Italian-American actress, model, filmmaker and all-around icon Isabella Rossellini helped kick off the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival on Wednesday with star power, a family tribute and plenty of emotion.
Ahead of its 2026 opening film, The Green Eyes (Les Yeux Verts) from Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh, the festival honored Rossellini with its Excellence Award on the central square, the Piazza Grande, of the picturesque lakeside town in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Film and fame run in her blood, of course — she’s the daughter of Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and Italian director Roberto Rossellini.
“This award fills me with pride,” she told the adoring audience in the big square. “The Locarno Festival is one of the most prestigious in the world.”
She then recalled how her father won what was called the Great Prize at the third edition of the Locarno festival in 1948 for his film Germania Anno Zero, along with a shared “best scenario” award. “Some years ago, my brother Renzo, who was a great producer of the likes of Federico Fellini and Ettore Scola, was also honored,” she continued. He received the Locarno Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
Rossellini finished visibly moved, sharing: “So to be on par with my father and my brother fills me with great emotion.” She then posed for a photo with the crowd behind her, and as she left the stage, the audience sent her off with a big ovation.
Locarno Film Festival president Maja Hoffmann had earlier in the evening welcomed the crowd and declared the 79th edition of the festival open, calling the presence of Rossellini “such a good omen for this edition.”
Isabella Rossellini with the Locarno Excellence Award, courtesy of Locarno Film Festival
Courtesy of Locarno Film Festival
Also on opening night, the directors and key cast of The Green Eyes took the stage. Starring young Douae Butarbuch M’Zaouki alongside Sayyid El Alami (Messiah, A Gentleman in Moscow) and others, the film follows 11-year-old Chaya and her family, refugees in the Landes region of France. When the family faces deportation, Chaya’s older brother Nour falls into a deep, mysterious sleep — and she’ll do everything she can to wake him.
Co-writer and co-director Liatard mentioned that the recent wildfires in the Landes region as an example of how people can lose everything overnight, no matter where in the world they are. “We wanted to try to put faces to stories that are sometimes a bit dehumanized, or just numbers,” she explained. “This is a single story that we filmed last year in the Landes region, where there were some major forest fires not long ago, which you’ll see on screen. Many people had to evacuate their homes, losing everything overnight. It was very close to home for us — we were there in the Landes at the time. It made us realize that you can lose everything overnight.”
Young newcomer Butarbuch M’Zaouki won many a heart in the audience with her big smile and an excited wave to the audience. As she received the microphone, she expressed thanks to her directors and co-stars for helping her with her role. And to much applause, she added: “Thank you all for coming.”
While at the Swiss fest, Rossellini will on Thursday discuss her career during an “In Conversation” event and will also present her web series Green Porno (2008-2009), in which she acted out animal mating rituals in costume.
The Locarno Film Festival runs through Aug. 15.
