Meet Nicolaas Schmidt, the German Filmmaker Who Thinks “Plain Banality Is Stimulating as F***”

When the Locarno Film Festival unveiled the program for its 79th edition, it promised an “adventurous” lineup. “If you don’t know anything about what’s to come, you are probably at risk of leaving the room,” Locarno’s artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro tells THR. Asked about the inspiration for his films, Schmidt tells THR: “It’s all based on ​experiences, ​observations or interpretations of observations.” ‘September Afternoon,’ courtesy of Locarno Film Festival Courtesy of Locarno Film FestivalThe process of filming September Afternoon came with some surprises. “I find these in the very long development processes,” he tells THR.