TrustNordisk is proud to announce that FRANK & LOUIS, directed by Petra Volpe, will have its European premiere in the prestigious Piazza Grande section at this year's Locarno Film Festival. To mark the announcement, the film's official trailer is released today.
Watch the trailer here.
Following the films world premiere in the Premieres section at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where it received outstanding reviews from the international trades, FRANK & LOUIS now arrives in Europe for its next major festival screening. The deeply moving drama will be presented on one of the world's largest open-air cinema screens in Piazza Grande at Locarno Film Festival.
The festival will take place from August 5th to 15th 2026.
"We are thrilled to bring FRANK & LOUIS to Locarno following its wonderful reception at Sundance. Petra Volpe has created a deeply human and emotionally resonant film that stays with you long after the credits roll. Piazza Grande provides the perfect setting for its European premiere as we continue sharing this exceptional film with audiences around the world," says Susan Wendt, Managing Director of TrustNordisk.
FRANK & LOUIS is a powerful drama that dives deep into themes of redemption, humanity, and compassion. Leading the cast are Kingsley Ben-Adir (BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE; BARBIE) and Rob Morgan (MUDBOUND; DON’T LOOK UP), joined by multiple Grammy-winning artist and actor René Pérez Joglar (IN THE SUMMERS), Indira Varma (GAME OF THRONES) and Rosalind Eleazar (SLOW HORSES).
Besides a stellar cast on screen, the film brings together an exceptional creative team behind the scenes. The script is penned by the film’s director Petra Volpe, and Esther Bernstorff, and the production is led by Reto Schaerli and Lukas Hobi for Zodiac Pictures, Switzerland’s leading production company, together with Georgie Paget and Thembisa Cochrane for UK’s Caspian Films.
Petra Volpe is known for her recent successful drama LATE SHIFT, which world-premiered at Berlin International Film Festival 2025 in the Special Gala section and was shortlisted for the Academy Awards®. LATE SHIFT has performed strongly across German-speaking territories, underscoring Volpe’s ability to deliver compelling, critically, and commercially resonant films. She previously wrote and directed the internationally acclaimed THE DIVINE ORDER, winner of the Nora Ephron Prize, the Audience Award, and the Best Actress Award at Tribeca Film Festival, which cemented her reputation as one of Switzerland’s most vital and socially engaged filmmakers.
Synopsis:
Frank (Kingsley Ben-Adir), serving a life sentence, takes a prison job caring for incarcerated elders with Alzheimer’s and dementia. What begins as a self-serving bid for parole becomes a profound, transformative bond with Louis (Rob Morgan), the man he looks after, offering Frank a glimpse of redemption in an unforgiving place.
FRANK & LOUIS is directed by Petra Volpe and written by Petra Volpe and Esther Bernstorff. The film is produced by Reto Schaerli and Lukas Hobi from Zodiac Pictures, in co-production with Georgie Paget and Thembisa Cochrane from Caspian Films, SRF Swiss Radio and Television and SRG SSR. With support from Federal Office of Culture, Zürcher Filmstiftung, Suissimage, MEDIA Desk Suisse and the cantons of Aargau and Lucerne. International sales are handled by TrustNordisk.