Two Filmstiftung-backed productions travelling to Locarno: world premieres for „Touched“ by Claudia Rorarius and „A Good Place“ by Katharina Huber

The Locarno Film Festival announced its programme for the 76th edition today. The two Filmstiftung-backed dramas „Touched“ by the writer-director Claudia Rorarius, produced by Cologne’s 2Pilots Filmproduction, and „A Good Place“ by the director and producer Katharina Huber (Acker Film) will have their world premieres in the Concorso Cineasti del presente competitive section. The productions from Cologne now have a chance of winning the section’s Golden Leopard, among other awards.

„Touched“

„Touched" tells the story of Maria, 23, who starts a job in a nursing home. There she meets paraplegic Alex (35), with whom she enters into a forbidden love affair. Driven by her sexual desire for discovery and a deep inner connection, the relationship intensifies. But eventually Alex’s demands and humiliations push Maria to her limits. Director and writer Claudia Rorarius won Icelandic model and activist Ísold Halldórudóttir and paraplegic Greek dancer Stavros Zafeiris for the leading roles. Filming took place in NRW and Baden-Württemberg. The drama was produced by the Cologne-based 2 Pilots Filmproduction in co-production with Soquiet Filmproduktion, with broadcaster participation from WDR and SWR. Filmstiftung NRW funded the production with 400,000 euros, further support came from MFG, Creative Europe Media, BKM and DFFF.

„A Good Place“

The feature-length debut by the writer-director Katharina Huber, which was made entirely in the Eifel region in NRW, will also be having its world premiere in Locarno. The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW backed the production with 100,000 Euros as part of the “Vereinfachte Förderung” instrument and had also already supported the screenplay. Katharina Huber produced the film herself (Acker Film), and the cast features Clara Schwinning, Céline De Gennaro, Jannik Mioducki and many others. The action takes place in the countryside, somewhere lost in time and space. Margarita and Goodness wonder about the disappearance of people, the chickens are suspect, the business dealings opaque and the relationships questionable. At the same time, the radio is sending messages and the world is preparing for the launch of the first spaceship to take people to the edge of the solar system.

In addition, the documentary „This Kind of Hope” has been invited to screen in the Panorama Suisse sidebar. Director Pawel Siczek received a Gerd Ruge Grant from the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW in 2014 to develop the project. 

Film- und Medienstiftung at the Locarno Film Festival

The Locarno Film Festival (2 – 12 August, 2023) is one of the leading  international film festivals. Over the years, numerous films funded by the Filmstiftung have premiered  on the world-famous Piazza Grande and won prizes there. Last year saw the Kilian Riedhof’s feature film "You Will Not Have My Hate" premiering there, and in 2021 the Piazza hosted the world premiere of "Monte Verità" and Saskia Rosendahl received the "Leopard for Best Actress" for her role in the Filmstiftung-backed  production "No One’s With The Calves" (Weydemann Bros.) by Sabrina Sarabi.