At the Berlinale between 'Gloria!', 'Reinas' and future TV series

The 74th edition of the Berlinale is just around the corner and at the German film festival, scheduled from 15 to 25 February 2024, there is also a piece of Ticino.

Part of the shooting of Gloria! (I/CH), the directorial debut of Italian singer and actress Margherita Vicario is in the running for the Golden Bear in Berlin. In addition to the Italian sets, the historic Palazzo dei Landfogti in Malvaglia also lent its interiors last June to several scenes of the period film with a musical heart set in late 18th century Venice. Some fifteen Ticino-based industry professionals took part in the five-day shoot, from the general organisation by Central Productions of Lugano, to set management, transport, and help with stage construction. The cast of the film, along with Galatea Bellugi, Carlotta Gamba, Veronica Lucchesi (singer of the duo La rappresentante di Lista), Paolo Rossi, Natalino Balasso and Stefano Belisari (better known as Elio of the group Elio e le Storie Tese), also includes Ticino actress Jasmin Mattei.

The film, which is supported by the Federal Office of Culture, was produced by the Italian Tempesta (with Rai Cinema) in co-production with the Swiss Tellfilm: two production companies that have already had the opportunity in the past to recognise the quality of Ticino in audiovisual terms and the variety of locations it has to offer, factors that once again contributed to their return to our region. 

Gloria! will have its world premiere in the international competition at the Berlinale on 21 February.

In competition in the Generation Kplus section is Reinas by Peruvian-born but Ticino-adopted director Klaudia Reynicke. A co-production between Switzerland, Peru and Spain (Alva Film, Maretazo Cine, Inicia Films), the film had its world premiere last January at the US Sundance Film Festival while in Berlin it will have its European premiere on 17 February. The Forum section will instead welcome the world premiere on 20 February of the documentary Il cassetto segreto (The Secret Drawer - I/CH), by Italian director Costanza Quatriglio, a co-production by Indyca, Istituto Luce Cinecittà, Rai Cinema, Ticino-based producer Nicola Bernasconi's Rough Cat and RSI Radiotelevisione svizzera.

Finally, the Berlinale is also one of the most important moments where professionals can find additional inspiration for their work in progress.  Among the ten promising international series projects that will participate in the Co-Pro Series 2024 within the framework of the Berlinale Co-Productions Market is also La linea della palma (The Palm Line) by Ticino director Fulvio Bernasconi (Hugofilm Features, CH), supported by the Ticino Film Commission. During Co-Pro Series, on 20 and 21 February, there will be pitches of the selected projects, meetings and networking with interested partners.