Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has thrown her weight behind the Zurich-premiering My Home of Wind and Sand, an important and affecting documentary following a young woman’s fight for her community’s independence.

From Austrian filmmaker Patrick Wally, who shot the feature over a 10-year period, My Home of Wind and Sand is a portrait of Sahrawi activist Najla Mohamed Lamin. She was born and raised in the refugee camps near Tindouf, Algeria, and has devoted her adult life to campaigning for Western Sahara’s liberation from Moroccan sovereignty. We follow Lamin from her studies in the U.S. to representing the Sahrawi people at the United Nations, where she argues for peaceful resistance as a generation born in exile (Spain withdrew its occupation of the region in 1975) grows older and angrier without resolution.

When armed conflict resumes after decades of ceasefire, the convictions that have shaped Najla’s public life are tested. And then, toward the end of the doc, comes a kick to the gut: The UN Security Council adopts a US-sponsored resolution describing genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the “most feasible solution” to the conflict.

Lamin and Wally, whose sweet and unlikely friendship anchors this depiction of the Sahrawi people’s fight for justice, were celebrated at the Zurich Film Festival premiere on Tuesday evening, where they urged attendees to spread the word about the issue.

And Thunberg, who in January 2025 visited the Sahrawi camps with Lamin accompanying and translating for her, spoke plainly about what must change and called out the media for its silence. “This movie is so much about betrayal,” said the young activist. “First, it is the occupation and the violence in itself that somehow becomes viewed as normal. […] It’s not attractive enough to gain any media attention or clicks, which is yet another betrayal. And then it’s the whole international community, all the international organizations that people are putting their entire trust to, but are being met with nothing but betrayal.”

She continued, asking the audience to take Lamin’s story with them: “We do not talk about Western Sahara — people don’t even know about Western Sahara, and there’s just this extreme hypocrisy that makes me so, so angry and upset. While this story is, of course, incredibly inspirational, it is about perseverance, steadfastness, and continuing the fight as a matter of duty. I am convinced that Najla [and her community] do not want thank-yous or applause, but action. It falls on every single one of us in this room, especially us privileged people who have a platform or access to resources, to actually take that moral obligation to amplify the Western Saharan struggles. […] We will spread the word, and do everything in our power to ensure global solidarity and justice. Because otherwise, we are nothing more than hypocrites ourselves.”

Lamin reflected on seeing a decade of her life up on screen and paid tribute to the thousands of people — including her late sister — who will never have their voices heard. She said at Zurich’s Kinokoni: “Standing in Europe, in Switzerland, I think it’s very easy for us to think that we are completely separate from each other as nations, as cultures, as activists, as women, as men. ‘Oh, she lives in Africa. She has nothing to do with me. I live in Switzerland. I have nothing to do with the person in Gaza or in Sudan or in Congo.’”

The campaigner added: “But when you really sit with yourself, you do a little bit of research, or just take the courage to be honest with yourself… We’re only one small planet, and we’re not separated. We’re not different. Morocco cannot do what it’s doing without the support of Europe and the U.S., and Israel cannot do what it’s doing to the Palestinian people without the support of Europe and the U.S. […] Free European citizens, you have a very, very big responsibility to look back at your privileges, to look back at your government, at your interests, and see where [you] can make a difference.”

The room erupted into raucous applause as Lamin spoke. All she is asking for, she added, is a referendum where her people can decide their own future. Wally added: “I was so astonished of her story and how she tells it, and even [at] the first meeting, everything she told me… It was eye-opening for me. She had so much knowledge, and I learned so much from her that I wouldn’t have expected. So that’s why I tried to make a film about her.”

Lightdox is handling worldwide sales on My Home of Wind and Sand, a WyFilm production. The 22nd Zurich Film Festival runs Sept. 24-Oct. 4.

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) is under a new administration.

The organization announced that Donna Gigliotti and Mike Farah have been elected as presidents, succeeding Donald De Line and Stephanie Allain, who had served as PGA presidents since 2022.

“It is an incredible honor to serve as presidents of the Producers Guild of America at such a pivotal moment for our industry,” said Donna Gigliotti and Mike Farah in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to Donald and Stephanie for their leadership and dedication to the Guild, particularly as they helped guide our members through a period of profound change. The PGA has created a community that supports one another and a Mark that validates the work of a producer at the highest level. The PGA is dedicated to embracing new opportunities for producers while maintaining a commitment to the core principles of producing: tenacity, perseverance and dedication to all aspects of the work.”

“Leading the Producers Guild has been an incredible privilege. We’re thrilled to pass the baton to Donna and Mike,” said outgoing Producers Guild presidents Donald De Line and Stephanie Allain as part of the announcement. “They share a genuine commitment to supporting producers and the work they do every day. At a moment of profound change across our industry, the Guild will benefit enormously from their distinct perspectives, deep experience and shared sense of purpose. We’re excited to see what they will build together and for the next chapter of the PGA under their leadership.”

Gigliotti is an Academy Award-winning producer who became the third woman in history to win the Oscar for Best Picture for producing “Shakespeare in Love.” She has since received three additional Best Picture nominations for “Hidden Figures,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” and “The Reader.”

Gigliotti earned an Emmy nomination in 2019 for producing the Academy Awards telecast for ABC and received a second nomination in 2023 for producing the documentary “Wuhan Wuhan.” She also served a full six-year term on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where she held leadership roles including governance chair and finance chair.

Farah is a three-time Emmy Award-winning producer of projects like “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” and “Between Two Ferns.” One of his earliest jobs in entertainment was as Allain’s assistant. He was later recruited by her to join the Guild as he rose through the ranks. He joined Funny or Die as its first producer in 2008 and went on to serve in several leadership roles, eventually becoming CEO.

His early work was borne at the advent and rise of short-form, digital and streaming content with more than 240 credits that also include “Billy on the Street” and “American Vandal.” Farah recently began a new chapter as an independent producer following his nearly two-decade tenure at Funny or Die.

The American Film Institute’s annual AFI Fest in Hollywood has revealed its 2026 lineup, with 157 films from 50 countries. Ten of these films (and counting) are Best International Feature Oscar submissions. Tickets go on sale October 3 ahead of the festival running October 21-25. Highlights below, with the full lineup on AFI’s website here.

Highlights include IndieWire favorite and Venice Silver Lion winner “Possible Love,” directed by Lee Chang-dong; Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Cannes prize-winning “All of a Sudden,” starring Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto; Werner Herzog’s wily fantasy comedy “Bucking Fastard,” starring Kate Mara and Rooney Mara; Andrew Haigh’s “A Long Winter,” starring Fred Hechinger, Kit Connor, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Caitríona Balfe; Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert’s “The Idiot(s)” starring Johnny Flynn and Aimee Lou Wood; Mike Leigh’s San Sebastián Golden Shell winner “Tender Loving Care”; and the North American Premieres of Asghar Farhadi’s “Parallel Tales,” starring Isabelle Huppert, Vincent Cassel and Virginie Efira; and Céline Sciamma’s “Tutti Frutti,” which premiered earlier this year at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Additional highlights include İlker Çatak’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner “Yellow Letters”; Markus Schleinzer’s “Rose,” starring Sandra Hüller, winner of the Berlinale Silver Bear for best lead performance; Sandra Wollner’s “Everytime,” winner of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard top prize; Marine Atlan’s Cannes’ Critics’ Week Grand Prize winner “La Gradiva”; Louis Clichy’s “Iron Boy,” winner of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize; Stephanie Ahn’s “Bedford Park,” winner of the Sundance U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Debut Feature; and Lance Hammer’s “Queen at Sea” starring Juliette Binoche with Tom Courtenay and Anna Calder-Marshall, who also won at the Berlinale.

Other filmmakers bringing new work to the festival include: Ali Asgari (“A Bit of Light”), Clio Barnard (“I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning”), Anna Biller (“The Face of Horror”), Anthony Chen (“We Are All Strangers”), Quentin Dupieux (“Full Phil”), Fernando Eimbcke (“Flies”), Radu Jude (“Diary of a Chambermaid”), Barbara Kopple (“Union Town”), Marie Kreutzer (“Gentle Monster”), Hong Sang-soo (“The Day She Returns” and “Nowhere to Lay My Eyes”), and Rodrigo Sorogoyen (“The Beloved”).

Documentary picks include Pegah Ahangarani’s “Rehearsals for a Revolution,” winner of Cannes’ L’Œil d’Or Prize; Joss Crowley’s Toronto-premiered “Pretenders”; Ahmed Hassouna’s Venice-debuted “Citizen Osama”; Rachel Mason’s “My Brother’s Killer”; Ayden Mayeri’s SXSW Grand Jury award-winning “Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story”; plus Sundance award winners “One in a Million” (Jack MacInnes and Itab Azzam), “Nuisance Bear” (Jack Weisman and Gabriela Osio Vanden), and “Soul Patrol” (J.M. Harper).

“Our 40th edition of AFI FEST celebrates the cinematic artistry of bold, inspiring filmmakers from around the world,” said Todd Hitchcock, director of AFI FEST and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center. “With more than 80 features and nearly 70 shorts, AFI FEST 2026 will once again light up the screen of the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre with a wide-ranging slate of films that includes highly anticipated awards favorites and a few surprises as well.”

“We’re thrilled to share some of the year’s most compelling films with the film lovers of Los Angeles at the 40th edition of AFI FEST — from red carpet premieres and major works by established auteurs to exciting debuts from emerging talents, this year’s lineup invites audiences to spend five days experiencing worlds beyond their own and making the connections that great art can spark,” said Abbie Algar, director of programming, AFI FEST and AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.

As previously announced, the 40th edition of the festival will open with the U.S. premiere of “Wildwood” and close with “Being Heumann.” Additional gala films include “The Mosquito Bowl,” “I Play Rocky,” and “Ray Gunn.” Special Screenings include “14th,” “Ashes,” “Behemoth!,” “Bitter Christmas,” “Bunker,” “Clarissa,” “Elsinore,” “Josephine,” “The Man I Love,” “Mouse,” “Tangles,” and “Wild Horse Nine.”

This year’s guest artistic directors are Phil Lord and Chris Miller, hosting a Q&A with the directors followed by a screening of “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) as well as screenings of “Harold and Maude” (1971), “The Muppet Movie” (1979), and “Rififi” (1955).

Individual tickets will be available for purchase on October 3. See the full lineup on AFI Fest’s website.