The 38th Locarno Film Festival was held from 8 to 18 August 1985 in Locarno, Switzerland. The opening film was the Cannes Palme D'or winner When Father Was Away on Business directed by Emir Kusturica. It was shown in the Piazza Grande, the 5,000 seat open-air theater, along with films such as The Official Story and Desperately Seeking Susan, which drew the largest festival crowd of over 5,000 people. The festival also screened all 16 hours of the German film Heimat directed by Edgar Reitz.
It was a record year for Locarno with the highest levels of attendance in its history, over 50,000 people, and a budget of around $600,000. Most of the money came from the local and state government. The only non-state sponsor was the Swiss Bank Union. In response to this growth, the Locarno festival organization expressed a desire to build a new 950-seat theater for future festivals. Artistic director David Strieff also wanted to add one day to the festival in order to re-screen all the winning films, as the festival did this year.
The TV competition also grew with 17 television films in competition, another 77 in an information section, and 23 countries represented. Two additional screening rooms were needed, along with the original three, to accommodate the audience.
One noteworthy attendee was guest of honor Elisabeth Kopp, the first woman to serve in the Swiss Federal Council the executive governing body of Switzerland.
The Golden Leopard, the festival's top prize, was awarded to Alpine Fire directed by Fredi M. Murer. The film also won the Ecumenical award for best film, but Murer rejected that award saying that the ecumenical jury didn't understand the movie.
The following films were screened in these sections:
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