A balancing act in Ticino: Stand Up Paddleing with Emma & Willem in Locarno

In August 2025, Till & I were keen to get down to Locarno to visit the Locarno Film Festival and to get out on the lake to try out my newly purchased SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard). After setting up the van in Camping Delta we pumped up the SUP, changed into to our swimming trunks and headed down to the lake. The weather was perfect, the lake was gorgeous, the board was just right ... but our balance was hopeless! Trying to stand up on the board was way more difficult than we had imagined. Luckily neither of us had our cameras handy because I'm sure we looked pretty hopeless as we tried to get our balance on the board. It sure looks easy ... but it sure as hell isn't! Anyway we stuck at it and we eventully managed to make some headway across the water either sitting or kneeling.

Till actually did manage to do some stand up paddling and made quite a good impression until he too lost balance and fell into the lake. He then proceeded to sit up on the board, nonchalantly lean back, turn his face towards the sky and look like he was soaking up the sun in St Tropez.

The 2025 Locarno Film Festival

2025 was my second Locarno Film Festival but a first for Till. After setting up the van at Camping Delta and after our not so successful attempt at stand up paddling, we ate a pizza for dinner and then took our seats on the Piazza Grande for the World Premier of The Dead of Winter, a thriller set in the winter wilderness of Minnesota. It was directed by Brian Kirk and stars Emma Thompson. Emma was on stage before the film to accept the prestigious Leopard Club Award and held her acceptance speech in both Italian and English. We both thoroughly enjoyed the film and were thrilled, of course, to see Emma Thompson in person, with her daughter, accepting her award on stage.

On the second night of our festival visit we were back on the Piazza Grande to see the World Premier of The Birthday Party starring Willem Dafoe. And once again we were very lucky to see Willem in person on stage discussing the film with the director Miguel Angel Jimenez. He talked a lot about the film in which he plays a Greek billionaire who throws a lavish party for his daughter on his private island. His character is not a very pleasant person so as the party progresses he, and the party, becomes more and more unpleasant.

Both films were very enjoyable and seeing such wonderful actors in person talking about their new films, in the spectacular surrounds of the Piazza Grande in Locarno was trully a fantastic experience.

We'll both be back in Locarno in 2026 to really enjoy some stand up paddling on Lago Magiore and to visit the Locarno Film Festival again.