The jury
Madeleine Hirsiger (Switzerland), Walter Gasperi (Austria), Ingrid Beerbaum (Germany)
Awarded films
-
Becaària by
Erik Bernasconi
(Switzerland, 2026, 100 min.)
Reports
Motivation:
This film takes us back to the summer of 1977 in Ticino. After failing his high school graduation exams, 16-year-old Mario is sent by his father to work for a sheep farmer in a remote mountain village. There, the disoriented boy not only experiences hard physical labor but also discovers his sexuality—thanks to some adventurous women. A new friend of his father’s also helps him realize what he wants to do with his life in the future.
This coming-of-age story is based on a novel by Giorgio Genetelli. In his adaptation of the novel, the director succeeds in bringing this journey to the screen in a sensitive, authentic, and nuanced way through a calm narrative style and atmospherically evocative imagery, supported by an outstanding ensemble cast.
The FIPRESCI Prize goes to Erik Bernasconi for “Becaària”