The whole range of short filmmaking from the Zurich area – diverse, entertaining, profound, and socially committed. Like every year, Züri Shorts demonstrates that local shorts are made for the big screen.
Tschäggättä
Raphael Stäger / Switzerland 2025 / 12'16" / colour / Swiss German / Doc
Every winter in Switzerland's Lötschental, they roam the valley: the Tschäggättä. This short documentary dives into a tradition that hovers between past and present. In a world that is growing faster, louder, and more public, they stand for something that does not want to adapt – yet must. The result is an honest look at a figure that cannot be fully grasped and perhaps survives precisely because of that.
Gherking
Claudius Gentinetta / Switzerland 2026 / 7'20" / colour / Italian/Czech/German/Russian/English / Ani/Fic/Exp
A hegemonic voice screams from an old radio as propaganda plays the march of war, and the people are applauding. Unfazed, an old woman does what she has always done in autumn: she heats the stove, prepares herbs and spices, boils water, and arranges her preserving jars. With her powerful lungs she blows discipline and order out of rhythm. And with no time to lose, she preserves the source of evil in airtight jars between tarragon and dill. Let winter come.
Drei Tage
Dorentina Imeri / Switzerland 2026 / 10' / colour / Swiss German/German/Italian / Fic
At a construction site where walls are sanded and painted, the death of the foreman’s wife hangs in the air like fine dust. As the team searches for answers, they face the rigid mechanisms of a working world allowing only three paid days of grief. Amid the silence, the foreman struggles to get through the day.
Keep on Spinning
Christina Benz / Switzerland 2026 / 15' / colour / English / Ani/Doc
In a London launderette, we meet three locals who share life stories and anecdotes as colourful as a pile of laundry. As the washing machine drum spins, mesmerizing sand animations reveal themes of identity, relationships, dreams, passions, failure, and transience. Never defeated, these Londoners tackle challenges with perseverance, zest, and humour.
Talion
Micha Straub / Switzerland 2026 / 20' / colour / Swiss German/French/English / Fic
On their way to a remote vacation spot, a young couple witnesses a fatal hunting accident. Far from civilization and cut off from any help, they start to question the hunters' intentions.
Wir bleiben
Sedonja Moll / Switzerland 2026 / 19'38" / colour / Swiss German / Fic
A sensitive portrait of male friendship. Five young men on an aimless summer journey, guided by closeness, trust, and the courage to be vulnerable.
