Tschäggättä (2025)

In winter, the Lötschental seems as though it has taken on a second skin. Fur, heavy footsteps, cowbells. And right at the heart of it all, the Tschäggättä.

The film doesn’t explain the tradition. It simply lets it unfold. I’m interested in why something so raw and untamed still possesses such power today. Especially in a valley that is no longer defined solely by its remoteness, but by tourists, smartphones and cameras.

After the rockslide in Blatten, the film took on a new sense of urgency. Suddenly, it was no longer just about observing, but also about capturing the moment. What happens to traditions when the landscape and everyday life change simultaneously, and when the climate crisis becomes palpable?

Director, cinematography, editing: Raphael Stäger
Music: Landolin Wirz
Cast: Enea Rieder, Manuel Blötzer, Peter Meyer
Set assistants: Barnabé Waeber, Elisabet Mihai, Arno Thöni
Colour grading: Joel Habermacher
Sound mixing: Jonas Roulet

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