Living Together Through Diversity

Switzerland, at the heart of Europe, is more than a geographical hub, it is a passage, a bridge, a home for diversity. Diversity is the foundation of human societies; it lives within cultures, ways of life, and identities. The exchange of different perspectives shapes our communities, enriches coexistence, and makes living together tangible. In a country with four national languages and a multicultural population, it is a tradition to create space for all cultures and artists and this tradition continues within OEFF.

The Orient Express Film Festival opens windows between the Orient and the Occident. Cultures encounter one another, stories intertwine, and bridges of understanding emerge. Colors, sounds, and voices ,each encounter makes the diversity of our society sensorially tangible and brings cultural participation to life.

Since 2020, OEFF has brought together people from diverse communities. Alternative, feminist, queer, antimilitarist, and ecological films addressing freedom, human rights, and social responsibility open up perspectives beyond the mainstream. Accompanying discussion formats, moderated talks, and Q&As create spaces for reflection, dialogue, and collective action.

Founded and carried by artists with transnational biographies, the festival connects global experience with local engagement. Diversity is not only represented,it is lived. In programming, in curatorial decisions, in participatory formats. Here, difference does not divide,it connects; here, a political, artistic, and cultural statement for a solidaristic way of living together takes shape.

In 2026, in Bern, Basel, and Zurich, experience cinematic diversity, cultural encounters, and socially relevant formats. The Orient Express Film Festival is not just a festival,it is a living, collective act of coexistence, a dialogue between cultures, perspectives, and people that extends beyond the cinema space.

Orient Express Film Festival – For a way of living together that connects.