Locarno Film Festival to Host 4K Restoration Premiere of "Dances With Wolves" Extended Cut
The Locarno Film Festival is set to host a series of significant cinematic events, including the world premiere of a 4K restored extended director's cut of Kevin Costner's iconic Western, Dances With Wolves. This special presentation is a highlight of the festival's Histoire(s) du Cinéma program, dedicated to showcasing restored classics and celebrating film history. The festival will also honor legendary figures like Isao Takahata of Studio Ghibli and prolific director Roger Corman, reinforcing its commitment to preserving and presenting the rich legacy of global cinema to contemporary audiences.
The 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival will present a meticulously restored 4K extended version of Kevin Costner's directorial triumph, Dances With Wolves. This acclaimed Western, which garnered seven Academy Awards, will be screened on August 7th in Locarno's Piazza Grande. The restoration, a collaborative effort between Zurich-based Cinegrell and the Locarno Heritage project, includes an additional half-hour of previously unseen footage, offering viewers a comprehensive experience of Costner's original vision. The festival aims to reintroduce this significant work, recognized for its redefinition of the Western genre and its portrayal of Indigenous peoples, to a new generation. Additionally, the festival will feature the newly restored Letter From My Village by Safi Faye, a pioneering work from sub-Saharan Africa.
Rediscovering Cinematic Masterpieces: "Dances With Wolves" and Global Cinema Heritage
The Locarno Film Festival is poised to captivate cinephiles with a meticulously restored 4K extended director's cut of Kevin Costner's seminal Western, Dances With Wolves. This celebrated film, a recipient of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, will be a central feature of the festival's Histoire(s) du Cinéma program. The premiere on August 7th in Locarno's iconic Piazza Grande will allow audiences to witness Costner's epic vision in its most complete form, benefiting from an additional thirty minutes of previously unreleased material. This restoration underscores the festival's dedication to preserving and re-presenting cinema that has significantly influenced the medium, particularly works that have reshaped cultural narratives and illuminated historical perspectives, such as the plight of Indigenous peoples on the American continent.
The 4K restoration of Dances With Wolves, a joint venture between Cinegrell and the Locarno Heritage project, aims to offer an immersive and definitive viewing experience of a film that redefined the Western genre. The festival's artistic director, Giona A. Nazzaro, emphasized Locarno's deep connection to film history across all eras and forms. The inclusion of this extended cut, presented on the vast screen of Piazza Grande, highlights the festival's commitment to both universally acclaimed masterpieces and works deserving renewed attention. This initiative is part of a broader effort to engage new generations and future audiences with the cinematic heritage, ensuring that the stories and artistry of the past continue to resonate and inspire in the present day.
Honoring Diverse Voices and Preserving Film Legacies at Locarno79
Beyond the highly anticipated screening of Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolves, the Locarno Film Festival's Histoire(s) du Cinéma program will also pay tribute to other pivotal figures in cinematic history. Notably, Safi Faye's Letter From My Village (1975), a hybrid documentary and fiction film and the winner of the 2025 Heritage Restoration Contest, will be presented in its newly restored form. This film is celebrated as the first feature by a sub-Saharan African woman to achieve commercial distribution, depicting a poignant tale set in rural Senegal. The festival's dedication extends to a centenary tribute for Roger Corman, screening his final directorial work, Frankenstein Unbound (1990), a unique blend of science fiction and Gothic horror, acknowledging his profound impact as a fearless and prolific producer-director.
Locarno79 will also celebrate the enduring legacy of Isao Takahata, a co-founder of Japan's renowned Studio Ghibli and a master of animation. His film, Grave of the Fireflies (1988), will be screened on August 7th, introduced by his son, Kosuke Takahata, in a touching tribute to the filmmaker who previously received an Honorary Leopard from the festival in 2009. In collaboration with the Cinémathèque Suisse, the festival's Cinéma Suisse Redécouvert section will feature two works by Swiss experimental filmmaker Isa Hesse-Rabinovitch, Sirenen-Eiland (1981) and Geister und Gäste (1989), highlighting rediscovered Swiss cinema. This diverse selection, spanning various genres, origins, and eras, reflects Locarno's comprehensive approach to preserving and celebrating the global tapestry of film, engaging contemporary viewers with the enduring power of past cinematic achievements.
