A special, emotion-filled Ticino premiere for “Becaària”

Thursday 25 June in Prato Sornico proved to be an evening full of emotion, with a special screening of Erik Bernasconi’s film *Becaària*. It was a moment of shared celebration and gratitude dedicated to the valley’s residents, attended by over 200 people – some outdoors, some indoors – and which not even the rain could spoil.

The location chosen for the Ticino premiere of a film that has a strong and deep connection with the region is certainly no coincidence. Filming for Becaària was due to begin right here on 1 July two years ago, but on the tragic night of 29–30 June 2024, a storm lashed the Upper Vallemaggia, causing a flood, loss of lives and extensive damage.   The film crew were already in the valley. After the disaster, they decided to stay, and the local people welcomed them despite the tragedy that had just struck them so hard. The strong and lasting bond forged during those days was highlighted during the evening.

«Becaària is not just a film - said Gabriele Dazio, mayor of Lavizzara - it is also a testament to how, in the most difficult times, we can find the strength to look ahead with determination. Whilst the valley was trying to get back on its feet, whilst work was underway to restore roads, infrastructure and a degree of normality, there were also those who continued to tell stories, to create culture and, in short, to believe in the future. The film crew’s presence during those days was not an outsider element but became part of a shared journey. A small sign of hope and renewal, which has supported our community through a particularly challenging time. So this evening, we are not merely celebrating a film. We are celebrating the value of stories that bring people together, the strength of communities that know how to bounce back, and the power of culture to preserve memory whilst at the same time opening a window onto the future.»

«We are in the place where the film was born. It is the place that left a deep mark on it. And it is also the place to which the film returns today - recalled Claudio Franscella on Thursday evening, president of the Ticino Film Commission, the foundation that supported the film’s production and which, during those difficult days, did everything possible to help coordinate between the production team, the local authorities and the local community -, Becaària has also become a testament to resilience, to collective determination, and to the ability to get back on one’s feet. The film also captures something of this valley, its strength, its dignity and its ability to look to the future. Tonight, we all want to come together to celebrate a community that has been able to react, resist and start afresh, and we want to say a heartfelt thank you to all of you.»

In the film directed by Erik Bernasconi, the locations of the Upper Vallemaggia thus embody that Ticino of the 1970s in which the coming-of-age story of the young Mario unfolds, as told by the author Giorgio Genetelli in the novel Il Becaària, published by Gabriele Capelli Editore. And it was precisely these locations that, gave the film its first, warm, round applause in Ticino. The film has already won the Audience Award at the most recent Solothurn Film Festival and the FIPRESCI Prize for German-language critics at the 35th Filmkunstfest Mecklenburg–Vorpommern in Schwerin, Germany.

The free screening – preceded by a risotto dinner for those in attendance – was introduced by the director Erik Bernasconi and producers Michela Pini and Olga Lamontanara, during an evening organised by the Municipality of Lavizzara in collaboration with the Ticino Film Commission, the production companies Cinèdokkè, Cineworx Filmproductions Basel, Cineworx and RSI Radiotelevisione svizzera, with technical support from Cinetour.

Becàaria will be released in cinemas in German-speaking Switzerland on 26 August, in French-speaking Switzerland on 2 September and in Italian-speaking Switzerland on 16 September 2026.