September Afternoon
Asian Premiere
Nicolaas Schmidt Germany 2026 70 min PG13 (Some Mature Content)
As summertime ends, a couple, their young child and an acquaintance visit the beach, but are beset by strong winds and a slowly encroaching calamity. This strange film uses colour, mise-en-scène and sound design to suggest another way of experiencing the emptiness and dread of time.
As summer comes to a close, a couple and their young child prepare to visit the beach. Accompanied by their acquaintance, they make their way to the seaside. However, powerful winds stymie their attempts to walk, play and rest, as hints of a cataclysm gradually materialise. Bracketed by a 1985 ice-cream commercial and a key moment from a 1968 Philippe Garrel film, September Afternoon languorously unfolds, punctuated by uncanny mise-en-scène.
As time ticks on, seemingly banal gestures of leisure and enjoyment seem to take on altered significance. Interminable strains of pop music, combined with the diegetic roar of wind and waves, take the place of dialogue. Schmidt uses colour, composition, editing and sound design in this unforgettable film to convey a feeling of disassociation, as if we are suspended in the moment of a great, nameless transition.
Synopsis Writer: Sam I-shan
23 Oct, Fri 9:00PM / 70 min
Oldham Theatre
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September Afternoon
Nicolaas Schmidt
Germany
2026
No Dialogue
—
70 min
PG13 (Some Mature Content)
Asian Premiere
Nicolaas Schmidt
Nicolaas Schmidt is a filmmaker, video and conceptual artist whose short films have earned international recognition, including a Special Jury Award at the Berlinale for Final Stage (2017), a Special Mention at Locarno for First Time: The Time for All but Sunset – Violet (2021), and a Special Mention at Oberhausen for Like Horses Standing in the Rain (2024). September Afternoon, his first feature, premiered at Locarno.
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