Italian American actress and filmmaker Isabella Rossellini will be honored with the prestigious Excellence Award at the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival, scheduled to take place in Switzerland from August 5 to 15, 2026.
The award recognizes major international figures whose careers have shaped contemporary cinema, and Rossellini joins a distinguished list of past recipients that includes actors, directors, and global film icons. Born in Rome in 1952 to legendary Italian director Roberto Rossellini and Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman, Rossellini built a unique international career that connected European auteur cinema with Hollywood productions.
Over several decades she became one of the most recognizable Italian faces in American entertainment, fashion, and independent filmmaking. Her breakthrough role in David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet” in 1986 established her as a major presence in U.S. cinema, while later collaborations with directors such as Martin Scorsese, Robert Zemeckis, Guy Maddin, and Alice Rohrwacher confirmed her versatility across genres and generations.
Rossellini also maintains exceptionally strong ties with America and with the Italian American community. A dual Italian and U.S. citizen, she has spent much of her life between Rome and New York, studied in the United States, and frequently represented Italian culture in American artistic and intellectual circles. Her long career in Hollywood, television, and fashion made her one of the most influential Italian-born cultural ambassadors in the United States.
The Locarno Film Festival described Rossellini as a performer capable of combining “Hollywood technical brilliance” with European artistic boldness. Festival organizers also praised her willingness to take creative risks throughout a career spanning film, television, stage work, experimental shorts, and multimedia projects. During the festival, Rossellini is expected to participate in a public conversation and present several works from her filmography, including selections from her acclaimed “Green Porno” series.
