Locarno Film Festival under Giona Nazzaro's leadership pledges popular, boundary‑free cinema

Ahead of its 79th edition, the Locarno Film Festival's artistic director Giona Nazzaro says the event champions a popular cinema that places no hierarchy between authors and audiences. He rejects the notion that Locarno films remain confined to the Swiss market, noting that titles such as the Canadian drama *Blue Heron* and the Italian youth portrait *Gioia Mia* have secured international distribution after the festival.

Nazzaro stresses that the programming arises from a continuous dialogue among works, emphasizing variety over hype. He envisions audiences moving freely from auteur cinema to horror or documentary, rejecting the label of "elite" film and advocating for a cinema that is inherently popular and accessible to all.

The festival aims to showcase this inclusive vision as it opens in three weeks, inviting distributors and viewers to look beyond preconceived boundaries.