“My Wonderful Wanda” (“Wanda, mein Wunder”) is set to kick off Zurich Film Festival’s (ZFF) 16th edition, marking the first time that a female-directed film will open the fest. Bettina Oberli’s Swiss tragicomedy is making its world premiere at ZFF on September 24. A press release confirmed the news.

The film “tells the story of Polish-born Wanda (Agnieszka Grochowska), who looks after patriarch and post-stroke patient Josef at his lakeside family villa. The work is poorly paid, but Wanda needs the money to support her own family back in Poland. As a live-in caregiver, she gains an intimate view of the family’s life, so intimate in fact, that Wanda becomes pregnant,” “My Wonderful Wanda’s” synopsis hints.

“Family is a motif that I often return to in my films, and here it is again in this very human comedy: what is it about this strange microcosm that makes one feel secure or, indeed, suffocated?” Oberli explained. “I was also interested in what happens when a complete stranger, in this case the Polish caregiver Wanda, penetrates so deeply into a family structure that it leads to unavoidable intimacy. After shooting the film on the shore of Lake Zurich, I’m now delighted that ‘My Wonderful Wanda’ will have its world premiere here at the Zurich Film Festival.”

Christian Jungen, ZFF’s Artistic Director, emphasized that “My Wonderful Wanda” “captivated the entire programming team.” He added, “It’s the perfect opening film and an ideal programming choice. On the one hand, it combines the entertainment value of mainstream auteur cinema with the standards to which our gala section is committed. On the other hand, it marks a new dawn of Swiss filmmaking, one that is able to reflect who we are in an entertaining and intelligent manner.”

Oberli co-wrote the script for “My Wonderful Wanda” with German author and dramatist Cooky Ziesche.

“The Wind Turns,” “Lovely Louise,” and “The Murder Farm” are among Oberli’s other features.