Locarno to Honor Makeup Maestro Rick Baker With Vision Award

The festival frames Baker's career as a turning point for practical effects, highlighting his influence through screenings and tributes.

Overview

Locarno announced Thursday that Rick Baker will receive its Vision Award at Piazza Grande on Aug. 12, 2026.
As part of the program, Baker will present two signature films from his career, An American Werewolf in London (1981) and The Nutty Professor (1996).
Baker is a seven-time Academy Award winner whose practical makeup and creature effects work includes Michael Jackson’s Thriller and high-profile studio films that transformed on-screen metamorphosis.
The Vision Award, presented by Ticinomoda, honors behind-the-scenes craft and has previously gone to designers and technicians; this year’s Locarno slate also features honorary tributes to Darren Aronofsky, Isabella Rossellini and Asia Argento plus a festival poster by Cindy Sherman.
Locarno’s move to spotlight Baker underscores the festival’s emphasis on technical craft and could boost public attention and programming for practical effects artists and film-history retrospectives.