Alain Tanner’s 1979 Messidor follows two young women, Jeanne and Marie, as they leave Geneva and travel across Switzerland without a fixed destination. Rendered in a cool, observational style emblematic of the new Swiss cinema, the film stages an errant journey that reveals class divides and the pressures that shape female experience. Through open landscapes and intimate encounters, Tanner explores desire, freedom and the uneasy estrangement of youth within a conformist society.
In French.
Ciel Sourdeau’s eight-minute, seventeen-second video unfolds as a subversive tutorial: part gore, part experimental film, it repurposes pedagogical forms into an improvised, transgressive bricolage. Mixed by Adrien Kessler, the piece layers tactile sound and rough-edged visuals to probe bodies, identity and the limits of instruction. Its stripped, confrontational aesthetic alternates shock and dark humour, inviting a re-examination of learning rituals and the politics of representation through intimate, unsettling imagery.
Opening: 3 September, 18:00
Three restored Laurel and Hardy shorts—An Eye for an Eye, Long Live Liberty and The Battle of the Century—directed respectively by James W. Horne, Leo McCarey and Clyde Bruckman. The program foregrounds their precision of gesture, rhythmic choreography and comic timing, framed in silent-era textures and restored prints. A newly composed symphonic score performed live by the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande weaves with the images, creating a dialogue between music and motion. The mood alternates between nimble slapstick and melancholic lyricism, highlighting the duo’s enduring cinematic modernity.
An intimate retrospective devoted to director Patricia Plattner, presenting a selection of her films alongside a reading-performance and a small exhibition. Plattner’s cinema favors close human encounters and observational compositions, blending subtle humour with poignant emotional truth. The programme highlights her attentive direction and narrative economy, tracing recurring themes of identity, everyday intimacy and the passage of time. Screenings offer a chance to rediscover the quiet intensity and warm, lyrical realism of her work. An event presented by the association Le Bazar de la Sirène in collaboration with Luna Films and the City of Carouge.
On the program:
– Special screenings at Cinéma Bio
– An inaugural staged reading on September 5, at the Théâtre des Amis
– An exhibition, Le Petit Bazar de Patricia, at Place du Temple
Solmaz Gholami’s documentary unfolds in five episodes—listen, see, feel, taste and smell—to explore the political, social and human realities of the “Femme, Vie, Liberté” movement. Using citizen archives and on‑the‑ground testimonies, Gholami builds a layered, sensory narrative that traces the lived experience of resistance, the courage of street protest and the heavy cost of repression. Intimate cinematography and archival textures give the film a reflective, urgent tone, turning collective aspiration into a fragile hope for change. Original version in Farsi with English and French subtitles. In collaboration with Amnesty International – Geneva & Lausanne Groups.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with:
Solmaz Gholami, director
Mitra Sohrabi, president of the Femme Vie Liberté Suisse Association
Nadia Boehlen, spokesperson for Amnesty International Switzerland
Javid Tahmassbi, board member of the Global Campaign to Stop Executions in Iran
Festival des 5 Continents presents a curated panorama of world cinema: competitive and out-of-competition films, special screenings and a section for emerging voices. The programme highlights auteur cinema, daring narratives and diverse perspectives, favouring bold visual styles and intimate storytelling. Through screenings, talks and encounters, the festival offers a space to discover new talents and reassess cinematic traditions, celebrating cross-cultural dialogues and the emotional power of film.
Presented as part of the Caramelo y Limón festival’s tenth edition, this retrospective gathers the festival’s most beloved Hispanic short films from previous years. The program moves between quick-witted comic rhythms and quiet, intimate tableaux; it sketches varied portraits of everyday life with both warmth and sting. A post-screening discussion with director Alejandro Damiani offers an afterword on craft and audience memory. The selection’s tonal shifts and textured filmmaking create a lively, poignant evening of short cinema.
Screening followed by a discussion with director Alejandro Damiani, organized in collaboration with the Spanish Students’ Association (AEE).
Please adjust your criteria to see more results.
Your password has been reset successfully. You can now log in with your new password.
We’ve sent you a password reset email to the address provided. Please check your inbox and/or spam folder.
Please check your inbox for a verification email to complete your sign-up.
Culture, curated weekly.
Event removed from your CoolAgenda.
