The Box Office is open from 09:00 till 20:20 (closed for today).

The Sparrow in the Chimney Der Spatz im Kamin

Ramon Zürcher / Switzerland / 2024 / 117 min / German

Using the universal image of a pair of siblings in combat with each other, the film paints a haunting, fairy-tale portrait of a family and their unconventional dynamic.

cast Maren Eggert (Karen), Britta Hammelstein (Jule), Luise Heyer (Liv), Andreas Döhler (Markus), Lea Zoë Voss (Johanna), Milian Zerzawy (Jurek), Ilja Bultmann (Leon), Paula Schindler (Christina), Luana Greco (Edda)

festivals, awards Locarno 2024

IMDb

Karen and Markus live with their children in Karen's idyllic childhood home. Karen's sister Jule and her family arrive to celebrate Markus's birthday. Sombre memories of their deceased mother, the past grievances and pent-up frustration trigger Jule's urge to rebel against her sister's dominance. As the house starts filling with life, Karen tenses up. Must some past things be cancelled out and destroyed in order to create something new?

“I endeavor to portray, in a fairytale-style and a two-day condensation, the changing relations of a family, suggesting the utopian vision of a sparrow managing to escape from a chimney and flitting freely across the sky ever after. / … / I would say the film, like the previous too, is very personal, which concretely means that every character is close to me, or in a way, I understand them, even when they behave in a mean way. But the events that take place throughout the movie, or their actions, are not out of my “personal videography” – that’s all invented.” (Ramon Zürcher)

Kinodvor. Newsletter.

Join our mailing list and receive details of upcoming films and events!

What's On

Silent Friend Silent Friend

Ildikó Enyedi

Friday, 01. 05. 2026 / 16:00 / Main Hall

A mighty old tree stands in the garden of a German university. Three eras, three human lives, and three clumsy yet sincere attempts at connection: with the world, with nature, and with oneself. A film by Ildikó Enyedi (On Body and Soul).

Stealing Land Zemljo krast

Žiga Virc

Friday, 01. 05. 2026 / 19:00 / Main Hall

When a children’s game sparks political debates at the dinner table, an evening of absurd conflicts, low blows, and unexpected confrontations begins… This feature-length film is a sparkling, witty social satire in which parents fight not only for a better future for their children, but also for their own egos.

The Tale of Silyan Prikaznata za Siljan

Tamara Kotevska

Friday, 01. 05. 2026 / 19:45 / Small Hall

Inspired by ancient myths and folk tales, Tamara Kotevska’s film is a moving documentary fairy tale about a farmer and his unique bond with a white stork.