A HAPPY FAMILY

Directed by

Jan-Eric Mack

Switzerland 2026

Synopsis

Niki has two jobs, two children and barely enough money to get by. When a fire turns her life upside down, her children are placed with a foster family on the other side of the country. Forbidden from contacting them, Niki assumes a new identity and sets out to find her children, risking everything to remain close to them.

Gallery

Jan-Eric Mack

Jan-Eric Mack was born in 1983 in Trüllikon, Switzerland. After training as a graphic designer, he studied film directing at the Zurich University of the Arts, where he directed several award-winning short films. His graduation film Facing Mecca received more than 25 awards, including the Swiss Film Award and a Student Academy Award, and was shortlisted for the 90th Academy Awards. Mack went on to direct the third season of the Swiss television drama series Wilder and co-direct the international historical series Davos 1917, which premiered at the Zurich Film Festival in 2023. A Happy Family is his first feature film and premiered in the Crystal Globe Competition at the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Mack is a member of the Swiss Film Academy and the European Film Academy.

Credits

Director: Jan-Eric Mack
Screenplay: Anna Schinz, Jan-Eric Mack, Nikita Afanasjev, Eva Kienholz
Cinematography: Yunus Roy Imer
Music: Thomas Kuratli
Cast: Anna Schinz, Michael Neuenschwander, Julia Jentsch, Alireza Bayram, Bettina Stucky, Martina Apostolova
Producers: Martin Joss, Peter Reichenbach