Locarno bets on the short — and treats it like a destination, not a doorway
With this year's Pardi di Domani, Locarno keeps insisting on something most of the circuit forgets: the short film is a form, not a waiting room.
Essay · Festival circuit
Why festivals still matter in the streaming age
Streaming ate the theatrical window, but it never touched the gatekeeping. Why Cannes, Venice and Berlin still decide what cinema we'll be watching a year from now — including the films that end up on a platform.
Read the essay →Latest dispatches
Full archive →Cannes 2026: what's left after the credits
Not a recap of the winners — a reading of where auteur cinema is heading, and why the Palme d'Or argues with itself.
The language of the long take
The unbroken shot has turned into a manifesto. When it works, and when it's a pose.
How to read a festival program
A map of the sections of a major festival — and why the best work runs outside the main competition.
The new wave of Asian auteur cinema
Where the pulse of world cinema beats today — and why the festival map keeps shifting east.
Light as drama
Light on screen isn't "pretty." It's a statement — and it thinks for the viewer before a word is spoken.