Crystal Globe Competition / A Happy Family / Switzerland 2026
Niki works two jobs, but the little money she earns is barely enough to cover the living expenses for her and her two young children. One day, when the children are left unsupervised, they accidentally set the kitchen on fire, and so the Swiss authorities place them with a foster family on the other side of the country. Though forbidden from contacting her children, Niki decides to track them down. The first Swiss film to be screened in Karlovy Vary’s Crystal Globe Competition, Happy Family draws its strength from a determined yet ambivalent protagonist whose actions shed light on a rigid social system while reflecting the conflict between parental instinct and personal responsibility. Adding to the film’s strong dramatic arc is an exceptionally compelling performance by Anna Schinz.
Vojtěch Kočárník
120 min / Color, DCP
World premiere
Director Jan-Eric Mack
/ Screenplay Anna Schinz, Nikita Afanasjew, Eva Kienholz, Jan-Eric Mack
/ Dir. of Photography Yunus Roy Imer
/ Music Thomas Kuratli
/ Sound Gina Keller
/ Editor Benjamin Fueter
/ Art Director Marie-Claude, Lang-Brenguier
/ Producer Martin Joss, Peter Reichenbach
/ Production C-FILMS AG
/ Cast Anna Schinz, Michael Neuenschwander, Julia Jentsch, Alireza Bayram, Bettina Stucky, Martina Apostolova
Jan-Eric Mack. Selected filmography: Magnetfelder (2011, short), Alfonso (2013, short), Periphery (Peripherie, 2016, co-dir.), Wilder (2018, TV series), A Happy Family (2026).
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