September Afternoon gets Kino Rebelde sales deal before Locarno premiere
Kino Rebelde will handle international sales for Nicolaas Schmidt’s September Afternoon as it heads to Locarno’s Cineasti del Presente.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Kino Rebelde has taken international sales rights to September Afternoon, the Nicolaas Schmidt film set for a world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival, Variety reported.
The film will screen in Locarno’s Cineasti del Presente competition, a section devoted to contemporary filmmaking voices. It is written and directed by Schmidt and produced by Amerikafilm, with backing from MOIN Filmförderung and FFA.
What is September Afternoon about?
September Afternoon centers on a couple who will not let summer go. According to the film’s description reported by Variety, they travel to the coast for what is meant to be one final stretch of time together, spending two afternoons near the dunes and sea.
The trip does not offer the easy warmth they seem to be chasing. The weather has already turned cold, autumn wind has replaced the summer sun, and the pair run into a woman they barely know on the way to the beach.
Once there, their small attempts to hold back the season become physical: they search for a dune to block the wind, build a small dam against the tide and try to put up a windbreak. The film’s description says those efforts are only a pause before the situation gives way to a disaster of another scale.
The film is being presented as a quiet reflection on intimacy, resignation and the desire for human connection, Variety reported.
Why did Kino Rebelde board the film?
María Vera, head of Kino Rebelde, praised Schmidt’s approach in remarks reported by Variety, saying she was drawn to the film’s freedom at a time when viewing habits are shaped by very short-form video. She described the work as simple, critical, gently funny and sensitive.
Amerikafilm producer Maxi Haslberger also highlighted Schmidt’s style, pointing to his use of long takes and loops. Haslberger said the team was looking forward to presenting what he called a “cinema of doze” experience, where attention is allowed to drift and other kinds of perception can emerge.
Schmidt is not new to Locarno. His mid-length film First Time [The Time for All but Sunset – Violet] premiered there in 2021 and received a Pardi di Domani Special Mention, according to Variety.
His earlier work has also traveled widely on the festival circuit. Final Stage [The Time for All but Sunset – Bgyor] won a Special Jury Award at the 67th Berlinale in 2017, along with the German Film Academy’s First Steps Award and the German Film Critics Award for best short film.
Variety reported that Inflorescence premiered in Berlinale Shorts in 2020 and was selected for Vienna Shorts. First Time later received a Special Mention at Locarno, won the Special Award of the German Short Film Award and took best film honors at Festival dei Popoli in Florence, Black Canvas Film Festival in Mexico City, Athens International Film and Video Festival and Sicilia Queer.
Schmidt’s Like Horses Standing in the Rain premiered at the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen in 2024, where it received a Special Mention. Variety also reported that he is due to shoot the feature Something New Has Begun with Anne Döring early next year.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.