Program

Birthmark

Storyline

It's a dance of intimacy and rejection between two brothers who are divided by many differences. The only thing they have in common is the reason they are forbidden from expressing their affection.
Gabriel is the sensual type, the kind of person who notices smells and textures that others don't. His brother Samuel is the opposite: he’s lost in a haze of late-night escapism and discomfort. But home, childhood and bloodline are not the only things they share. They are united in their struggle with shame and longing.
The two try to distance themselves from each other, but the harder they try to escape, the closer they become. When Gabriel announces his imminent move to Italy, tensions threaten to burst beneath the surface of their relationship. Their unspoken understanding not to act on their desires begins to fray.

About the film/director

Born in 1996 in Horgen, Switzerland. Studied acting at the GFCA (Giles Foreman Centre for Acting) in London, graduating in 2021. After two years at a London based production company, where she worked in script development and also took the opportunity to work as a second assistant director on a series, she worked as a location manager at the Zurich Film Festival. It was during this time that she began to build her acting career, appearing in a variety of short films and commercials. She played leading roles in short films such as CLOCKWORK ORGAN (2021) and YOU'RE A STAR, BABY (2021). BIRTHMARK (2025) is her directorial debut.

Director’s statement

I have never been able to get away with giving in to happiness. No moment of closeness didn't leave me at a distance. Paying the piper works during the date and never again afterwards. When I rid myself of all momentary sensations, loneliness remains at the core. Being self-sufficient is for those who can. I see myself as fundamentally incomplete without a partner. I am constantly in love, constantly heartbroken.

I understand unlived love. I don't understand who belongs together and when. My debut film is an exploration of this.I explore the facets of male affection and longing, embedded in the context of an impossible love. What is lost to love when touch is not possible?

I also want to create space for the visibility of male longing. I miss intimate films that have a man in love at their center.

In my understanding, Italian films are about beauty, French films are about suffering. With my film, I want to move where it hurts the most: on the high wire of euphoria above the abyss of impending suffering.

Early on in the writing process, I imagined Michelangelo Fortuzzi in the role of Gabriel. He has a unique permeability as an actor, which he knows how to contrast with emotional coldness and thus realize the ambivalence of the film on a play level.

FILMOGRAPHY:
• Birthmark (2025)