North American Premiere
The latest from director Jacqueline Zünd, Heat reveals the unequal realities of a rapidly warming planet. Set in the Middle East, where extreme weather conditions already threaten human habitation, this visually striking documentary follows people from different backgrounds adapting to relentless heat. Sophy, a young Kenyan woman, works at an ice bar kept at -6°C and serves hot chocolate to rich customers who enjoy the sub-zero escapism. Carina, a real estate agent from Sharjah, loads up her car with huge blocks of ice and drives to the shore to protect wild cats from heat stroke. Francis, a delivery driver from Uganda, endures 12-hour shifts in intense heat despite the threat to his well-being.
Beyond its environmental concerns, Heat offers a poignant commentary on the lives of migrant labourers as Zünd broadens her documentary to reveal how the climate crisis intersects with labour rights, migration, and social inequality. Rather than relying on facts and figures, Zünd’s up-close, sensory filmmaking provides a necessary temperature check on the victims of global climate change.
Content Considerations: Racism
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Sophy Njeri Jagnath, Essa Ramadan, Carina Bouali, Francis N.
Switzerland
2026
In Arabic and English with English subtitles
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Credits & Director
Producer
Louis Mataré
Cinematography
Nikolai von Graevenitz
Editor
Gion-Reto Killias
Original Music
Marcel Vaid
Jacqueline Zünd
Jacqueline Zünd is a Swiss director of both documentary and fiction films whose works have been celebrated for their originality and narrative depth. She has been an active voice in documentary filmmaking, exploring contemporary society and the human interior with sensitivity, and her films have been shown at leading international festivals including the Berlinale, Cannes, and Locarno. In 2025, Zünd directed her fiction debut, Don’t Let the Sun, which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in the Concorso Cineasti del Presente competition and won the award for Best Performance, before screening at many other international film festivals.
Filmography: Almost There (2016); Where We Belong (2019); Don’t Let the Sun (2025)
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