DER RUNDE TISCH
The Round Table
Switzerland | 2026 | 40’ | documentary
Production: LOMOTION
The fate of a small village is turned upside down the day a shelter for asylum seekers opens its doors. This medium-length documentary follows the long-term establishment of the center and the roundtable discussions dedicated to it.
Co-Direction: Juliette Menthonnex and Benjamin Bucher Cinematography: Benjamin Bucher Sound: Juliette Menthonnex, Florian Geisseler Editing: Selin Dettwiler Production: Louis Mataré Sound Editing: Massimo Del Gaudio Mix: Vuk Vukmanović Colorgrading: David Röthlisberger Music: Alexeï Aigui Graphic design: Jacopo Atzori
with the support of SRF, SRG SSR, Berner Stiftung, Federal office of culture (OFC), Cinéforom, Loterie Romande, Zentralschweizer Stiftung, Fondation Engelberts, Swissfilms
Festivals and Awards:
“Tonight, we talk about people.” At the beginning of Juliette Menthonnex and Benjamin Bucher’s The Round Table (all films 2026 unless otherwise noted), the citizens of Wolfisberg are attending a meeting regarding a soon-to-be-opened house for migrants. The northern Swiss town’s population, as of the 2020 census, is 187, nearly every one of whom appears to be in attendance, and the windows are open for spillover attendees who remain even after it starts raining. The invitation to remember that migrants are fellow humans is offered as an opening thought and is the kind of eminently noncontroversial bromide that—as with “humans are complicated” or “the truth is more complex than good or evil”—can be accepted by anyone besides the unmitigatedly fascist, racist, or infantile; it’s basically a way to announce you possess the baseline capacities of a human being. (...)”
Vadim Rizov
“ In a black-and-white style that carefully avoids any sense of moral simplicity, Der Runde Tisch chronicles the changes stirring a small town. Following a decision by the Canton of Bern, one hundred and twenty exiles move in, doubling the village’s population overnight. The residents’ fears are many and profound. The two filmmakers have observed this social transformation over the long term from the antechamber of the community hall, where informational and follow-up meetings on the integration policy for new residents take place. There, voices are collected, listened to and really heard. The school and residence staff share their observations of the changes over the weeks, gradually outlining the birth of a unique form of coexistence. By keeping their focus on this particular experience, the filmmakers touch on the broader question of communal life.”
Raphaëlle Pireyre (Visions du réel)