Klaudia Reynickes Reinas (Queens), a Peruvian-set period drama about a family navigating political turmoil, has won best film at the 2025 Swiss Film Awards, presented in Geneva Friday night. The Swiss-Peruvian-Spanish coproduction premiered at Sundance last year and won best film in the Kplus Generation childrens film sidebar of the Berlinale, as well as the audience award at the Locarno Film Festival.

Set during a tumultuous summer in Lima in 1992, Reinas chronicles the unsteady reunion between a father and his two daughters. Over the course of a series of slow summer days, the family begins to grow closer even as the country begins to fall apart as inflation skyrockets. Reinas was Switzerlands official entry for the Oscars and has been an international sales success, selling to more than 10 territories via world sales outfit The Yellow Affair.

David Constantin and Dimitri Krebs shared the best actor award for their performances in the crime comedy Tschugger The Last Fall and period drama The Traitor, respectively, while Laetitia Dosch was named best actress for her role in her directorial debut Dog on Trial (Le Procs du Chien), which premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard last year. (Kodi, the films canine lead, won Cannes prestigious Palm Dog for best four-legged performance). Rachel Braunschweig won best supporting role for her performance in Maria Brendles historic legal drama Friedas Fall.

Simon Baumanns We, the Inheritors took the best documentary film honor. The doc premiered in Locarno, where it won the Grand Prix of the Semaine de la Critique sidebar. Samuel Pattheys Voiceless won for best animated film.

Ramon Zrcher picked up two awards for his family drama The Sparrow in the Chimney, which also premiered at Locarno, winning best screenplay and best sound design, sharing the latter with Peter von Siebenthal and Balthasar Jucker. Marcel Vaid was honored with best film score for Paradises of Diane,. from directors Carmen Jaquier and Jan Gassmann, which had its world premiere in Berlins Panorama section last year. Best Cinematography went to Gabriel Sandru received for Simon Jaquemets sci-fi drama Electric Child, while Kevin Schlosser took best editing for his work on Claude Baechtolds documentary Riverboom.

Swiss director Barbet Schroeder and French actress Bulle Ogier, two Nouvelle Vague legends, both received lifetime achievement awards for their impact on global cinema. Oliver Keller received a special Swiss film academy honor for his work as the stunt coordinator on Tschugger The Last Fall.

2025 Swiss Films Awards

Best Feature Film

Reinas Klaudia Reynicke (Alva Film Srl, Britta Rindelaub, Thomas Reichlin)

Best Documentary Film

We, the Inheritors Simon Baumann (Balzli Fahrer GmbH, Dieter Fahrer)

Best Short Film

Southern Brides Elena Lpez Riera (Alina Film Srl, Eugenia Mumenthaler, David Epiney)

Best Animated Film

Voiceless Samuel Patthey (DOK MOBILE SA, Mark Olexa)

Best Screenplay

The Sparrow in the Chimney Ramon Zrcher

Best Actress

Laetitia Dosch (Avril) in Dog on Trial

Best Actor

David Constantin (Bax) in Tschugger The Last Fall

Dimitri Krebs (Ernst Schrmli) in Traitor

Best Supporting Role

Rachel Braunschweig (Erna Gmr) in Friedas Case

Best Film Score

Paradises of Diane Marcel Vaid

Best Cinematography

Electric Child Gabriel Sandru

Best Film Editing

Riverboom Kevin Schlosser

Best Sound

The Sparrow in the Chimney Ramon Zrcher, Peter von Siebenthal, Balthasar Jucker

Best Graduation Film

Mom Dances Mgane Brgger (cole cantonale dart de Lausanne)

Special Academy Award

Oliver Keller, stunt coordinator for Tschugger The Last Fall

Swiss Film Honorary Award

Barbet Schroeder and Bulle Ogier, for their lifetime achievements