A HAPPY FAMILY

A HAPPY FAMILY

Directed by

Jan-Eric Mack

Switzerland 2026 121 MIN

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A HAPPY FAMILY

Synopsis

Niki works two jobs but still struggles to earn enough money to support her two children. When an accidental fire destroys their home, her already fragile life begins to collapse and the authorities place the children with a foster family. Refusing to accept their separation, Niki changes her appearance, assumes a new identity, and secretly finds a way to remain close to them. But maintaining the deception becomes increasingly difficult, and discovery could mean losing her children permanently. Following a mother pushed to the limits by poverty and an unforgiving social system, the film explores dignity, family bonds, desperation, and the lengths to which a parent will go to remain part of her children’s lives.

Gallery

A HAPPY FAMILY
A HAPPY FAMILY
A HAPPY FAMILY

Jan-Eric Mack

Jan-Eric Mack is a Swiss director and screenwriter, born in Trüllikon in 1983. After training and working as a graphic designer, he studied film directing at the Zurich University of the Arts. His master’s film Facing Mecca (2017) won the Swiss Film Prize and a Student Academy Award and was shortlisted for the 90th Academy Awards. Mack later directed episodes of the successful Swiss series Wilder and co-directed the historical drama series Davos 1917. Happy Family is his featurefilm debut and premiered in the Crystal Globe Competition at the 2026 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where actress Anna Schinz received the Best Actress Award.

Credits

Director
Jan-Eric Mack
Screenplay
Anna Schinz, Jan-Eric Mack, Nikita Afanasjev, Eva Kienholz
Cinematography
Yunus Roy Imer
Editing
Benjamin Fueter
Music
Thomas Kuratli
Sound Design
Gina Keller
Cast
Anna Schinz, Michael Neuenschwander, Julia Jentsch, Alireza Bayram, Bettina Stucky, Martina Apostolova
Producers
Martin Joss, Peter Reichenbach (C-FILMS AG, SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen)

Screenings

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