Michael Karrer and Kim Allamand’s ‘First Days’ Debuts Trailer Ahead of Rotterdam Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)

Michael Karrer and Kim Allamand’s “First Days,” which will have its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam , has debuted its trailer (below). The film will premiere in the Harbour program of the festival. In the film, two spirits encounter each other in a limbo - a place between the earthly and the beyond. Still trapped in their human shells, they have already lost the ability to speak. After spending a few days, a wandering light leads them to the next world. The film stars Nasheeka Nedsreal and Jia-yu Corti. “First Days” is Karrer second feature and Allamand’s first feature. Karrer’s first feature, “Burning Fire,” had its world premiere at IFFR in 2023, and Allamand’s short film “Heart Fruit” was presented in Locarno and San Sebastian film festivals in 2022. Popular on Variety “First Days” is produced by Allamand, Karrer and Leon Schwitter from Zurich-based production company Sabotage Kollectiv, in association with Stéphane Plassier. The film received the support of Swiss Films. Allamand said, “Making my debut film was less about arriving at a clear vision than about learning to stay open. It was an intense journey of trial, doubt, and discovery. An adventure that taught me how much filmmaking is about listening, adapting, and trusting the process.” Karrer added, “Our film grew from a shared fascination - as co-directors - with the unexplainable, the mystical, and the ineffable. We were drawn to stories of near-death experiences, especially the recurring auditory and visual phenomena: a moving being of light, a dark tunnel leading to another realm, sounds that seem to echo from beyond our world.” Schwitter said, “The production of ‘First Days’ was a collective effort in the tradition of cinema copain - filmmaking with friends. Kim and Michael are very close friends of mine and so is most of the small 10 people crew, which we’ve spent almost two months all together in the Château des Sœurs, living, filming and dreaming. “In our collective/production company Sabotage Kollektiv, we are convinced that the creation of an enjoyable filming process where everybody feels comfortable, is something that should be just as important - if not more - as the result. This energy is also visible in the final films.”

Preview: ~370 words