Milagros Mumenthaler Unveils Her Next Film at ECAM Forum’s ‘The Currents’

When Milagros Mumenthaler stepped onto the modest stage at ECAM’s Forum "The Currents," the room was already buzzing with curiosity. The Swiss‑born filmmaker, best known for the hauntingly intimate drama Zeichnen, had been quietly polishing a new script for months, and today she finally let the audience in on the story that’s been keeping her awake.

"It’s a story about a woman who returns to the place where her parents first met, but the place itself has become a maze of memories that no longer line up," Mumenthaler began, her voice low but earnest. She spoke of a protagonist named Ana, a first‑generation immigrant who, after years abroad, travels back to a small border town in South America to uncover the truth about her family’s disappearance. "The film is a kind of emotional cartography—mapping how personal history shifts when geography changes," she added, smiling at the irony of the metaphor.

The project, tentatively titled Currents, is still in pre‑production, but the director has already secured a handful of key collaborators. She revealed that cinematographer Carlos Vega, whose work on Alma de Piedra earned a Cannes nod, will handle the visual language, while composer Sofia Gutiérrez is set to craft a score that weaves traditional folk motifs with subtle electronic textures.

Financing, however, remains the stubborn knot at the center of the conversation. "Independent cinema is still a tight‑rope walk," Mumenthaler confessed, pausing as if to choose her words carefully. She described a patchwork of grants from the Swiss Film Foundation, a co‑production treaty with Argentina, and a modest Kickstarter campaign that has already drawn over 3,000 backers. "It’s a bit like trying to juggle fireflies—each little bit of money shines, but you have to keep moving them around so none fall out of reach," she laughed, a moment of levity amidst the seriousness.

What struck many in the audience was her candid take on the festival circuit. "I don’t want the film to be another ‘festival trophy’ piece. I want it to sit with audiences, linger, maybe even make them uncomfortable," she said. Still, she acknowledged the practical reality that a solid festival debut can open doors. "Sundance, Rotterdam, Berlin – they’re still the dream entry points. If we get a good slot, the rest of the journey becomes a lot smoother," she noted.

When asked about the thematic heart of Currents, Mumenthaler leaned into personal experience. She recalled her own family's migration from Chile to Switzerland during the Pinochet era, the lingering echo of lost languages and displaced childhoods. "There’s a quiet grief in that, but also a fierce curiosity. I want the film to ask: how do we carry our past forward without being crushed by it?"

Her remarks resonated with other panelists, who praised the director’s willingness to expose the messy, often frustrating side of making art today. ECAM’s program director, Luis Ortega, summed it up: "Milagros reminds us that the currents we navigate aren’t just cinematic—they’re personal, political, and very, very human."

As the session wrapped, Mumenthaler left the stage with a simple promise: "I’ll keep writing, keep shooting, keep looking for those moments where a single frame can hold a whole lifetime of feeling." The audience responded with a warm, lingering applause, perhaps knowing that somewhere, another cinematic current is already beginning to flow.