The Locarno Film Festival’s First Look initiative celebrated its 14th edition this year, turning its attention to Canadian cinema in a showcase of six features in post-production. Presented as part of the Locarno Pro Days, the First Look section has built a reputation as a launchpad for ambitious works in progress from territories ranging from Colombia to Spain. For 2025, a partnership with Telefilm Canada positioned Canadian filmmakers at the center of international attention, with projects spanning intimate portraits, bold experiments, and festival-ready dramas.
Since its creation in 2012, First Look has offered a window into national industries and facilitated connections with international sales agents, distributors, and festival programmers. This year’s Canadian focus was no exception, drawing a strong jury comprising Franck Finance-Madureira (film critic and founder of the Queer Palm), Kim Yutani (Director of Programming at Sundance Film Festival), and Jacqueline Lyanga (Co-Director of Film Programming at Berlinale).
Winners and Awards
The jury awarded prizes aimed at supporting completion and international circulation:
- Urban Post First Look Award (post-production services worth up to CHF 50,000): Nina Roza by Geneviève Dulude-De Celles
- Jannuzzi Smith Award (international poster design worth €10,000): Nina Roza by Geneviève Dulude-De Celles
- Music Library & SFX/Acorde Award (€45,000 in music supervision services): Thanks To The Hard Work Of The Elephants by Bryce Hodgson
- Cineground Award (CHF 15,000 in image finishing services): Lunar Sway by Nick Butler
“Nina Roza’s double win highlights the film’s strong potential on the international festival circuit, while the bold vision of Elephants and the stylized sensibility of Lunar Sway promise further discoveries,” the jury noted.
The 2025 Canadian Line-up
Lhasa – Dir. Sophie Leblond, Metafilms
An intimate documentary tracing the life of singer-songwriter Lhasa de Sela, from her nomadic childhood in Mexico to her vibrant artistic career in Montreal, before her untimely death at 37. Blending personal archives with her own writings and artwork, Leblond crafts a collage of memory, voice, and resilience. Looking for: world sales, festival partners; delivery February 2026.
Lunar Sway – Dir. Nick Butler, Cloudy Pictures
Set in the desert town of Mooncrest, this offbeat fiction feature follows a young misfit whose life is upended by the sudden reappearance of his estranged birth mother. What begins as a quirky reunion spirals into a surreal odyssey with dangerous consequences. Looking for: distributors; delivery August 2025.
Nina Roza – Dir. Geneviève Dulude-De Celles, Colonelle Films with Umi Films, Echo Bravo, Ginger Light, Premier Studio
When a viral video of an 8-year-old Bulgarian artist reaches a major collector, a Canadian art appraiser is sent to assess her work—forcing him to confront buried traumas of his homeland. With its international co-production structure and a sales deal with Best Friend Forever already in place, the film emerges as a clear festival contender. (Looking for: distributors, festivals; delivery late 2025/early 2026).
Thanks To The Hard Work Of The Elephants – Dir. Bryce Hodgson, Coukuma & Harrington Studio
A queer love fantasy based on real events, Elephants follows two teenagers who escape an abusive youth center while on LSD, determined to build an alternative commune in a suburban forest. Mixing raw rebellion with poetic fantasy, Hodgson’s film underlines the energy of a new Canadian indie wave. Looking for: festivals, distributors; delivery September 2025.
Veins – Dir. Raymond St-Jean, 1976 Productions
Set in a semi-abandoned Canadian village, a woman investigates the mysterious death of her father, uncovering sinister truths in an atmospheric thriller that fuses Gothic mood with genre sensibilities. With its substantial €3.5 million budget, Veins signals ambitions to cross into the global arthouse-horror market. Looking for: festivals, world sales; delivery September 2025.
We Will Not Be Silenced – Dir. Catherine Hébert & Elric Robichon, Films Camera Oscura; sales F3M
This documentary chronicles the struggles of persecuted writers around the world, highlighting how repression transforms exile and silence into acts of defiance. With its international scope and topical urgency, the film seeks to position itself at the intersection of cinema and human rights advocacy. Looking for: festivals, world sales; delivery March 2026.
Telefilm Canada’s involvement underscores the ambition to expand visibility for Canadian cinema abroad. With works ranging from experimental fiction to politically engaged documentary, the First Look selection showcased the diversity of voices shaping the country’s industry today.
“Canadian filmmakers are pushing boundaries in both narrative and form,” said Nadia Dresti, Locarno Pro’s Head of International. “First Look is about creating pathways for these works to find their audiences globally, whether through festivals, distributors, or sales.”