Arthouse movies are increasingly made for younger audiences who are replacing ageing stay-at-home baby boomers at Europe’s upscale cinema theaters. That impact is now working its way through new arthouse projects, seen at Locarno’s 2026 Match Me!, its vibrant co-production meet this year welcoming projects from Europe and Latin America, where a younger generation move center stage or featue at least as co-protagonists.
Later this Festival, a comment on market trends. For the moment, a close look at the producers attending Match Me! and a top project they are brining to market:
BrazilAmadeu Alban, MoviocaBehind “Drag Me as a Queen” (NBCUniversal/E!), the first Brazilian reality show exported globally with formats in the Netherlands and Germany, Alban notes, and doc feature “Anatomy of Chaos,” a current Brazilian box office hit.
At Match Me! with “The Girl Who Bled Woman” where Dinha, 13, is forced to marry her older sister’s widower, the marriage only being consummated after her first menstruation. Dinha battles to hide her body changes. A coming-of-age drama/survival thriller.
Amina Sophia Nogueira, Capivara MoviesWith a 20-year career, taking in a decade as Globo’s talent manager, now developing her first features at Capicara, founded 2024, including “The She-Devil.” Set in working-class Rio de Janeiro during the booming ‘90s, Araí, 11, develops an obsession with an imaginary killer who attacks girls in their neighborhood, while adoring Iara, an aunt who offers guidance and inspiration through her transgressive way of living. Emerging voices Clara Ferrer and Tainá Bevilacqua direct.
