“Failures Are More Interesting Than Success”: Reflections and Reports from the Geneva International Film Festival

by Sabrina Casale

Between October 31st and November 9th, the 31st edition of the Geneva International Film Festival was held in different locations near Plainpalais. I had the opportunity to attend several events and report on them for The Graduate Press. 

Different stories, personalities, and characters were presented, bringing up a diverse range of topics for discussion. Throughout a whole week, the attendees were leaving work or university earlier than usual to immerse themselves in stories different from their own.

The movies and shows came from all around the world: from international works such as the new Mubi film Father, Mother, Sister, Brother to Swiss productions like Betty Bossi, and many others. However, the festival was not only about new releases: some old movies, now considered essential for understanding the legacy of the authors who were hosted at the conferences, were also shown. 

On Thursday evening, the Best Shows Award was given to The Deal, a show not only shot in Geneva but also perfectly aligned with the city’s international reputation as the capital of diplomacy. That same night, the first two episodes of a new Swiss show called La Linea della Palma were screened. La Linea della Palma tells the story of a journalist, originally from Lugano but now living in Milan, who discovers the truth behind how her father, an artist, disappeared from her life thirty years earlier. The story centers on her investigation, built step by step around power dynamics and the Cosa Nostra criminal organization. A private matter for the protagonist slowly becomes part of her work as an investigative journalist, involving the police, government, and various organizations. This show was captivating and intriguing, with a dark tone that deepens as the investigation unfolds. Anna, portrayed by Gaia Messerklinger, is complex and brave, and I have to say, this show was a very pleasant surprise.

Set in a different era, the film about Betty Bossi focuses on a woman fighting against a male-dominated society and the stereotypes that characterize the women’s entertainment industry. Betty Bossi wanted to be a journalist, perhaps one like the protagonist of La Linea della Palma, but she was forced by the system to write something that aligned more with the expectations of women: recipes. The Swiss film by Pierre Monnard did not tell an unfamiliar story. As a reflective person and a feminist, I was already aware of these patterns to which women were, and still are, subjected. However, the film presents this story in an unexpected and humorous way, where Betty Bossi’s project becomes an ambition shared by her family and friends. The movie is a cheerful, lighthearted reminder that when we do something that makes us happy, it benefits not only ourselves but also those around us.

In a very different tone, Father, Mother, Sister, Brother was screened. A film full of grief, nostalgia, and families that appear close yet remain emotionally distant. Through three separate stories, it explores what happens when growing up means growing apart, losing touch with others, and ultimately, with oneself. A recurring image connects these stories: skaters moving freely through the streets, carefree and immersed in their passion. The film’s nostalgic tone feels heavy at times, leaving an unresolved feeling and a sense of suspense. Relationships between siblings are central to the story, while those with parents remain formal and unresolved.

The atmosphere at the film festival was certainly different from the one we usually experience at the Institute’s conferences on international relations. Everyone seemed to know each other, lively and engaging, asking the authors and actors questions to better understand the behind-the-scenes process. In the city that represents diplomacy more than any other in the world, attending an event unrelated to diplomacy almost felt strange. Since I arrived in Geneva, I have been focused on understanding global and geopolitical dynamics, almost forgetting what the other side looks like.

However, since every story is somehow political in a broader sense, the GIFF was too. From Betty Bossi and her struggles as a woman trying to build a career, to La Linea della Palma, where the main character must fight to uncover the truth about her father’s death against a system intent on protecting criminals, to Father, Mother, Sister, Brother, which focuses on families growing apart in a society where loneliness seems normalized, leaving little space for community and too much for individualism.

As political as the figure of Stephen Frears himself, a director hosted by the GIFF on Friday afternoon. Stephen Frears directed films such as Philomena (2013), High Fidelity (2000), The Queen (2006), and Dirty Pretty Things (2002). Between his sharp British humor and his chaotic charm, Frears answered many questions about his creative process. The moderator tried to investigate the director’s strategies, methods, and ideas, but Frears responded in what I found the most inspiring way: a natural one.

“It’s all been an accident. Hollywood movies are not accidental, but good movies have to be innocent. I’m like someone in love, I just say, ‘This is fantastic!’”

While Frears’s films seem to tell otherwise: stories about gay Pakistanis falling in love, narratives centered on Queen Elizabeth rather than the more beloved Princess Diana, and complex women always at the forefront. Everything seems to suggest there was a plan, a mission to convey a larger political message. Yet, Frears reminds us that cinema is a limbo where good directors tell stories, and those stories become the audience’s to interpret. As with every work of art, it is mostly about the public’s interpretation more than the piece itself.

“Life is a long list of rejections. Failures are more interesting than success,” Stephen Frears said, reflecting on his “wrong movies,” which he considers far more interesting than his successful ones.

I like to believe that Frears truly had no schemes, no projects. In a city where running, planning, and strategizing are considered essential, Stephen Frears and the GIFF remind us to slow down. Finding time to go to the cinema or taking time for ourselves may seem inconvenient and may mean leaving some duties behind but, like Betty Bossi, perhaps doing something we enjoy is not a waste. It is an act of self-preservation that brings more balance and joy to ourselves and to those around us.