Locarno’s 2026 Match Me! co-production strand is highlighting emerging producers and projects aimed at younger arthouse audiences, particularly stories about Gen Z and millennial uncertainty, identity and belonging. The selection suggests European and Latin American filmmakers are responding to a changing cinema audience as younger viewers become more central to upscale theatrical releases.

– Brazil’s Amadeu Alban presents “The Girl Who Bled Woman”, about a 13-year-old forced into marriage who hides the onset of puberty.
– Amina Sophia Nogueira is developing “The She-Devil”, set in 1990s Rio and centred on an 11-year-old girl’s fascination with an imaginary killer and her unconventional aunt.
– Chile’s Francisco Gallardo Soto brings “Falling Waves”, linking a teenager’s secret with environmental collapse in a fishing community, while Catalina Miles presents “Champ”, about an 11-year-old confronting class pressure and identity at an elite school.
– Denmark’s new Napkin Productions is introducing its first feature, the mystery drama “Glossy Pictures”.