spectators” from passive consumption patterns that can reduce films to a feed item rather than a shared experience.

In Nazzaro’s remarks as reported, the Locarno leadership positions the festival as a counterweight to algorithmic gatekeeping by bringing audiences together in a fixed place and time, with an emphasis on curated programming and communal viewing. The approach reflects how major festivals increasingly have to compete for attention not only against other cultural events, but also against personalized, digitally mediated entertainment choices.

The festival is also set to expand recognition beyond the Rossellini honor, with additional honorees included elsewhere in the program as Locarno’s opening slate rolls out. The coverage indicates the opening ceremony is only the first step in a multi-day schedule that will continue to build the festival’s public program through additional screenings and formal events.

With the start of the 79th edition, Locarno is betting that the scale of the Piazza Grande audience can still draw viewers who may be accustomed to selecting content individually online. For organizers, the practical impact is tied to attendance, on-site logistics, and the continuing role of film festivals as a venue where new titles receive prominent visibility outside the purely digital discovery pipeline.

As the festival calendar advances from opening night, attention will shift to how the Piazza Grande premiere and the Rossellini award set the tone for subsequent programming, and whether festival organizers can reinforce their stated objective of giving audiences more control in a media environment dominated by algorithmic curation.

The 79th Locarno Film Festival continues following the August 5 opening, with the reported program elements marking the first public milestones of the edition for both filmmakers and audiences.