The Iceland-born and U.S.-based film, music video, and television producer Sigurjón “Joni” Sighvatsson is set to receive the Raimondo Rezzonico Award at the 79th Locarno Film Festival, taking place from August 5 to 15, 2026, in Switzerland.
Sighvatsson will be celebrated on August 6, where he will also present two films from his career – David Lynch’s Wild at Heart (1990) and Philippe Parreno and Douglas Gordon’s Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait (2006).
Sighvatsson has produced over 60 feature films or TV series over the span of his career, including Twin Peaks (1990-91) and Beverly Hills 90210 (1990-2000). He has also played a role in auteur-driven projects and collaborated with filmmakers such as Nicolas Winding Refn and Jim Sheridan to create cult classics that continue to shape the film industry and new waves of filmmakers. In 1986, he also co-founded Propaganda Films, which once produced a third of all music videos in the United States, showing his eye for up-and-coming musical talent.
Giona A. Nazzaro, artistic director of the Festival, described Sighvatsson’s work as being “characterized by a deeply European perspective but immersed in the workings of the industry in the United States.” She said, “His instinct as a producer profoundly influenced the course of ’90s cinema, while his attitude of favoring originality and independence as a principle made him a point of reference for a whole generation of filmmakers who looked to Sighvatsson’s work as a model of audacity, integrity, creativity, and vision.”
The Raimondo Rezzonico Award was created in 2002 to commemorate the President of the Locarno Film Festival from 1981 to 1999. The award is presented to individuals who have played a large role in international production. Previous winners of this award include Abbout Productions, Stacey Sher, and Marianne Slot.
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