Festival Highlights 4 (2025) : Locarno, Tribeca & TIFF

Locarno, Tribeca, and TIFF beat like three powerful hearts with distinct rhythms in the cinema calendar of the year…
On one side stands Locarno, with its free spirit spilling into public squares and its relentless artistic experimentation; on the other, Tribeca, charged with political and cultural energy rooted in the very center of New York; and finally TIFF, with its massive, inclusive showcases that take the pulse of global cinema. Considered together, these three festivals offer a broad map of how contemporary cinema’s independent and mainstream veins are nourished, diversified, and revitalized year after year. Each has its own voice, yet all pose the same fundamental question: How can cinema open new paths for us in today’s world?

LOCARNO
Le Bambine – Mosquitoes

Although set as a “period film” in the late 1990s, the narrative constantly bends time and simultaneity. Family roles are inverted, and an unsettling, almost nightmarish atmosphere dominates throughout. Linda and the other children behave in disturbing and unpredictable ways; the recurring mosquitoes function as an allegory for the children themselves. At times, the film even hints that Linda and her mother might be vampires, suggesting an underlying supernatural current beneath the surface. Visually and sonically, the film embraces a camp aesthetic: exaggerated imagery and melodramatic music interrupt the narrative with force, intensifying the overall sense of discomfort.

Awards and Festivals

Locarno Film Festival (2025) – Nominee: Golden Leopard (Best Film)
Locarno Film Festival (2025) – Award: Junior Jury Award, Special Mention – Concorso Internazionale

TRIBECA
Queens of the Dead

Reimagining the zombie apocalypse through a camp aesthetic, the film approaches the genre from an unconventional angle: queer people and drag queens at the center of catastrophe. The mise-en-scène and set design clearly embody the spirit of camp, reflecting the energy of contemporary queer cinema rather than traditional horror. The humor is layered and often niche, drawing heavily on New York landmarks and specific references within queer culture. While not immediately accessible to every viewer, it offers rich depth for those familiar with this cultural space. Tina Romero’s continuation of her father’s legacy—using the zombie film as a vehicle for social commentary—is particularly striking, shifting the focus toward marginalized communities often overlooked within the genre.

Awards and Festivals

Heartland International Film Festival (2025) – Award: Audience Choice Award (Horror)

Tribeca Film Festival (2025) – Award: Audience Award (Narrative)

Film Club’s The Lost Weekend (2025) – Nominee: Lost Weekend Award, Best Comedy

Film Club’s The Lost Weekend (2025) – Award: Lost Weekend Award, Best Horror Feature (Second Place)

America’s Rainbow Film Festival – ARFF (2025) – Award: Pride Award, Best Picture

TIFF
I Swear

The film circles themes reminiscent of Rietland, portraying a largely unrepresented rural side of French culture: an unglamorous, complex world that keeps the viewer at a deliberate distance from its characters. Generational conflict, modernity, and tradition intertwine throughout the narrative. The film also examines institutionalized racism and brings class issues into sharp focus. It draws parallels between being white and working class and being Black and working class in France, offering numerous examples of how the system repeatedly fails individuals. Characters confront overt racism, manipulation, and especially language-based classism: accents, speech patterns, and word choices become powerful indicators of social exclusion and cultural hierarchies.

Awards and Festivals

British Independent Film Awards – BIFA (2025) – Nominee: British Independent Film Award, Best British Independent Film
British Independent Film Awards – BIFA (2025) – Nominee: British Independent Film Award, Best Screenplay
British Independent Film Awards – BIFA (2025) – Nominee: British Independent Film Award, Best Director
British Independent Film Awards – BIFA (2025) – Award: British Independent Film Award, Best Lead Performance
British Independent Film Awards – BIFA (2025) – Nominee: British Independent Film Award, Best Supporting Performance

London Critics Circle Film Awards (2026) – Nominee: ALFS Award, British/Irish Film of the Year
London Critics Circle Film Awards (2026) – Nominee: ALFS Award, Breakthrough Performer of the Year
London Critics Circle Film Awards (2026) – Nominee: ALFS Award, British/Irish Performer of the Year
London Critics Circle Film Awards (2026) – Nominee: ALFS Award, Young British/Irish Performer of the Year

Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards – DFCC (2025) – Nominee: Best Film (8th place)
Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards – DFCC (2025) – Nominee: Best Actor (5th place)

UK Film Critics Association Awards (2025) – Nominee: FCA Award, Actor of the Year

Girls on Film Awards (2026) – Nominee: Girls on Film Award, Best Performance in a Supporting Role

The Currents

Milagros Mumenthaler’s The Currents follows Lina, a successful Argentine artist who travels to Geneva for a work trip. While wandering through the city, she jumps from a bridge into icy water. Following this inexplicable accident, she develops an apparently irrational fear of water. Returning to Argentina, she decides not to share the incident with anyone. Soon, however, the consequences become unbearable and begin to disrupt her daily life; unresolved issues from the past slowly surface and grow increasingly visible. Mumenthaler draws a complex, multilayered portrait of a woman forced to confront her past. The staging alienates both characters from one another and from the viewer. Lina is raw and nearly grotesque—a bodily portrait of intergenerational trauma and womanhood. While engaging with cinematic codes that have been explored before, Mumenthaler skillfully navigates the tension between intimacy and coldness, immersing us in Lina’s world while keeping us at a distance, never allowing us to predict where the next turn of the story will lead.

Awards and Festivals

Chicago International Film Festival (2025) – Nominee: Gold Hugo, Best Feature

San Sebastián International Film Festival (2025) – Nominee: Golden Seashell, Best Film
San Sebastián International Film Festival (2025) – Award: RTVE – Otra Mirada Award

Toronto International Film Festival – TIFF (2025) – Nominee: Platform Award

Lisbon Film Festival – LEFFEST (2025) – Nominee: Best Film Award (Official Competition)

Authors: Ilana Petit & Nil Birinci