Locarno Film Festival to Honor Iceland-Born Producer Sigurjón “Joni” Sighvatsson With Raimondo Rezzonico Award

The 2026 Locarno Film Festival will honor Iceland-born, U.S.-based producer Sigurjón “Joni” Sighvatsson with the Raimondo Rezzonico Award, the festival announced. Sighvatsson is scheduled to receive the honorary prize on August 6 at Piazza Grande in Locarno as part of the festival’s awards evening, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.

Locarno said the award will recognize Sighvatsson’s work across film, television, and music video, highlighting his role in developing talent and shaping pop visual culture over multiple decades. The producer has been described by the festival as having a “politique du producteur,” a tradition Locarno ties to producers who balance industry operations with artistic direction.

In addition to the award, Locarno’s official program will screen two feature titles from Sighvatsson’s career. The festival will present David Lynch’s Wild at Heart (1990) and Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait (2006), directed by Philippe Parreno and Douglas Gordon, as part of the celebrations on August 6, organizers said.

Sighvatsson has been associated with a wide range of high-profile and influential projects. The Hollywood Reporter cited his production work on Twin Peaks (1990-91) and Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990-2000). The festival also linked him to award-winning and internationally known films, including Wild at Heart, and other projects referenced by The Hollywood Reporter as part of his producing credits.

Before his work on major feature and television projects, Sighvatsson co-founded Propaganda Films in 1986, which The Hollywood Reporter described as a major music video production company in the United States. The publication’s account credits Propaganda Films with producing a large share of U.S. music videos during the period cited by the report, and it specifically referenced early works by Zack Snyder, Spike Jonze, Gore Verbinski, Michael Bay, and the subsequent co-founding work associated with David Fincher.

The festival’s statements also pointed to collaborations with filmmakers and visual artists. Locarno described Sighvatsson’s work with directors including Nicolas Winding Refn and Jim Sheridan, and with artists Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno, as yielding enduring titles that continue to influence younger filmmakers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Locarno 2026 runs from August 5 to August 15, according to Deadline. With the award ceremony set for August 6, the festival is positioning Sighvatsson’s evening as both an industry recognition moment and a public-facing program event featuring two of his landmark productions.

The Raimondo Rezzonico Award is presented by the festival as an honorary recognition. For attendees, the combination of a festival main-stage venue and the scheduled screenings is expected to broaden the audience for Sighvatsson’s career retrospective within Locarno’s programming slate, with additional details to be handled through the festival’s official ticketing and schedule releases.