LATE SHIFT
Petra Volpe’s Film shortlisted for the Oscars®
17.12.2025
The film LATE SHIFT (HELDIN), directed by Petra Volpe, has been selected for the shortlist of the 98th Academy Awards® in the category International Feature Film. The shortlist was revealed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, with LATE SHIFT standing among just 15 films worldwide still in contention for an Oscar® nomination. The film celebrated its world premiere at the Berlinale earlier this year.
Produced by Zodiac Pictures, the film stars Leonie Benesch (THE TEACHER’S LOUNGE) in a powerful and immersive portrayal of Floria, a dedicated nurse navigating the relentless demands of an understaffed surgical ward. Over the course of a single night shift, professionalism, compassion, and resilience are pushed to their limits as routine work turns into a gripping race against time.
With LATE SHIFT, writer and director Petra Volpe addresses a pressing global issue: the acute shortage of qualified nursing staff. According to the World Health Organization, the world could face a shortfall of approximately 13 million nurses by 2030. Volpe’s film brings this reality into sharp focus through an intensely human and empathetic lens.
Accompanying the magnificent Leonie Benesch as Floria through her shift means experiencing firsthand the physical and emotional toll of a chronically overburdened system and the extraordinary strength required to withstand it. Gripping, humane, and with respectful lightness, LATE SHIFT pays tribute to an underappreciated profession and shows how important good care is for all of us when we are ill.
“For me, LATE SHIFT is a call to recognize, support, and stand by those extraordinary people who accompany us with compassion through the most difficult moments of life,” says Volpe.
The inclusion of LATE SHIFT on the Academy Awards® shortlist further cements the film’s status as one of the most acclaimed independent productions of the year.
The film’s outstanding craft has already been widely recognized. Director of Photography Judith Kaufmann has received both the German Camera Prize and the prestigious Camerimage Golden Frog for her work on LATE SHIFT.
Leonie Benesch has also earned a nomination for Best Actress at the European Film Awards.
LATE SHIFT has drawn more than 660,000 admissions in cinemas across German-speaking territories and has successfully been sold to 50 countries worldwide to date.
The film was produced by Reto Schaerli and Lukas Hobi from Swiss Zodiac Pictures, in coproduction with German MMC Zodiac, Swiss Radio and Television and SRG SSR. International sales are handled by TrustNordisk.
Petra Volpe’s upcoming feature FRANK & LOUIS, also produced by Zodiac Pictures in coproduction with Caspian Film, continues her exploration of caregiving in a different setting. The film will celebrate its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, as a historic first for a Swiss production in the Premieres section.
More Swiss Oscar contenders
Swiss DoP Fabian Gamper made the Oscar shortlist for Best Cinematography for his work in the German film SOUND OF FALLING by Mascha Schilinski.
The short film ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS by Franz Böhm, edited by Swiss editor Carmela Schönenberger, is on the shortlist in the Live Action Short category.
The Oscar® nominations will be announced on January 22, 2026, with the awards ceremony set to take place on March 16 in Los Angeles.
Text: Trust Nordisk, adapted by SWISS FILMS