Directed with the students of the Master cinema ECAL x HEAD, Backstage Romeo and Juliet is an immersion in the backstage of a ballet at the Grand Theater of Geneva during a performance.
Documentary
Synopsis
The show behind the show: Backstage Romeo and Juliet is an immersion in the backstage of a ballet at the Grand Theater of Geneva for the duration of a performance. A space where dancers, technicians and musicians evolve, where the extreme tension of the performance and the relaxed expectation, the physical excellence and the daily work are mixed.
The interest is not to film the artistic process and the elaboration of a show, but rather the functioning of the "machinery" behind the stage, before, during and after the performance. To capture the gestures and actions of the actors, dancers and technicians, make-up artists, props makers, set designers, lighting directors... everything that is organized around the stage. The interest of the proposed exercise is to capture the interactions between people, the expectation, the tension, the signs of coordination.
BA FILM STUDIES
with Verena Paravel
The 2026 documentary film workshop for 2nd year students was lead by french director and visual anthropologist Verena Paravel.
BA FILM STUDIES
with Marie-Eve Hildbrand
The 2026 documentary film workshop for 1st year students was lead by swiss director Marie-Eve Hildbrand.
BA GRAPHIC DESIGN
by Lidia Molina González
It all started with taking a break. A pause. A moment alone in a shared space: quiet, ordinary, a little strange. Toilets might not be the first place you’d look for big ideas, but that’s why we chose them. Toilet Break uses this overlooked space to explore how we live together, take space, and connect. This first issue is about in-betweens: between public and private, inside and outside. It gathers voices from Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, across generations and practices. A place where ideas circulate freely, where serious things can be said with a wink. A collective and personal space to test new editorial forms, listen more carefully, and believe in detours as a way forward. To take, quite literally, a moment to reflect and sit with things.
BA PHOTOGRAPHY
with Rineke Dijkstra
What is good portrait? What technique do you choose? What kind of light do you use? Daylight or flash? What location or backdrop do you choose for? How do you choose your subject? How do you approach someone you don’t know? In this workshop, the students have explored what makes a good portrait and which tools you can use to create one.
BA PHOTOGRAPHY
with Natacha Lesueur
“What is clearly conceived can be clearly expressed, and the words to say it come easily.” Nicholas Boileau, *L’art poétique*. As students embark on their final year of study at ECAL, with their interests and methods taking shape, this final project offers an opportunity to challenge their own rules, established practices and influences, to refuse to settle for the status quo and to take risks.