BERLINALE

Four Swiss productions have been selected for screening in the Panorama section: director Dominik Locher’s third feature film ENJOY YOUR STAY – a Swiss-French coproduction by Close-up Films, which he wrote in collaboration with Filippino screenwriter Mary Honeylyn Joy Alipio. The film tells the story of an undocumented Filipino cleaner who works in a luxury Swiss ski resort and has to earn money at any cost to avoid losing custody of her young daughter.

Competing in the Panorama Dokumente section will be TRISTAN FOREVER, a film by Tobias Nölle and Loran Bonnardot, produced by Hugofilm. The docu-fiction is about a French doctor who has been making pilgrimages for decades to Tristan da Cunha, the most isolated, inhabited island in the world, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and now wants to emigrate there permanently. A journey to a utopian place far beyond the horizon.

The Swiss production company Dschoint Ventschr will have two minority coproductions screened in the Panoramasection: director Sabine Lidl traces the American author’s path from her first novel to becoming one of the most influential voices in contemporary literature in her documentary film SIRI HUSTVEDT – DANCE AROUND THE SELF. The German-Swiss-UK coproduction THE EDUCATION OF JANE CUMMING by Sophie Heldman is a drama about two teachers who find themselves the focus of a scandal in Edinburgh in 1810 when they are accused of having an amorous affair.

Gaël Kamilindi’s short film TAXI MOTO (Adok Films) will be screened in the Berlinale Shorts Competition, and Lena von Döhren’s 11-minute animation film BATS & BUGS (Catpics) will celebrate its premiere in the Generation KplusCompetition.

Unconventional and experimental in the Forum

The Forum and Forum Expanded sections aim to broaden the understanding of cinema, push the boundaries of the familiar and open up new perspectives. Kristina Mikailova celebrates her directorial debut with RIVER DREAMS screened in the Forum Special. This marks the first Kazakh documentary film in the history of the Berlinale; the film was coproduced with the Swiss production company Mira Film.

Featured in the Forum Expanded will be Swiss artist and director Laurence Favre’s BUTTERFLY STORIES: MALAISE II installation, for which she created an immersive, walk-in space of shimmering, floating images usingcollage-like slide projections of butterfly species.

More films with Swiss participation

AWARD-WINNING SWISS ACTRESS LUNA WEDLER STARS IN THE GERMAN NOVEL ADAPTATION OF ALLEGRO PASTELL, SCREENED IN THE PANORAMA.

Swiss cinematographer Xenia Patricia and production designer Tatjana Honegger are part of the film crew for Rafael Manuel’s debut film FILIPIÑANA (Singapore / UK / Philippines / France / Netherlands), which will now celebrate its European premiere in the Perspectives section after the Sundance Film Festival.

Swiss producer Dan Wechsler at Bord Cadre Films will be celebrating two world premieres: as coproducer of the breathtaking panoramic film ARRU (Norway, Sweden, Finland) in the Panorama section and as associate producer of the German film THE LIGHTS, THEY FALL in the Generation 14plus Competition, by Swiss producer Chantal Scheiner.

Market events for coproductions, series and Berlinale Talents

The Berlinale Co-Production Market serves as a launch pad for 35 new international feature film coproductions from 27 countries. Two projects from Switzerland are among them: Klaudia Reynicke’s project IL DOMINIO (production: Turnus Film) in the Official Feature Project Selection 2026; and in the Talent Project Market, organised in cooperation with Berlinale Talents, director Simon Jaquemet’s project THE MOST ROMANTIC MAN IN THE WORLD (production: 8horses).

One of the 10 high-profile international series pitched in the Co-Pro Series programme will be the Swiss series GOLD by Contrast Film, which deals with the dark side of the global gold trade.

The Swiss art theft thriller LA LINEA DELLA PALMA produced by Hugofilm, together with RSI, SRG and arte, will be screened as an exclusive preview under the banner “Berlinale Series Market Selects”. This event offers international buyers and distributors the opportunity to discover upcoming series at the film market.

Thanks to the support of SWISS FILMS, three junior producers have the opportunity to participate in the Visitors Programme of the Berlinale Co-Production Market: Arnaud Gantenbein (Imaginastudio), Flo Brunner (Farbfilm Studio) and Jessica Sonderegger (freelance creative producer).

As part of Berlinale Talents, four filmmakers from Switzerland have been selected to participate in the networking programme: DoP Xenia Patricia, producer Olga Lamontanara, director and producer Leon Schwitter and Swiss screenwriter and director Daniel Huss, who lives in Germany.

Swiss presence at the European Film Market  

SWISS FILMS is present with a stand at the European Film Market (EFM) to raise awareness of new Swiss productions and connect Swiss filmmakers with international industry players. The new SWISS FILMS Line-up Berlinale provides an overview of new films and projects in production as well as all films presented at the EFM in Market Screenings.