10/08/2026 - German director Ann Oren’s second feature delves into desire and intimacy through an unsettling exploration of the human body and its relationship with nature

Ann Oren’s second feature, Objet a, is world-premiering in the International Competition of the Locarno Film Festival. The film marks the German director's return to the Swiss gathering after successfully world-premiering her debut, Piaffe, in the same section in 2022. Cineuropa can exclusively share the film's poster.

Ingeborg and Adam are visionary hand surgeons bound by love, control and irresistible fixations. She is compelled to steal objects; he longs to become one. When an accident brings the enigmatic Gaia into their lives, unexpected desires begin to take shape, unsettling the careful balance that has long defined their relationship. Exploring desire, intimacy and identity using the body as a cinematic language, the movie examines the fragile relationship between humans and the natural world, suggesting that the more we seek to control our bodies, the further we drift from our animal nature.

The film features Aenne Schwarz (Every You Every Me, All Good), Louis Hofmann (known for the German Netflix series Dark), Simone Bucio (Piaffe, The Ivy), Georg Friedrich (Great Freedom, recognisable for his roles in Michael Haneke and Ulrich Seidl movies) and Sofia Kokkali (Moon, 66 Questions).

Ann Oren is a Berlin-based visual artist and filmmaker. By dissolving distinctions between plant, animal and human, she asks what it is to be human today, in an ecosystem immersed in digital culture. Playing with animality and unconventional desires, she employs a visceral language, drawing attention to the physicality of both performers and viewers. After premiering at Locarno, her first narrative feature, Piaffe, was presented at dozens of festivals including San Sebastián and BFI London, winning numerous awards, such as the Silver Hugo Award at the Chicago International Film Festival and Best Debut from the German Film Critics’ Association.

Objet a was produced by Schuldenberg Films (Germany) in co-production with Tarantula (Luxembourg), asterisk* (Greece) and ERT, with support from Film Fund Luxembourg, the German Federal Film Fund & German Federal Film Board, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Hessen Film & Medien, Creative Europe - MEDIA and the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center-EKKOMEΔ. The domestic release in Germany through Grandfilm is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.

Check out our exclusive poster below: