'Rosemead' Wins Big at Locarno Film Festival, Preps for Theatrical Release
Rosemead, a film written and produced by a roster of Columbia faculty and grads, took home the honor of the Prix du Public UBS award on the final night of the 2025 Locarno Film Festival.
Rosemead stars Lucy Liu as a mother in a race against time to protect her unstable teenage son, and the film boasts an incredible team of Columbia talent. Produced by Liu and Mynette Louie, Co-Concentration Head of Creative Producing and Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, the film was written by Film alum Marilyn Fu '03. Creative Producing alum Tony Yang '20 was the film's co-producer; Alex Peace-Power '17 was its line producer; Mona Mengnan Chu '24 was its associate producer and Samantha Lori Glass '23 was its production secretary. Cheryl Wang '22 acted as music supervisor, and Zixuan Dorothy Wang '23, Laura Ganotis '25, Edy Kennedy '25 and film student Ren Guang served as production assistants and interns.
The Prix du Public is the audience choice award of the 78-year-old Swiss festival. "For filmmakers and distributors, winning the recognition of such a large audience at the Festival is an unmistakable sign that the film will have little difficulty connecting with international audiences in the future," wrote the Locarno Film Festival.
Audiences won't have long to wait for that connection, now that Vertical has acquired North American rights to Rosemead and is already planning for a theatrical release in December.
“I’m excited Rosemead has found its home with Vertical and will soon reach a wider audience,” director Eric Lin told Deadline. “By exploring an immigrant family’s struggle with mental health and the stigma surrounding it against the backdrop of American gun violence, we hope the film sparks a deeper conversation about the urgent need for connection."
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Original: July 24, 2025
A slew of Columbia filmmakers will have their work spotlighted at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland this August. Rosemead, which was written and produced by eleven Columbia faculty members and alums, and Kiss of the Spider Woman by legendary movie musical director, producer and screenwriter Bill Condon CC '76, will both make their international premieres at Locarno's center stage, Piazza Grande. Adjunct Assistant Professor Behrang Garakani will also be giving a talk at the Future of Cinema Conference, an initiative of the festival and Università della Svizzera italiana.
"The Piazza Grande will once again be transformed into a space of shared emotion, while numerous other initiatives and spaces of exchange continue to reflect our enduring commitment to the future of cinema," said Maja Hoffman, President of the Locarno Film Festival.
Piazza Grande is used to screen international premieres, celebrate films of the festival's honorees and show masterpieces of past and present under the stars. This year, the festival will award Lucy Liu a career achievement award, and her film Rosemead will premiere at Piazza Grande on August 14, 2025. Inspired by true events, the film stars Liu as a mother who takes desperate measures in a race against time to protect her unstable teenage son.
Rosemead was produced by Liu and Mynette Louie, Co-Concentration Head of Creative Producing and Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, and written by Marilyn Fu '03. Creative Producing alum Tony Yang '20 was the film's co-producer; Alex Peace-Power '17 was its line producer; Mona Mengnan Chu '24 was its associate producer and Samantha Lori Glass '23 was its production secretary. Cheryl Wang '22 acted as music supervisor, and Zixuan Dorothy Wang '23, Laura Ganotis '25, Edy Kennedy '25 and film student Ren Guang served as production assistants and interns.
Also screening at Piazza Grande is Kiss of the Spider Woman, which was written, directed and executive produced by Condon. Based on the hit Tony Award winning musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman is the story of a showgirl as told by a prisoner to his cellmate and unlikely friend. It stars Jennifer Lopez as the titular diva. The movie musical will premiere on the final night of the festival, August 16, 2025.
The Future of Cinema Conference enters its second year with The Future of Reality, where experts will discuss how our lives have been impacted by the omnipresence of digital platforms, algorithmic media and AI, and how cinema can and will reflect those changes. Garakani will feature as a guest on the panel "The Future of the Archive: Memory, Speculation and the Politics of Time," in which he will discuss how he experiments with code, open source software, and generative AI for media studies.
In a statement, Raphaël Brunschwig, the CEO of the festival, wrote, "At a time of fragile balance and unpredictable change, the Locarno Film Festival stands as a beacon of freedom—a space where cinema ignites collective dialogue, sparks innovation, and inspires new visions."
The 78th annual Locarno Film Festival takes place in the Alps from August 6 to 18, 2025. To learn more about the festival, visit their website.