Locarno’s Alliance 4 Development: Colonial Revenge Tale & Narcissism Thriller

All genres are welcome at Locarno’s Alliance 4 Development co-development initiative this year, according to project manager Francesca Palleschi. From dramas to dark comedies and thrillers, the 11 projects from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland share recurring themes of identity, history’s legacy, environmental concerns, family ties, belonging and displacement, societal dynamics, and the desperate search for attention.

In “I’m Not Here to Make Friends” by Julia Niemann, the director, who co-directed the controversial Sundance premiere “Veni Vidi Vici,” follows Emmy, a contestant on a dating reality show. Niemann states that reality TV, despite its reputation, can reveal much about the human condition. Producer Katharina Posch describes it as a sleek and sunny psycho-thriller about the age of narcissism we’re living in.

Alessandro Grande’s “Ithaca” delves into family ties with a shocking true story from 1990s Italy, where a teenager discovers his parents might not be his real parents; they are accused of kidnapping him as a baby. Producer Chiara Cruciatti highlights the crucial relationship built with the real protagonist of the events, aiding in addressing his most intimate struggle and point of view.

Flurin Giger’s “A Year Without the Summer” travels to the 19th century when a volcanic eruption causes another Ice Age, affecting a peasant family. The past revisits in “6 Months 6 Days,” where the richest woman in Germany becomes infatuated with a young man with a hidden agenda to force her family to acknowledge their WWII past. Meanwhile, Kim Lêa Sakkal’s “A Paradise Lost” depicts a German heiress questioning her family’s legacy.

Ali, a mysterious African boy, is the focus of “From Planet Earth,” directed by Luca Magi. After escaping to the city from a shelter for foreign minors, Ali encounters various people who either help him survive or exploit him. The film draws from Magi’s experience as a social worker.

In “Hôtel des Thermes,” co-directed by Maéva Ranaïvojaona and Georg Tiller, a grand hotel in Madagascar sees a fancy-dress ball turn sinister as the ghosts of the colonial past awaken. The ensemble film blends realism with the supernatural, set in a quarantined, haunted hotel, attempting to reconcile colonial legacy with contemporary reality.

Hakim Mao’s “Atlantic Mirage” portrays two childhood friends working at a hotel in Agadir. When one disappears, a strange phenomenon occurs. “Undercurrents” by Beatrice Minger, set in the Alps with elements of magical realism, follows three generations of women fighting the trauma of loss and disconnection. Hugues Harich’s “Lost Paradise” examines a world devastated by the lack of water, focusing on a sibling duo fighting for survival.

Tragicomedy finds its place in Lukas Nathrath’s “Bourgeois Paranoia.” It follows five people meeting in a café over a week, each grappling with rejection and the desire for revenge. Nathrath, awarded for “One Last Evening,” explores power dynamics and human behavior pushed to the extreme, aiming for a tragicomic tone with darker elements.

Palleschi expressed her joy in witnessing the journeys of these projects as they transform into films and reach audiences. She emphasized the film industry’s rapid, uncertain evolution and the importance of filmmakers standing by their uniqueness and original visions. Initiatives like Alliance 4 Development are crucial in fostering creative exchanges, building a community of new authors and stories across borders.

The 2024 lineup includes:

“6 Months 6 Days” directed by Michale Boganim, delving into generational silences around the Holocaust.

“A Paradise Lost” by Kim Lêa Sakkal, exploring colonial traces and personal loss.

“Atlantic Mirage” by Hakim Mao, an unapologetically queer genre film set in Agadir.

“A Year Without the Summer” by Flurin Giger, portraying a family’s struggle during another Ice Age following a volcanic eruption.

“Bourgeois Paranoia” by Lukas Nathrath, a dark tragicomedy about five individuals in a café over one week.

“From Planet Earth” by Luca Magi, focusing on a mysterious African boy navigating life and survival in a new city.

“Hôtel des Thermes” by Maéva Ranaïvojaona and Georg Tiller, exploring colonial revenge in a haunted hotel in Madagascar.

“I’m Not Here to Make Friends” by Julia Niemann, following Emmy in a dating reality show capturing the age of narcissism.

“Ithaca” by Alessandro Grande, based on a true story of kidnapping in 1990s Italy.

“Lost Paradise” by Hugues Harich, showing a world ravaged by lack of water and siblings fighting for survival.

“Undercurrents” by Beatrice Minger, examining generational trauma against a backdrop of magical realism in the Alps.

Source: Variety