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Locarno: ‘September Afternoon’ Film Director Needs No Action, Dialogue

Published

3 days ago

August 7, 2026

When the Locarno Film Festival unveiled the program for its 79th edition, it promised an “adventurous” lineup.

German filmmaker Nicolaas Schmidt’s debut feature film, September Afternoon, which will world premiere on Aug. 10 in the Filmmakers of the Present Competition of the Swiss festival, is perhaps the perfect case in point.

“If you don’t know anything about what’s to come, you are probably at risk of leaving the room,” Locarno’s artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro tells THR. “I’m aware of that, but if you stick with it, you will be completely surprised” and enjoy a cinematic journey you won’t forget any time soon.

What he means is that, just like in Schmidt’s short- and medium-length films, there isn’t much traditional “action” or even dialogue in September Afternoon. “The film uses ‘dead time’ as raw material,” the filmmaker highlights in a director’s note. “I stretch mundane moments until they collapse in their emptiness — an invitation to the viewer. In an age of arbitrary extraordinariness, plain banality is stimulating as fuck.”

Schmidt, who was born in Leipzig and lives and works in Hamburg as a filmmaker, video and conceptual artist, tells THR that he is most interested in images, sounds, music and moods, putting a spotlight on the passage of time in everyday situations, repetition and silences.

‘September Afternoon,’ courtesy of Locarno Film Festival

Courtesy of Locarno Film Festival

Or, as Nazzaro offers: “Maybe the trivialities we see are exactly the things that we might be sorely missing in the future,” says Nazzaro, “because we will not have the time to get bored and tend to trivial matters. So for me, [Schmidt’s work] also brings with it a very political element – how to regain agency over the use of your time.”

But wait, what can we share about September Afternoon without spoiling too much? Well, the film shows a couple that refuses to accept that summer is over; instead , the small family is heading to the coast for a last experience with sand and seawater. But they find themselves struggling with strong wind and the encroaching elements. With romantic expectations of the summer flipped on their head, Locarno teases that things unravel from there “into a disaster of a different magnitude,” underlining the filmmaker’s invitation to observe and be surprised.

Produced by Maxi Haslberger and Balthasar Busmann, September Afternoon features cinematography by Thomas Oswald. Schmidt directed and edited the movie based on his screenplay. The cast features Amin Motallebzadeh, Katharina Grossmann, Hedi Grossmann and Ada Kurzhöfer. Kino Rebelde is handling international sales.

September Afternoon is the second Schmidt film traveling to Locarno. His First Time [The Time for All but Sunset — Violet] premiered at the Swiss festival in 2021 and received a Pardi di Domani special mention.

Nicolaas Schmidt

Courtesy of Nicolaas Schmidt

On his website, the filmmaker describes himself as a “gréyalisateur,” emphasizing grey as a midpoint, average – or rather, relativity and ambivalence – and the French word for director, “réalisateur,” or someone who brings a film to life. He also calls himself a “dozing artist (concept, photo, video).” And his bio on the website highlights: “He started dreaming at the age of four after visiting the movie theater in his socialist small town south of Leipzig for the very first time” before the GDR and West Germany reunited.

Asked about the inspiration for his films, Schmidt tells THR: “It’s all based on experiences, observations or interpretations of observations.” In the case of September Afternoon, he recalls: “I experienced a similar situation that was as unrelaxed as can be. And I was sadly disappointed that I didn’t film or didn’t have a friend with a hand camera there to film.”

Does he have a detailed plan or script? “I think in detail about what exactly happens and what is said despite starting the process with wanting to leave things as open as possible,” including for the actors,” he says. “But sometimes things get too concrete and go beyond what really interests me, and then I pare back.”

The process of filming September Afternoon came with some surprises. “When we shot the film, it was late September and really stormy, which made things much harder than expected,” Schmidt explains. “I had originally planned to make the wind seem stronger than it was. But my experience so far has shown that it’s good for the films when some things turn out differently than anticipated. While that stresses me out immensely, getting through it together with others does me a world of good and provides me with longer-lasting stability.”

Music plays a key role in Schmidt’s films, even though he says he couldn’t compose any himself, and so do commercials. “In the ’90s, there were commercials that were extremely elaborate and visually captivating, almost poetic, yet emotionally manipulative – that fascinated me, he shares. “I had an interest in them. And I think these are spots people recognize. In the case of September Afternoon, the commercial came late in the process. It is an element that adds ambiguity.”

Schmidt has also referenced other movies in his films, with his latest including a scene from Philippe Garrel’s Le Révélateur. How do these cinematic “quotes” find their way into his works? “I find these in the very long development processes,” he tells THR. “I bring together a bigger collection of ideas, thoughts and associations, saved in a wide chaotic note, and bring them into question and a rating and priority structure at some later point, at the latest when I name that work. When a feeling for the film arises then, it’s also less sober and dry than it sounds now.”

Late in September Afternoon, there is a scene using light in a specific way, and Schmidt made sure not to simply copy the very specific solutions of other directors “for no reason.” He highlights: “I don’t want to repeat everything.” The effect used in the end was “common enough and, in all its simplicity, also effective enough,” the filmmaker explains.

Some may say not much happens over long passages of Schmidt’s films, but the creative doesn’t believe that movies need “action.” “That’s not my thing at all. That provokes me to the max,” he tells THR. “But it is a core problem that you must convince people that less, or nothing, happening can be okay or even fascinating and also that you don’t need dialogue.”

The same goes for uniform tastes and approaches. “I find it hard to handle uniformity,” Schmidt says. “It unsettles and frightens me if people subject themselves to trends, fashions and the whims of the masses, or individuals. I understand that this view also excludes things, but I just don’t like any adaptation without questioning and a valid reason.”

That said, he doesn’t make films simply to provoke audiences, but out of curiosity and also to potentially discover a community of people outside the mainstream. “For me, it’s a pretty reliable opportunity to find like-minded people,” Schmidt says. “And I appreciate it when people come up to me and give me the feeling that I am a bit normal.”

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‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’s Mekai Curtis Talks Series Finale

Published

26 minutes ago

August 10, 2026

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SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals major plot points from the series finale of the Starz crime drama Power Book III: Raising Kanan.

It’s no spoiler to discuss Kanan Stark’s survival in the series finale of Starz’s Power Book III: Raising Kanan, with even the most casual of fans knowing that Kanan Stark is alive and well in the original Power series. While it’s the closing of another chapter in the Power franchise, there’s still some time to spend with Mekai Curtis as the titular Kanan before going into Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s era.

But before going into new business, let’s handle old business. Raquel (Patina Miller) was shot and killed in cold blood by Jukebox (Hailey Kilgore) in the show’s final episode. Raq was a surrogate mother to Juke, but when it came down to it, Juke had to avenge her father’s murder at the hands of Kanan. She told her cousin while at the diner that she had killed his mother so as to take everyone that cares about him out of his life. Kanan was rather accepting of the news, something the actor confirms.

“It’s acceptance. That’s the ultimate version of Kanan understanding what Raq taught him at the beginning of the series. Now, more than ever, in Season 5, I think Kanan understands who he is and what he’s done more than ever. When you’ve experienced enough loss and tragedy, there comes a point where you’re going to sit down and just take inventory: you’re going to see where you went wrong, what you did right, where other people went wrong, and how things could have been done differently,” shared Curtis.

Adding, “Kanan has gotten to have those moments. So, when he finally hears that Mom is gone, he understands. It doesn’t mean it hurts any less, but he understands all the bad he’s done. And for it to be his cousin when he just took out her father, it’s poetic, right? He understands, ‘Okay, I did it.’ It doesn’t mean that I’m proud that I did it, but I did it.”

Hailey Kilgore as Jukebox and Mekai Curtis as Kanan

Before that moment at the diner, Kanan and Raq met up on a very public street to discuss the hit Stefano (Tony Danza) put on her, amongst other things. The duo opened up like never before.

“I wasn’t sure that that was a conversation that was going to happen. So I was casting the line in the wind, ‘No, this is still my mother. I still love this person. These characters, this world, and this show could have been flat and stereotypical if we didn’t add these layers that have you ask questions beyond what you’re seeing. It was really fun to finally have that moment to justify the actions of all of the characters leading up to that, especially for me,” Curtis reflected.

He continued, “I feel like Kanan is so misunderstood, especially the younger version of him. You see he’s doing things out of emotion, and he doesn’t know how to articulate himself. But it’s not simply just to be doing it. It’s not simply to ignore the thoughts and the wisdom of the people around him. He’s simply trying to find himself outside of the things that he’s now been shown. He can’t trust in the way that he wants.”

Part of that, Curtis explained, was Kanan saying, “You did these things, and it hurt me, and I didn’t know how to say that it hurt me because I was never taught how. But I still love you.”

“It was a constant back and forth between Raq and Kanan showing or saying that they love each other, but missing the mark,” he said. “I think they both had different love languages, and they didn’t know how to come together and actually healthily do that until imminent death was in the air.”

Playing Kanan across 5 seasons as part of this crazy world of Southside, Jamaica, Queens, the lesson that the actor is taking with him is a pretty special one.

“The lesson is love for me. Not to get all preachy about it, but love is patient. It’s kind. It’s giving space when you need it. It’s letting that person come back when they’re ready. It’s ugly. It’s nasty, and that’s everything that you see happen with these characters on the show, but that’s also everything that’s happened behind the scenes,” said Curtis.

“I think there’s a rare level of vulnerability and safety that was fostered on this set that allowed us to translate with these characters even more. The lesson for me is: keep your heart open. Keep your heart guarded, but always be open and ready for the things that are around you. Be ready to receive, be ready to give,” he added.

Spence Moore (“Ghost”), Charlie Mann (“Tommy”), and Mekai Curtis (“Kanan Stark”)

Onto new business, Curtis has already completed work on the first season of the brand new prequel series Power: Origins, a continuation of Raising Kanan, both shows from creator Sascha Penn. Power: Origins will reunite young James St. Patrick (Spence Moore II) and young Tommy Egan (Charlie Mann) with young Kanan. As a quick reminder, teen versions of James and Tommy appeared in the finale of Raising Kanan, played by Maxwell Davis and Andrew Bennett, respectively. At about 13 years old, the boys tried to work with Kanan, but even he had his limits.

“That honestly is my favorite part because that is the crossroads that carries through into Origins. You can still see a slight shred of care. Kanan sees himself in these two kids, and while it is exciting, he’s like, “Oh, we can get into all the things.’ It’s still like, ‘Nah, they’re still too young. I’m not gonna be the person that exposes you to whatever is going to bring you back here. We get to see how he still kind of cares and nurtures them in Origins.”

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Spider-Man Stays Top at China Box Office as The Odyssey Storms Previews

Published

34 minutes ago

August 10, 2026

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Spider-Man: Brand New Day held its grip atop China‘s box office for a second weekend, pulling in $28.9 million (RMB 196.6 million) over the Aug. 7-9 frame for a local total of $185.4 million (RMB 1.26 billion) in 12 days.

The Sony tentpole launched in China with a massive $121.3 million five-day haul, of which $19 million came from Imax, a record for the format in the market. The film is now days away from surpassing the $199 million earned by 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, the last U.S. superhero release to clear $100 million in China.

But it was Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which doesn’t officially open in Chinese theaters until Friday, that arguably delivered the weekend’s most surprising number. Playing Saturday and Sunday only, and exclusively on Imax and CINITY screens, Universal’s adaptation of the Greek classic took $6.9 million (RMB 46.8 million) in previews — enough for fifth place and roughly 7 percent of the entire weekend’s business from a tiny sliver of the nation’s screens. Earlier four-city previews on Aug. 1-2 drew a 95.2 percent occupancy rate, which local media reports, citing Dengta, described as an all-time high for the market.

The 177-minute epic, the first feature shot entirely on Imax film cameras, has scored 8.3 on review site Douban, the summer’s highest rating for a live-action release. The Matt Damon-starring epic crossed $1 billion worldwide last week, and China now appears poised to boost its global sales significantly.

Pearl Studio’s All Wishes Come True held to second in its fourth weekend with $20.4 million (RMB 138.8 million). The animated comic fantasy from director Mu Zhengyang, which reimagines the classic folk tale of the Eight Immortals, has now earned $210.6 million (RMB 1.43 billion), China’s biggest peformance by an animated feature this year.

Third place came from previews for another yet-to-open tentpole. Once Upon a Time in the Middle East collected $15 million (RMB 101.8 million) across two days of previews ahead of its Tuesday release. Directed by Wen Muye (Dying to Survive) and produced by Ning Hao’s Dirty Monkeys Studio, the Imax-shot war comedy stars Shen Teng, one of China’s most bankable comic actors, as a Chinese cook who travels to the Middle East to work off his debts, opens a restaurant with a local partner — and then finds himself trapped when a military conflict erupts.

To Your Island opened in fourth with $7.9 million (RMB 53.6 million). The animated fantasy romance — adapted from a web novel and directed by Zhou Haoran — is the first film produced in-house by Enlight Animation, the specialty arm of Ne Zha 2 backer Enlight Pictures.

Absent from the top five for the first time since its July 11 release was Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Soccer, which stood at around $318.5 million after the weekend and remains the summer’s biggest title.

Nationwide grosses totaled $97.3 million for the weekend, down about a quarter from the previous frame. China’s 2026 box office now stands at $3.57 billion, off 31.8 percent from the same point last year — a comparison distorted by Ne Zha 2, which alone took more than $2 billion in the market in the first half of 2025. The gap has narrowed steadily since March, when the market trailed by nearly 56 percent.

The Odyssey opens wide on Friday, in a test of whether Chinese moviegoers’ renewed appetite for Hollywood extends beyond the friendly neighborhood spider.

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John Oliver Eviscerates Trump’s “Bizarro World” DOJ On ‘Last Week Tonight’

Published

41 minutes ago

August 10, 2026

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On Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, John Oliver wasted no time jumping right into his main topic: the “bizarro-world version of civil rights” that he says Donald Trump’s Department of Justice is persuing.

“In normal times, the DOJ does some incredibly important work. But sadly under Donald Trump, while political prosecutions have risen, other genuinely important one have either been messed up or just tossed aside,” said Oliver. “For all the headlines about bullsh*t cases like the reflecting pool and the ‘sandwich murderer’ [the man who famously threw a sandwich at ICE officers], the real decay at the department has unfortunately gotten much less attention. Which isn’t good, because after [Pam] Bondi took over, the agency began shutting down more than 23,000 investigations into things like terrorism, white collar crime, drugs and other offenses.”

Oliver went on to point out that the new head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon, recently said the biggest social justice issues facing Americans in 2026 are the following: “They have to lie every day about pronouns. They have to lie about the person in the cubicle next to them being qualified. They have to laugh at certain kinds of jokes [from] late-night comedians, even when they don’t agree with them.”

Oliver took particular umbrage at that last one, but called all Dhillon’s assertions “a bizarro-world version of civil rights where the only ones that matter are those of conservatives.” He cited as an example the the Civil Rights Division’s investigations into potential voting fraud. “Notably,” said the host, “their record in those cases is 21 straight losses.”