Locarno Film Festival will again fill the Swiss town with its leopard branding for its 79th edition, running from 5 to 15 August. The animal is both the festival’s mascot and the emblem of its awards, reflecting Locarno’s identity as a showcase for adventurous, varied cinema.

The Golden Leopard has been the festival’s top prize since 1968, helping distinguish it from Venice’s Golden Lion and Rotterdam’s Tiger. This year’s honorary recipients include James Gray, Darren Aronofsky, Virginie Efira and Zoe Saldaña, while Bagheera, a leopard photographed in the Cotswolds, has represented the festival publicly since 2024.