Locarno Film Festival 2026: Palestine, Iran and Gaza's genocide continue to dominate debate
Locarno Film Festival 2026: Palestine, Iran and Gaza's genocide continue to dominate debate Submitted by Joseph Fahim on Wed, 08/26/2026 - 09:41 The 79th iteration of the iconic festival took place in Switzerland between 5 and 15 August 'Concrete Land' follows the lives of an Afro-Palestinian Bedouin clan near Amman (Arkima Films) Off For the film festival circuit, this was supposed to be the…
The 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival took place in Switzerland from 5 to 15 August 2026. Palestine, Iran, and Gaza's ongoing genocide were central themes that dominated the festival's discussions. Gaza's suffering was prominently featured at the festival, with demonstrators unfurling a pall bearing the names of 60,000 people killed by Israel in front of the Campari Lounge.
Filmmakers of Palestinian and Lebanese descent, such as Maha Haj and Kamal Aljafari, had films showcased at the Locarno festival in recent years. Locarno's director, Giona A Nazzaro, denounced "the intolerable destruction of Gaza and the terrible humanitarian tragedy that is afflicting the Palestinian people." The festival had been aware of the planned demonstrators' protest but did not object to its allowed placement at the festival.
Palestinian documentarian Mohanad Yaqubi's film, Revolutionaries Never Die, faced criticism from some audience members for containing 40-year-old footage from the Lebanese Civil War and Palestinian refugee camps.
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