Spanning a century of cinema, this retrospective traces the evolving face of stardom from silent-era pioneers to contemporary icons. Through nine thematic chapters and a curated selection of one hundred films, it examines the star system, shifting modernities, emerging representations of desire and identity, and the rise of anti-heroes. Shot and assembled for a keen focus on the human visage, the program foregrounds cinematic techniques that reinvent how films capture presence and persona.

Arthur Harari’s intimate drama follows David Zimmerman, a reclusive photographer whose life is unsettled when he fixates on a stranger at a party and wakes up in her body. Harari deploys restrained framing, naturalistic performances and a cool, precise visual palette to explore identity, desire and the disquiet of inhabiting another self. Tautly paced and atmospheric, the film balances psychological tension with moments of quiet humanity, inviting reflection rather than giving easy answers.

In French. In the presence of director Arthur Harari.

Óliver Laxe’s Sirāt is a hypnotic cinematic journey propelled by electronic pulses and a magnetic soundtrack by Kangding Ray. The film follows a collective adventure where music becomes an agent of attraction, moving between communal euphoria and moments of existential vertigo. Shot with immersive sound design and a patient, sensory camera, it explores desire, identity and the communal power of rhythm. Intense and meditative, Sirāt blends documentary textures and lyrical abstraction to map emotional intensities without conventional narrative anchors.

Two cinephile-focused screenings and a collaborative workshop present neglected perspectives by women filmmakers. Gertrud Pinkus’s Il valore della donna è il suo silenzio offers a contemplative portrait that privileges silence and restrained mise-en-scène, inviting reflection on gender and memory; Pinkus will be present. Une autre histoire, by Tula Roy and Christoph Wirsing, explores fragmented narratives and intimate encounters through observational cinematography. A Wikipedia workshop accompanies the programme, focusing on documenting Swiss women directors.

Cinéopéras gathers four film evenings curated by artists from the season, each screening chosen in dialogue with the selector’s artistic universe. Curators Kyle Abraham, Krzysztof Warlikowski, Marie-Ève Signeyrole and Philippe Jaroussky present works that trace convergences between music, theatre, choreography and cinematic form. The programme favors striking visual textures, intimate soundscapes and performances that blur stage and screen, inviting a reflective, sensory encounter with film as a living, interpretive art.

Věra Chytilová’s two-screening offers a glimpse into a pioneering voice of the Czechoslovak New Wave. Her films juxtapose sharp social observation with inventive, often playful formal experiments, disrupting narrative expectations. Through striking images and rhythms, they probe gender, power and the absurdities of everyday life, balancing dark humour with moral urgency. The program highlights Chytilová’s singular visual energy and critical gaze, inviting reflection on cinema’s capacity to question society and form.

Screening will be followed by a discussion with director Stéphanie Barbey.