Locarno Taps Virginie Efira for 2025 Leopard Club Honor

The Locarno Film Festival will present Belgian-born actress Virginie Efira with its honorary Leopard Club Award during the 79th edition, which runs from August 5 to 15. Efira will receive the award on August 7 at the festival's Piazza Grande stage and will also present a screening of Ryusuke Hamaguchi's film "All of a Sudden," for which she won the Best Actress award at Cannes, according to Deadline. The award recognizes individuals whose work in the film industry has left a lasting mark on collective imagination, with past honorees including Faye Dunaway, Mia Farrow, and Andy García, as reported by multiple outlets.

DeadlineVirginie Efira to Receive Locarno Film Festival's Honorary Leopard Club Award

Efira, who is based in France, has been a defining presence in French-language cinema, as noted by the festival's organizers. Hollywood Reporter reported that Locarno described her as offering a "fresh, continually reinventing perspective" through her performances. The actress recently appeared in two competition films at this year's Cannes: Hamaguchi's "All of a Sudden" and Asghar Farhadi's "Parallel Tales."

"a defining presence in French-language cinema who offers a fresh, continually reinventing perspective."

That description aligns with Efira's recent career choices, which have taken her beyond French-language roles. Variety noted that for her performance in "All of a Sudden," she learned to act partly in Japanese, a challenge that underscored her versatility and contributed to her Cannes victory. The award ceremony will include an outdoor screening of the film at Locarno's iconic Piazza venue, according to Variety.

VarietyVirginie Efira to Receive Locarno Film Festival's Leopard Club Award

"learned to act partly in Japanese"

This linguistic commitment is characteristic of an actress who, as the festival's citation suggests, continually reinvents herself across projects. The Leopard Club Award at Locarno places Efira alongside a distinguished lineage of international stars, cementing her status as a key figure in contemporary cinema.