Locarno highlighted both the festival’s growing celebrity appeal and the financial pressures facing arthouse cinema.

– Olivia Wilde presented “The Invite” to an 8,000-strong Piazza Grande audience, while Zoe Saldaña, James Gray and Monica Bellucci also drew attention.
– The festival reported record industry attendance during an unusually hot Swiss summer.
– With traditional film financing shrinking, industry figures discussed international co-productions and venture-capital investment as potential alternatives.
– Variety identified several well-received titles, including “Objet a”, “Hearing”, “Brave New Love”, “I Is Another” and “I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming”.
– Locarno’s appeal was linked to its prestige, press attention and less crowded programme compared with awards-season festivals.