Telefilm Canada on Wednesday announced Canadian cinema will make a strong showing at next month’s Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland — four feature-length films and three shorts will make their world premieres at the event, and Canada is the focus country of Locarno’s work-in-progress section First Look.
In the “Filmmakers of the Present” competition, two Canadian films were selected: first-time feature film director Sophy Romvari’s Blue Heron (a Canada/Hungary coproduction that received funding in Telefilm’s Talent to Watch Program); and Éric K. Boulianne’s directorial debut Folichonneries (his short Faire un enfant won the Best Director award in the shorts competition at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival).
In the international competition, Ben Rivers’ Mare’s Nest (UK/France/Canada coproduction) has been selected, and in the non-competitive section is Steven Kostanski’s Deathstalker, a genre film executive produced by Slash from Guns N’ Roses.
In the shorts competition, three Quebec-produced short films were selected: Ryan McKenna’s Solitudes (his second short selected at Locarno); Alexandre Dostie’s BOA (Canada/France coproduction); and Jean-Sébastien Hamel and Alexandra Myotte’s animated short Ce qu’on laisse derrière (their previous short film was shortlisted at the 2025 Oscars).
In addition to the seven Canadian films making their world premieres at the festival, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige’s 2021 feature film Memory Box (France/Lebanon/Canada/Qatar coproduction) will be featured in the “Histoire(s) du Cinéma” section and will receive the prestigious Raimondo Rezzonico Award.
In partnership with Telefilm Canada, Locarno’s First Look section is set to showcase six Canadian feature-length films that are currently in post-production:
- Sophie Leblond’s Lhasa (Quebec)
- Nick Butler’s Lunar Sway (British Columbia)
- Genevi è ve Dulude-De Celles’s Nina Roza (Quebec)
- Bryce Hodgson’s Thanks to the Hard Work of the Elephants (British Columbia/Ontario/Quebec)
- Raymond St-Jean’s Veins (Quebec)
- Catherine Hébert and Elric Robichon’s We Will Not Be Silenced (Quebec)
“Canada makes a powerful mark at Locarno with eight films in selection, one prestigious award and six promising teams in First Look — a record-breaking celebration of Canadian talent!” said Julie Roy, executive director and CEO of Telefilm Canada, in a press release. “Locarno has long championed Canadian voices like Denis Côté, Trevor Anderson and Matthew Rankin, and this year reaffirms Canada’s growing impact on global cinema. Our expanding international collaborations and audience markets not only reflect the strength of our storytelling today but also lay a strong foundation for the next generation of storytellers to thrive on the world stage.”
Photo stills from Canadian films presented at the 2025 Locarno Film Festival courtesy of Telefilm Canada
