19/08/2026 - Swiss Films presents six previews of feature films slated to arrive between autumn 2026 and summer 2027, ranging from a queer love story to the Halifax air disaster

Swiss Films deputy director Andreas Bühlmann at the event (© Gabriele Spalluto/Gabriele Spalluto)

As is customary during the Locarno Film Festival, this year, once again, Swiss Films put together an industry-only showcase of feature-length projects due to arrive in the coming months (between late 2026 and 2027). This year’s line-up consisted of six features spanning from a recounting of the 1998 Swissair Flight 111 crash to a social drama set in Ticino, a queer romance, and an intimate exploration of the forces driving gentrification in Istanbul. Many of the selected films are still on the lookout for a festival to host their world premiere; most of them are seeking international distributors or sales agents. One of them has just secured a selection at the Zurich Film Festival.

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111-Echoes From Halifax – Mauro Mueller (Switzerland/Canada)
Production: C-FILMS, Auguste Content, Fidelio Films, SRF
This drama film addresses, without directly depicting it, the crash of the Swissair Flight 111 into the Atlantic Ocean, southwest of Halifax, Canada, on 2 September 1998 – a global tragedy with significant international repercussions. The narrative more specifically focuses on the lives of those who lost loved ones, not only wondering in which ways the catastrophe affected their lives, but also showing how that fateful moment brought together the bereaved, leading them to refocus on what truly matters. The feature draws on testimonies, as well as the director’s personal experience and that of his friends, who were indirectly affected. 111-Echoes From Halifax will have its world premiere in September at the Zurich Film Festival.

Bastardo by Villi Hermann

Bastardo – Villi Hermann (Switzerland)
Production: Imagofilm, RSI
With his new feature, veteran Italian-language Swiss director Villi Hermann returns to his beloved Ticino, in particular to the borderland around the Valle di Stresa. Within this setting, a multitude of vignettes unfold, forming a shape-shifting human mosaic. With a healthy dose of humour yet plenty of tenderness, Hermann follows a man trying to settle a debt with the help of a friend, a woman coping with her pregnant teenage niece, two adolescents in love, and a boy who regularly visits his father in prison. The film, based on a screenplay by Swiss Literature Award laureate Fabio Andina, is due by the end of the year. It is seeking both distribution and international sales representation, as well as a festival to host its world premiere.

The Flying Mountain – Nicolas Steiner (Switzerland/Ireland/Austria)
Production: tellfilm, Samson Films, Amour Fou, Forcletta Films
Swiss director Nicolas Steiner’s second feature as writer-director follows two brothers who set off on a quest for the truth. Their odyssey takes them from the cliffs of Ireland to the Himalayas, through hazards and unexpected encounters that prompt reflections on the meaning of life, their past, love and what truly matters. The film is inspired by the eponymous novel by Austrian writer Christopher Ransmayer about the Messner brothers. The production of the movie is still in progress, but it is slated to be ready in summer 2027.

Into the Blue by Stéphane Riethauser

Into the Blue – Stéphane Riethauser (Switzerland)
Production: Lambda Prod
After the acclaimed Madame, an intimate, autobiographical documentary about the relationship between a grandmother and her grandson, Stéphane Riethauser returns to the theme of relationships, this time in the romantic sense of the word. His first fiction feature, Into the Blue, is a queer drama set under the scorching Mediterranean sun. It follows Noé, a 30-year-old trans actor (played by trans actor João D’Orey), and his 25-year-old cisgender boyfriend (Clemens Bobke). As they celebrate their third anniversary at Noé’s family villa on the Côte d’Azur, their love story begins to crumble. When Noé lands a major role in London, Kito makes it clear that he won’t follow him. The film explores the subjects of love and intimacy, as well as the unexpected, positive consequences of a break-up. The feature, currently in post-production, is slated for winter 2026/2027.

Serra – Aulona Selmani (Switzerland/Kosovo)
Production: Langfilm-Bernard Lang AG, SRF, Ikonë Studio
Young director Aulona Selmani’s debut feature, a Swiss-Kosovar co-production, portrays a Kosovar-based family of 13 suddenly thrown into turmoil by a devastating piece of news: their patriarch, Driton, who had gone to work in Switzerland, has suffered a terrible accident. The film follows Drita (Blerta Ismaili), Driton’s wife, and their teenage daughter Elona as they grapple with hardship and the fear of an increasingly uncertain future. The screenplay was written in collaboration with director, screenwriter and producer Andrea Štaka. The film is in the second stage of editing and is looking for international sales representation as well as a festival to host its world premiere.

Sevda – Ufuk Emiroglu (Switzerland/Belgium/Turkey)
Production: Akka Film, Stenola Productions, Bir Film, RTS
The first fiction feature by Swiss-Turkish writer-director Ufuk Emiroglu, Sevda, centres on a female real-estate entrepreneur (Tülin Özen) who plays a key role in Istanbul’s relentless, devastating gentrification, until an elderly cemetery caretaker, fighting with all his might to protect this place laden with history, prompts her to reflect on her life and work. At the same time, Sevda’s family’s mysterious past begins to resurface and intertwine with that of her city. The film, a co-production between Switzerland, Belgium and Turkey, has just been completed and is looking for both Swiss and international distribution.

(Translated from Italian)