Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Isabella Rossellini receives Honorary Leopard at Locarno Film Festival
Isabella Rossellini is a famous actress and model.
She received a special award called the Honorary Leopard at a big movie festival in Locarno, Switzerland.
About 8,000 people watched her accept the award in a large outdoor square.
Her father, Roberto Rossellini, was a famous movie director who received the same prize in 1948.
Her half-brother Renzo was also honored by the festival in the past.
Rossellini said receiving the same prize as her father and big brother filled her with emotion.
The festival is also showing some of her short films about nature and animals.
One of them, Green Porno, explores how insects behave, and another, Seduce Me, is about seduction strategies in the animal kingdom.
After the ceremony, the festival premiered a new movie called The Green Eyes about a young Iraqi refugee whose older brother develops resignation syndrome, a condition linked to severe childhood trauma.
Isabella Rossellini was honored with the Honorary Leopard (Pardo) at the opening night of the 79th Locarno Film Festival.
She accepted the award before an audience of around 8,000 people in Locarno's Piazza Grande.
Rossellini said she was moved because her late father Roberto Rossellini received the same prize in 1948 for Germany, Year Zero.
Her half-brother Renzo Rossellini had previously received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the festival.
The ceremony was followed by the world premiere of The Green Eyes, directed by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh.
- Who
- Isabella Rossellini, honored alongside the legacy of her late father Roberto Rossellini and half-brother Renzo Rossellini.
- What
- She received the Honorary Leopard (Pardo), the festival's excellence prize, at the opening night of the 79th Locarno Film Festival.
- When
- On Wednesday, the festival's opening night; the 79th Locarno Film Festival runs from August 5 to 15.
- Where
- Piazza Grande in Locarno, Switzerland, before an audience of around 8,000 people.
- Why
- The award recognizes excellence in cinema, and Rossellini was moved because her father received the same prize in 1948 and her half-brother had previously received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Award
- Honorary Leopard (Pardo), excellence prize
- Festival
- 79th Locarno Film Festival
- Date
- Opening night on Wednesday; festival runs August 5-15
- Location
- Piazza Grande, Locarno, Switzerland
- Audience
- Around 8,000 people
- Family Honors
- Father Roberto Rossellini won the Pardo in 1948 for Germany, Year Zero; half-brother Renzo Rossellini received a Lifetime Achievement Award
- Short Films Presented
- Green Porno (2008) and Seduce Me (2010)
- Opening World Premiere
- The Green Eyes, directed by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh