Nicolaas Schmidt’s debut feature, ‘September Afternoon’, premiered in Locarno’s Cineasti del Presente section after his earlier Locarno recognition for ‘First Time’. The dialogue-free film follows a family making what may be its final coastal visit, using wind, sand, colour and music to turn an apparently familiar beach outing into an unsettling reflection on persistence, separation and time.

Shot over only a few days, the production unexpectedly encountered strong winds that became central to the film rather than a problem to overcome. Schmidt deliberately draws on the polished visual language of 1990s advertising before distorting it through prolonged shots and disruptive weather; one seaside image lasts more than 10 minutes, while red later signals desperation after the father becomes separated from the family.