Italian-American actress, model, filmmaker and all-around icon Isabella Rossellini helped kick off the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival on Wednesday with star power, a family tribute and plenty of emotion. Ahead of its 2026 opening film, The Green Eyes (Les Yeux Verts) from Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh, the festival honored Rossellini with its Excellence Award on the central square, the Piazza Grande, of the picturesque lakeside town in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Film and fame run in her blood, of course — she’s the daughter of Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and Italian director Roberto Rossellini.“This award fills me with pride,” she told the adoring audience in the big square. “The Locarno Festival is one of the most prestigious in the world.”She then recalled how her father won what was called the Great Prize at the third edition of the Locarno festival in 1948 for his film Germania Anno Zero, along with a shared “best scenario” award. “Some years ago, my brother Renzo, who was a great producer of the likes of Federico Fellini and Ettore Scola, was also honored,” she continued. He received the Locarno Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.Rossellini finished visibly moved, sharing: “So to be on par with my father and my brother fills me with great emotion.” She then posed for a photo with the crowd behind her, and as she left the stage the audience sent her off with a big ovation.Also on opening night, the directors and key cast of The Green Eyes took the stage. Starring young Douae Butarbuch M’Zaouki alongside Sayyid El Alami (Messiah, A Gentleman in Moscow) and others, the film follows 11-year-old Chaya and her family, refugees in the Landes region of France. When the family faces deportation, Chaya’s older brother Nour falls into a deep, mysterious sleep — and she’ll do everything she can to wake him.