German debut filmmaker Nicolaas Schmidt discusses a feature shaped by “dead time” ahead of Locarno premiere

Nicolaas Schmidt, a German filmmaker, is set to bring his debut feature, “September Afternoon,” to the Locarno Film Festival, where the project is being positioned less around plot propulsion and more around a crafted sense of everyday time and texture. Ahead of the premiere, Schmidt described a filmmaking approach that privileges quiet stretches and conversational rhythms over conventional escalation, emphasizing that what many viewers may label as inactivity can function as meaning on screen.

In interviews tied to the festival, Schmidt argued for the creative potential of what he called “dead time,” describing it as a space that can be emotionally and formally stimulating rather than empty. The filmmaker’s comments connect to the broader idea that audience attention does not always need action, spectacle, or rapid scene changes to stay engaged, and that cinema can make room for banal detail without treating it as an obstacle.

Schmidt also discussed resisting uniformity in how stories are constructed and how scenes are expected to behave. The Hollywood Reporter’s coverage portrays his working philosophy as an effort to avoid standardized rhythms of dialogue and movement, favoring instead a film language that allows ordinary speech patterns and observational pacing to carry more of the weight.

The feature’s framing for Locarno highlights that approach through a contrast with action-driven filmmaking. According to the coverage, “September Afternoon” is presented as a debut built around the interplay between dialogue and restraint, with the film’s structure designed to foreground how people occupy space and time in ordinary circumstances.

The filmmaker’s remark included a blunt formulation about why plainness matters, with the report citing his view that “plain banality is stimulating as f***.” In the context of the interview, the comment is aimed at defending the artistic value of the everyday, including the small frictions and continuities that can be overlooked when stories are expected to follow more tightly managed patterns.

For Locarno, where new work and formal experimentation often play a central role in programming discussions, Schmidt’s positioning suggests a debut that is meant to be evaluated on its craft choices as much as on any external storyline. How audiences and critics respond to the film’s pacing and emphasis on restraint will be part of the festival conversation once “September Afternoon” screens.

Schmidt’s debut is expected to enter the festival’s public cycle through its premiere at Locarno, after which the film’s next steps, including broader distribution interest and additional festival outings, will depend on reception and sales discussions that typically follow early screenings.