Italian filmmaker Marco Cavazzin has won the best director award at the Locarno Film Festival’s Pardi di Domani (Leopards of Tomorrow) section for his short film Mutrion. The 26-year-old director from Venice received the Pardino for best direction in the international competition. The award comes with a prize of 5,000 Swiss francs.
Mutrion was the only Italian entry among 20 works selected from countries including France, the U.K., Iran, Qatar, China, Taiwan, the U.S., and Ukraine. The film had its world premiere at the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival, which ran from August 5 to 15, 2026.
What ‘Mutrion’ Is About
The short film is set in the Venice lagoon, on a small island community hidden among the islands. The story follows Marco, a young man who left the lagoon area at age 20. He returns four years later to face the community he left behind.
The film draws on a local legend. According to the synopsis: “In a lagoon suspended in time, legend has it that sooner or later every inhabitant loses the toenail of their right big toe”. Marco never lost his toenail. But now that he has returned, something inside him is beginning to crack.
Marco was nicknamed “Mutrion” as a child, which means “sulky” in the local dialect. He left the island, abandoning friends and family. When he comes back, he reconnects with Maicol (played by Giulio Maroncelli), his childhood friend who stayed behind to become a fisherman. Maicol pushes Marco to face the place he fled from, bringing back memories and unsettled feelings from the past.
The film explores the tension between leaving home and the pull of belonging. The lost toenail becomes a symbol of identity and passage—a small, strange detail that marks who truly belongs to those places.
Director’s Statement on the Film
Marco Cavazzin explained the meaning behind his short film in his director’s statement.
“This short stems from the desire to tell a story of return, the attempt to reconnect with a place that has become both familiar and distant over time. In the Venetian lagoon, rituals, superstitions and family stories are still present and continue to shape collective identity.”
The film transforms the lagoon into an emotional landscape—unstable, ancient, and marked by things that disappear and can reappear changed. The toenail, left to dry in the sun, represents what is lost but also what can grow back.
Cast and Production Team
Mutrion stars Manfredi Marini in the lead role. Marini previously starred in Giovanni Tortorici’s film Nineteen. He also won the Best Performance Award at the Biarritz Film Festival 2025 for his work in that film.
Giulio Maroncelli plays Maicol, Marco’s childhood friend.
The film was written by Cavazzin alongside screenwriter Alessandro Padovani. It was produced by the independent studio Etimo, based in Venice. The project received support from the Veneto Film Commission. Cattive Produzioni is handling distribution in Italy.
The cinematography was done by Francesca Pavoni, with editing by Christian Marsiglia. The original music was composed by Carlo Megighian.
Cavazzin’s Background and Career
Marco Cavazzin is a 26-year-old director born in Venice and raised in Mogliano Veneto. He studied Graphic Design and Communication before graduating in 2023 in Film and Audiovisual Languages at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna.
Since 2019, he has worked across cinema, advertising, and music videos, developing a career that combines editing and directing. He has directed commercial content and music videos, including a video for Bomba Dischi that was nominated for the Videoclip Italia Awards in 2023.
He has also worked on film and television sets as an assistant director, collaborating on productions such as Alfonso Cuarón’s Disclaimer and more recently The Studio – Season 2 for Apple TV+.
Mutrion is his first narrative short film.
Jury and Competition
The Pardi di Domani section at Locarno is dedicated to emerging filmmakers and showcases the best short and medium-length films. The 2026 program featured 40 world premieres from 29 countries.
The jury for the Leopards of Tomorrow selection included Lebanese director Mounia Akl, South African producer Steven Markovitz, and Italian director Antonio Piazza.
The award for Mutrion is a directing prize from Locarno’s international short-film section, not the festival’s main feature competition or the Golden Leopard. The recognition highlights Cavazzin’s work behind the camera and gives his first festival appearance a strong endorsement.
Italian Success at Locarno 2026
Mutrion was not the only Italian success at this year’s Locarno Film Festival. Actress Monica Bellucci won the Pardo for Best Performance for her role in Ketticè, directed by Giovanni Tortorici.
Antonio Saccone, president of Cinecittà, praised the Italian achievements.
“The most representative actress and diva of our cinema in the world, and a young director under 30, awarded at one of the most prestigious international festivals like Locarno. It is a wonderful circumstance that gives an idea of the vitality of Italian auteur cinema, which embraces different personalities, styles, and genres.”
The Italian selection at Locarno also included films in other sections. Armony by Dario Albertini and Il cileno by Sergio Castro San Martín screened in Piazza Grande. Two Italian films were featured in the Locarno Kids section: L’estate che finì due volte by Matteo Incollu and Cercatori d’angeli by Leopoldo Pescatore. The documentary Marco Bellocchio – La porta della realtà by Fabio Lovino was shown out of competition. All Italian films presented at the festival were world premieres.
Cinecittà also collaborated with the Match Me! section of Locarno Pro, which selected three young Italian producers to take part in international meetings: Bruno Cristaldi, Camilla Gazzola, and Salvatore Lizzio.
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What Makes ‘Mutrion’ Stand Out
Mutrion stands out for its deeply local story that carries universal themes. The film uses the Venetian lagoon as more than just a setting—it becomes part of the emotional landscape. The direction alternates between poetic, beautiful shots and more restless, unsettled images, effectively showing the discomfort and alienation of a young man who does not feel truly at home anywhere.
Cavazzin described his reaction to the win.
“It seems incredible to me, because it means the film managed to convey its idea and its intensity, and that is a magic that only art can give you. This recognition gives me the push to continue my research as a director and has shown once again that in Veneto you can make cinema that is appreciated abroad.”
The 20-minute short film has earned attention for its unique premise and strong visual storytelling. The award gives the film a clear identity beyond its premiere and marks Cavazzin as a director to watch in Italian cinema.
Mutrion is now set to reach wider audiences through its distributor, Cattive Produzioni, as it continues its festival journey.
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