Zoe Saldaña will receive a Special Pardo — the festival's term for its Special Leopard honour — at the 79th Locarno Film Festival on Monday, August 10, 2026, with a public conversation following the award, festival organisers announced on July 30 (The Hollywood Reporter).

The Swiss festival, held annually in the lakeside town of Locarno, runs from August 5 to August 15 this year. Saldaña's appearance places her on the Piazza Grande, the open-air screening venue that seats 8,000 and anchors the festival's public-facing identity.

A Special Pardo is an honorary recognition given to a film artist for career contribution rather than a competitive prize. Past recipients span directors, actors and craftspeople; the festival uses the platform to pair the tribute with an extended onstage interview, giving audiences a chance to hear directly from the honoree. Saldaña's conversation is scheduled for the same August 10 date as the award itself.

Saldaña has built a career across some of the highest-grossing franchises in cinema history, including the Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy series and the Avengers films. She recently won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Emilia Pérez (2024), making her the first actress of Dominican origin to win an Oscar.

Italian composer and musician Claudio Simonetti will also receive a Special Pardo at this year's festival, honoured for his contribution to music in film. Simonetti, best known for his work with the progressive-rock band Goblin and his scores for the horror films of Dario Argento — including Suspiria (1977) — will receive his award on Thursday, August 6, 2026 (The Hollywood Reporter).

The two honours bookend the festival's opening week, with Simonetti's recognition falling near the start of the eleven-day event and Saldaña's landing toward its midpoint. Locarno's artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro and his programming team have positioned the festival as a bridge between auteur cinema and popular filmmaking, and the choice of Saldaña — an actor whose films have collectively grossed tens of billions of dollars worldwide — fits that dual identity.

For audiences, the August 10 conversation offers a rare, unscripted setting with an actor who has rarely been the subject of a standalone festival tribute at this scale. Tickets for Locarno's Piazza Grande events are open to the general public, and the festival expects strong demand for the session.