Anna Schinz on A Happy Family: “We wanted to tell this story without judging anyone”
Swiss actress and screenwriter Anna Schinz presented A Happy Family this weekend at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where the drama directed by her partner Jan-Eric Mack had its world premiere. The first Swiss film ever selected for the festival's main competition, A Happy Family follows Niki, a single mother struggling to make ends meet in one of Europe's wealthiest countries, as she faces the risk of losing custody of her children. Combining social realism with emotional restraint, the film sheds light on working poverty in Switzerland while avoiding easy moral judgments. Anna Schinz, whose mother is Czech, spoke to Radio Prague International after the screening about the film, her writing process and her personal connection to the Czech Republic.
Being in Karlovy Vary must be quite different than any other international festival for you since you have Czech roots, don't you?
“Yes. My mother is Czech and emigrated to Switzerland.”
Do you still speak Czech?
“I understand it well and I speak a little Czech.”
Did your own background influence the way you wrote A Happy Family? The film includes Vera, a Bulgarian woman, but immigration remains a subtle theme rather than a central one.
“We decided from the beginning that Niki would simply be Swiss. It was important for us to tell this story from a Swiss perspective. But Vera offers another point of view. She becomes a kind of mirror for Niki.
Of course, my own roots influence me a great deal. I really hope that one day I'll write a film specifically about that experience.”
One review in The Hollywood Reporter described the film as choosing complexity over moralizing. Was that your intention from the outset?
“Absolutely. We wanted to tell this story from a deeply human perspective, without judging anyone. There are no clear heroes or villains, no black and white. We wanted to create space for the audience to ask questions rather than provide easy answers.”
That also applies to the foster parents, who are portrayed with nuance rather than stereotypes.
“Exactly. This is an incredibly complex subject. We did a great deal of research and met many foster families. They do an extraordinary job.
At the same time, fostering is also their profession. Both things are true. We wanted to show the full spectrum of that reality.”
The festival's artistic director, Karel Och described the film as "very honest", also revealing a side of Switzerland that many foreign audiences probably never see. Was that one of your goals?
“Yes. Switzerland has the image of being a wealthy country, and of course it is. But because it is so wealthy, there are also many people who struggle in ways that often remain invisible.
We wanted to shine a light on working poverty. There's a lot of shame surrounding that reality, and we felt it was important to start talking about it.”
The film also deals with the immense burden carried by single mothers.
“These mothers are like lions. I honestly don't have enough words to describe my admiration for them. They are heroes. Raising children alone is a task for at least two people—or for an entire village.
Giving that reality the space it deserves was one of the most important motivations behind the film.”
Working with children is often considered one of the biggest challenges on a film set. How was your experience (also knowing that one of the two main children broke his leg not so long before shooting)?
“For me, it was actually liberating. You can't plan everything with children, so you have to remain completely present and build each scene together with them. We trusted them, and they trusted us. It was a wonderful experience. Jan-Eric Mack created an atmosphere where everyone felt safe. We really became like a family.”
You began writing the screenplay about five years ago. How does it feel like to finally present it to the audience here?
“Yesterday's premiere was incredibly emotional. It's the first time I'm experiencing something like this. It's Jan-Eric Mack's feature debut, my first leading role and also my debut as a screenwriter. It was a huge moment for all of us. I'm still trying to process it.”
