The Open Air Cinema in Morcote is preparing to close out the month of August with an event that combines cinema, live music, linguistic tradition, and solidarity. From August 28th to 31st, the Garavello Space 7, on the seventh floor of the Municipal Parking Garage, will host the key event of the summer festival Summer in MorcoteA unique opportunity to attend captivating screenings, some of which are unprecedented, accompanied by musical and charitable events that strengthen the bond between culture and community.
The program offers three open-air cinema evenings – all free – starring legendary names of the big screen: Alfred Hitchcock, Julia Roberts e Richard Gere, together with Ticino interpreters such as Your Milan, Flavio Sala, Simona Bernasconi and Enrico Beruschi, who lend their voices to a unique experiment: the complete dubbing in the Ticino dialect.
Silent cinema and concert cinema
We start on Thursday 28th August with The Lodger – The Lodger (1927), Alfred Hitchcock's first masterpiece, screened a century after its making. The film will feature live performances by the Quinn brothers, who will recreate the atmosphere of early movie theaters with original music composed by Simon Quinn.
The Ticino dialect on the big screen
Friday 29th August is the turn of The schwarzen Brüder – Spazzacamit, a film directed by Xavier Koller and based on the novel of the same name by Lisa Tetzner. The film tells the story of the young chimney sweeps from Ticino who were sold to Milan in the 19th century, a theme that strikes a deep chord in collective memory. The work is presented in a version dubbed entirely in Ticinese under the direction of Yor Milano, with contributions from actors and actresses from Italian-speaking Switzerland.
On Saturday, August 30th, audiences will be treated to a Hollywood cult classic with a local twist: Julia Roberts and Richard Gere will be brought to life in Ticino dialect thanks to the voices of Simona Bernasconi and Flavio Sala, joined by a cast of Ticino and Lombard actors. This choice brings an iconic film into the everyday language of the region, with an effect that is both surprising and familiar.
A rooftop bar between solidarity and music
Every evening, starting at 19.00:XNUMX PM, the cinema will be preceded by the opening of the panoramic rooftop bar, overlooking the lake and Monte San Giorgio. The initiative is not just for socializing: all proceeds will be donated to Move for Charity, an association founded in Morcote that has supported social and environmental projects around the world since 2018. In 2025, the funds raised will be donated to both international initiatives—such as the "Il ritorno del Bosco" reforestation project in Peru—and to Ticino organizations supporting children with disabilities.
The aperitif will be made even more special by live music: on Thursday the 28th with the Quinn brothers, and on Friday the 29th and Saturday the 30th with pianist Renato Falerni.
Not just the seventh art: Open Air Cinema in Morcote is also about sport and culture
The Morcote weekend doesn't stop at the seventh art. On Saturday, August 30th, at the Console Isella area, the Memorial Ciacio Poma, a five-a-side football tournament with music and an evening DJ set. On Sunday, August 5st, the Scherrer Park will host the finissage of the exhibition dedicated to Nag Arnoldi, with a cello and handpan concert performed by Irina Solinas and readings by Cristina Zamboni, for an afternoon dedicated to art and cultural memory.
Information
The Open Air Cinema events in Morcote are free, with screenings starting at 20.30:XNUMX PM. In case of inclement weather, screenings will be held in the Sergio Maspoli Hall in the Town Hall. Full details and the updated program of the festival are available here. Summer in Morcote they are available on the official website www.visitmorcote.ch.
Combining cinema, music, dialect, and solidarity, the Open Air Cinema in Morcote proves to be an event capable of transforming the village on Lake Ceresio into an open-air cultural laboratory, where the big screen meets the local dialect and the strength of the community.
