Swiss cinema will occupy a prominent slice of the 78th Locarno Film Festival, running 6–16 August, with promotion agency Swiss Films confirming 11 home‑grown titles across the official selection and independent Panorama Suisse showcase.
Among the new additions is Piet Baumgartner’s fiction feature “Bagger Drama,” marketed internationally as “Diggers,” in which a grief‑struck family of excavator dealers grapples with business, loss and an unexpected romance. The 94‑minute film, winner of directing and screenplay prizes at Saarbrücken, screens in Panorama Suisse after a domestic release this spring.
Spiritual reflection takes centre stage with “Wisdom of Happiness – A Heart‑to‑heart With the Dalai Lama,” a 90‑minute documentary in which the Tibetan leader, approaching his ninetieth birthday, offers personal guidance on resilience in turbulent times; the picture joins the festival fresh from a theatrical run in Switzerland. Maja Tschumi’s Iraq‑set “Immortals,” following two young revolutionaries documenting their fight for a better future, adds an international human‑rights perspective to the Swiss slate.
Swiss presence is not limited to Panorama. Jean‑Stéphane Bron’s six‑part political thriller “The Deal,” built around 2015’s Iran‑nuclear negotiations, will unspool in Piazza Grande before its autumn TV launch, underlining Locarno’s widening embrace of prestige series. Meanwhile, Fabrice Aragno’s experimental drama “Le Lac” and Valentina Bertani’s Franco‑Swiss co‑production “Le bambine” compete for the Golden Leopard, reinforcing the festival’s role as a springboard for national auteurs.
Artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro has repeatedly stressed the importance of a “Swiss window” inside Locarno’s 221‑film line‑up, a stance echoed by Swiss Films executives who say local stories resonate more strongly when placed beside global titles.
Industry observers note that last year’s Panorama Suisse screenings averaged 78 percent seat occupancy, making the section a reliable discovery zone for international buyers seeking festival‑tested arthouse fare. With domestic box‑office share for Swiss films hovering under nine percent in 2024, stakeholders hope Locarno visibility—and the ensuing international sales—will bolster a sector still rebuilding from pandemic‑era slowdowns.
