In its awe-inspiring 75th edition, Locarno has unveiled its line-up and we are beyond thrilled that five First Cut Lab projects have made the selection, across the festival’s diverse categories.

In the main competition, two films will compete side by side.

“Human Flowers of Flesh“

Ida lives with a crew of five on a sailing yacht. During a shore leave in Marseille, the French Foreign Legion attracts Ida‘s attention and she sets herself a new goal.

Directed by Helena Wittmann and produced by Frank Scheuffele, Karsten Krause and Julia Cöllen, the film is a co-production between Germany and France and it participated in the First Cut Lab Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein 2021.

“Stone Turtle“

«This is an unconventional film that centers around a community of ‘stateless’ villagers on a remote island, transplants who have lived for generations yet who do not have proper citizenship of any country. The film is inspired by the Malay mythology of the “ Weeping Turtle “, with a mixture of genres; art house chamber piece, thriller, and animation. » — Ming Jin comments on the film’s context.

This Malaysian/Indonesian project is directed by Woo Ming Jin and produced by Edmund Yeo. It took part in the First Cut Lab Philippines 2022.

In Filmmakers of the present, we are happy to share the selection of “Nightsiren.” A young woman returns to her native village in the mountains, searching for answers about her troubled childhood. As she tries to uncover the long-buried truth, dark ancient legends seem to come to life, leading the local villagers to accuse her of witchcraft.

Directed by Tereza Nvotova and produced by Miloš Lochman, this is a Slovak/Czech co-production film, which took part in the First cut Lab Slovakia 2021.

In the Kids Award section, we have “How I Learned to Fly”

Twelve-year-old Sofija is forced to spend her summer in a worn-down family house on the Adriatic island Hvar, with her overbearing grandma Marija. Sofia’s life on Hvar is H-E-L-L, but her boredom is undercut by grandma Maria’s peculiar behavior. Sofia suspects some kind of secret romance is at play, but a closer investigation of grandma’s love life ultimately unearths a long kept-family secret.

Directed by Radivoje Andrić and produced by Maja Popovic Milojevic, this vibrant co-production between Serbia/Croatia/Bulgaria/Slovakia took part in the First Cut Lab RE-ACT in 2021.

And last but not least, in Panorama Suisse, we have “L’Îlot.”

In the heat of the summer, two watchmen secure the river that runs through a neighbourhood in Lausanne. Ammar is new to the job, and Daniel shares his experience with him. During their rounds and encounters with the inhabitants, they observe and are observed, while bonds are being formed. And the question arises: what could have happened by the river?

Directed by Tizian Büchi and produced by Thomas Reichlin, the project took part First Cut Lab Switzerland in 2021.

Congratulations to all the amazing projects! Catch them at Locarno Film Festival, taking place from August 3rd through August 13th.