Locarno Film Festival These Swiss premieres will be the talk of the town

Never before have so many Swiss films flickered across the screen at Locarno. Whether it's an eco-animation film, a thriller with AI superintelligence or a documentary about xenophobia: the list is long. blue News reveals which productions you should have on your radar.

The big screen is up, the yellow plastic chairs are lined up on the Piazza Grande: Locarno is ready for the 77th edition of the Locarno Film Festival.

Over 50 Swiss films and co-productions are expected in Locarno this year. blue News presents four Swiss productions that are still causing a stir.

"Sauvages" by Claude Barras

Claude Barras' last work "My Life as a Courgette" was nominated for the Oscars in the "Best Animated Film" category in 2017. Is "Sauvages" the next Swiss Oscar hopeful?

In "Sauvages", logging companies threaten the lives of nomads in the Borneo rainforest. Together with a small orangutan, two rebellious children fight against the planned deforestation of the jungle.

The stop-motion film was shot in a former factory in Martigny. The budget amounted to almost 13 million francs. Between 30 and 40 seconds of footage were shot per day, as the facial expressions of the puppets had to be continuously adjusted.

In "Sauvages", Claude Barras tackles highly topical issues such as nature conservation and the oppression of indigenous people. The film is expected to be released in cinemas in German-speaking Switzerland in February 2025.

In Locarno, the film will be screened on Tuesday evening, August 13, on the Piazza Grande.

"Espèce Menacée" by Bruno Deville

For the first time, a Swiss TV series will also be screened at the Locarno Film Festival. The first two episodes of the RTS co-production "Espèce Menacée" will celebrate their world premiere on August 10.

What is it about? A ski resort without snow, a missing bride, a couple in crisis, men on a self-discovery course, marmot hunters and a glacier in danger: the future of a mountain community is uncertain.

The 6-part series features well-known personalities from the French-speaking Swiss comedy scene such as Vincent Veillon and Vincent Kucholl. So there should be no shortage of humor. The absurd comedy about the fictional Alpine community of Excelsior was filmed in Valais in 2023.

Will "Espèce Menacée" take off in the same way as the crime parody "Tschugger", which is also set in Valais? The series will be available to stream on Play Suisse for 30 days from August 10.

"The miraculous transformation of the working class into foreigners" by Samir

Lately, filmmaker Samir has been making a name for himself mainly with tweets about the war in the Middle East. Now his latest documentary is being screened out of competition in Locarno.

In "The Miraculous Transformation of the Working Class into Foreigners", Samir focuses on the fate of guest workers who came to Switzerland between the 1960s and 1980s. The documentary uses interviews, archive footage and animations to shed light on the rise of racism at the time of the Schwarzenbach Initiative.

The film uses computer animation technology that originates from the gaming sector. A digital avatar of Samir shows him as a refugee child in Zurich. Can this technology keep up with conventional animations? AI sends its regards.

The documentary premieres in Locarno on 13.8.

"Electric Child" by Simon Jaquemet

Simon Jacquemet's debut feature "Chrieg" about young people in an educational camp won various awards in 2014. "The Innocent" (2018) was set in a free church environment and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Now Jacquemet is back with a sci-fi thriller.

"Electric Child" tackles the subject of AI. When his newborn son is threatened by a rare disease, a desperate computer scientist makes a pact with a complex AI. This sets off a dangerous chain reaction. Director Simon Jacquemet says in an interview with "Outnow": "The question is, how far do you want to go with technology and where will it lead?"

In terms of content, Jacquemet's films challenge the viewer. Visually, we can look forward to atmospheric images. The majority of the film's international cast speaks English. Filming took place not only in Switzerland, but also in Germany and the Philippines.

"Electric Child" celebrates its world premiere on Friday, August 9, at the Piazza Grande. The Swiss-German theatrical release date is not yet known.

Information on the rest of the Locarno Film Festival program can be found here.

More about the Locarno Film Festival