Swiss director Jan-Erik Mack joins Stream Close Up to discuss his new feature film A Happy Family, which premieres at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival as part of the Crystal Globe competition.
The film follows Niki, a single mother working two jobs while trying to keep her family afloat. After an accident brings her into conflict with the authorities, her life begins to spiral as she fights to remain close to her children. Mack describes the film as a story about Switzerland’s working poor, a reality that became more visible during the pandemic when food queues appeared in a country often associated with wealth and stability.
In this conversation, Mack reflects on his path from graphic design to filmmaking, his time at the University of the Arts in Zurich. We also discuss his acclaimed short film Facing Mecca, which won numerous awards and was shortlisted for an Oscar. Mack explains how that success opened the door to television work, including his first series as a co-director and later work on Wilder.
The conversation also explores Mack’s continuing creative partnership with Anna Schinz. She co-wrote Facing Mecca, appeared in Davos 1917, and now co-writes and stars in A Happy Family. Together, Mack and Schinz use an intimate family story to explore poverty, bureaucracy, parenthood, and the limits of institutional care.
We also get into visual storytelling, working with children, the contrast between urban Zurich and the Swiss countryside, and how A Happy Family balances political reality with empathy for everyone caught inside the system.
Trailer: A Happy Family
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