CHF 50
unlimited availability
Lemania Film
A Swiss short or feature film
Nicola Blaser
Montreux, CH
Project Overview
LEMANIA is an independent Swiss film that traces a period of imbalance, where love, self-reflection, and the fear of change collide. It explores the tension between belonging and becoming. Your support brings this emotional journey of transformation to the big screen.
0%
880 CHF
of 200.000 CHF
49
days
of 50 days left
7
Boosters
supported project
Funding goals
-
Stage 1:
35.000 CHF
2% funded
Our goal is to make a feature film.
To do that responsibly, we’ve designed the campaign so that every funding level moves the project forward.
At the this minimum funding threshold, we will produce a short-film version of the project, a complete, standalone work that serves as the foundation for the feature.
As funding increases, we expand production into the full feature-length film as originally envisioned. -
Finish Stage:
200.000 CHF
0% funded
With this we'll get to cover the production costs for the feature film and be one step closer to seeing this on the big screen.
Set against the quiet order of the Lavaux vineyards and the stillness of the lake, Lemania follows Raphaël, a man in his early thirties whose life appears settled, comfortable and even enviable. Yet beneath the postcard serenity a persistent restlessness begins to surface.
He feels trapped between the familiar comfort and an intense desire to confront his childhood past. His restlessness manifests in small acts of rebellion, and in a growing irritation with the stifling perfection and rules of his environment. His relationship with the place he calls home is complex; comforting yet suffocating, deeply rooted yet estranged.
When he finally decides to look for his birth mother in Brazil, his plan gets derailed as he falls for Léa, a former high school crush. Léa, however, is also navigating her own uncertainties and complicated family dynamics. Raphaël seeks a freedom he can't define, while Léa desires a stability she refuses to embrace.
As the initial euphoria fades, Raphaël is forced to confront the questions he has long avoided.
He feels trapped between the familiar comfort and an intense desire to confront his childhood past. His restlessness manifests in small acts of rebellion, and in a growing irritation with the stifling perfection and rules of his environment. His relationship with the place he calls home is complex; comforting yet suffocating, deeply rooted yet estranged.
When he finally decides to look for his birth mother in Brazil, his plan gets derailed as he falls for Léa, a former high school crush. Léa, however, is also navigating her own uncertainties and complicated family dynamics. Raphaël seeks a freedom he can't define, while Léa desires a stability she refuses to embrace.
As the initial euphoria fades, Raphaël is forced to confront the questions he has long avoided.
The first ideas of what would become Lemania were written down in 2019. The ideas dealt with a relationship struggle, the timing of events in life, and characters that felt adrift. It was this drift that gave rise to exploring a sense of belonging and of the places that shape us.
Lavaux, and more broadly Switzerland, is one of the landscapes that shaped me. Its vineyards, its immaculate order, its summer and winter light ; all of it has brought me comfort and clarity throughout my life. But that same comfort has often felt stale and imprisoning. Behind the postcard serenity lies a strict demand for stability, an unquestionable obedience to rules and an unspoken adherence to emotional restraint.
Lemania is not an autobiographical film, but it is a personal one. Raphaël's journey mirrors a conflict I know intimately: he lives in a place that nurtured him yet never reflected him, whilst moving through a world that appears materially complete. He longs for answers but is constantly seduced by the distractions of proximity and desire. His story is not about victimhood but about inertia, about the silent drift that happens when you postpone the confrontation with your deepest self.
In our time, we are bombarded with the ideals of achieving goals. But what is also interesting is what happens before you even decide your goals, that period of uncertainty, of indecision, of fragility, of lostness; the period where your old self starts to crumble and the new you begins to take shape.
That is Lemania.
Lavaux, and more broadly Switzerland, is one of the landscapes that shaped me. Its vineyards, its immaculate order, its summer and winter light ; all of it has brought me comfort and clarity throughout my life. But that same comfort has often felt stale and imprisoning. Behind the postcard serenity lies a strict demand for stability, an unquestionable obedience to rules and an unspoken adherence to emotional restraint.
Lemania is not an autobiographical film, but it is a personal one. Raphaël's journey mirrors a conflict I know intimately: he lives in a place that nurtured him yet never reflected him, whilst moving through a world that appears materially complete. He longs for answers but is constantly seduced by the distractions of proximity and desire. His story is not about victimhood but about inertia, about the silent drift that happens when you postpone the confrontation with your deepest self.
In our time, we are bombarded with the ideals of achieving goals. But what is also interesting is what happens before you even decide your goals, that period of uncertainty, of indecision, of fragility, of lostness; the period where your old self starts to crumble and the new you begins to take shape.
That is Lemania.
I wish I could have shot this many years ago. Yet, as I grew with this story, I realized that there were things that needed to fall in place first, both from a personal but also a social perspective. Timings have a cosmic element we can’t control, we can only try to be in tune with it.
Crowdfunding to me is about building a sense of community. Just like the characters in the film look for a sense of belonging so do I with this film. Filmmaking is always about creating a team but without a larger audience it feels insular. It’s a magical process when people come together to create something, I am merely stewarding this ship but without your contributions, comments and support, we will not get far.
Join us on this adventure!
Crowdfunding to me is about building a sense of community. Just like the characters in the film look for a sense of belonging so do I with this film. Filmmaking is always about creating a team but without a larger audience it feels insular. It’s a magical process when people come together to create something, I am merely stewarding this ship but without your contributions, comments and support, we will not get far.
Join us on this adventure!
We believe in being honest about the journey ahead. Crowdfunding is a collective leap of faith, and while our team is deeply committed and prepared, we want to acknowledge the inherent uncertainties in bringing a creative vision to life. Our primary risk is timeline-related and any force majeure events: film production is complex, and unforeseen delays in shooting, post-production can materially impact the completion process. We promise to prioritize quality and integrity over speed, and to keep you updated on the process.
Nicola Blaser
Montreux, CH
Writer/Director
Swiss - Bolivian. Originally trained as an actor at places like the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York, Nicola moved on to screenwriting and eventually directing. Directing, writing and producing his first short film BANKSTER in 2018. In 2024 he studied filmmaking under Andrey Zvyagintsev at IFA Bologna.
https://swissfilms.ch/en/movie/bankster/7f85ebdeefab4f099825e7b10ca4fb4c
CHECK OUT THE REST OF OUR TEAM ON OUR WEBSITE.
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