SWISS
FILMS
2017 in Locarno
VISIT US at : Palazzo Sopracenerina Piazza Grande SWISS FILMS Corner August 3 – 7
SWISS FILMS Neugasse 6, 8005 Zurich www.swissfilms.ch Published in July 2017
Swiss films at The Locarno Festival 2017
10 PardI di domani: Concorso Nazionale
� Piazza Grande 4 Concorso internazionale
16 RENDEZ-VOUS DU CINEMA SUISSE
5 Concorso Cineasti del presente
17 Panorama Suisse
6 Fuori concorso
22 Coming Soon
8 Semaine de la critique
32 In Production
SWISS FILMS TEAM
Catherine Ann Berger Managing Director caberger@swissfilms.ch T +41 76 368 02 65
Selina Willemse Head of Festivals & Markets swillemse@swissfilms.ch T +41 79 286 51 88
Sylvain Vaucher Consultant Short Films svaucher@swissfilms.ch T +41 79 542 83 80
AIDA SULJICIC Head of Programmes & Consultant Documentaries asuljicic@swissfilms.ch T +41 77 431 87 79
Marcel Müller Film Consultant, VOD, Programmes mmueller@swissfilms.ch T +41 79 787 93 88
Piazza Grande
Gotthard – One Life One Soul by Kevin Merz 2
In the early 1990s, two young rockers – Steve Lee and Leo Leoni – founded one of the most successful Swiss bands of all time: Gotthard. Twenty-five years later, Leo, Hena, Marc and Freddy, together with Nic, the new singer, still play gigs all over the world with the same passion. Between concerts, recording studios and with the help of very rich archives, they tell us their turbulent story.
Documentary
World rights: Amka Films Productions SA, Savosa T +41 91 967 40 76 amka@amka.ch World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
Switzerland Documentary, 95 min., 2017 Original languages: Swiss-German, German, English, Italian Production: Amka Films Productions SA, Savosa / Bunkerville Sagl, Lugano / RSI
KevIn merz * 1978 in Zurich, Switzerland. Kevin Merz studied film at the Los Angeles Film School and is especially known for his award-winning documentaries GLORIOUS EXIT (2008) and AN AFRICAN ELECTION (2010), which premiered at IDFA and screened at Sundance Film Festival, Visions du Réel and Locarno Festival among others.
Piazza Grande
The Song of Scorpions by Anup Singh
Switzerland / France Fiction, 119 min., 2017 Original language: Hindi Production: Feather Light Films, Geneva / KNM, Monaco / Ciné Sud Promotion, Paris / Aurora Media, Singapore / M!Capital, Singapore Cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Irrfan Khan, Waheeda Rehman, Sara Arjun, Shashank Arora, Kritika Pande
World Rights: Feather Light Films, Geneva T +41 79 218 97 35 www.featherlightfilms.com World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017 International press: Diana Bolzonello Garnier T +41 79 203 80 17 dianabg@vtx.ch MORE INFORMATION: thesongofscorpionsfilm.com
Fiction
Anup Singh * 1961 in Tanzania. Anup Singh graduated from the Film & TV Institute of Pune, India. He is a British citizen and resides in Switzerland since more than 16 years. Anup’s first feature- length film EKTL NADL NAAM (2001) was invited to more than 30 festivals and awarded Best Debut Film in India. Anup’s second feature QISSA had its World Première at TIFF 2013, and was the Hubert Bals opening film at IFF Rotterdam 2014. The film received more than fifteen awards to date.
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A story of twisted love, revenge and the redemptive power of a song. Nooran, carefree and defiantly independent, is a tribal woman learning the ancient art of healing from her grandmother, a revered scorpion-singer. When Aadam, a camel trader in the Rajasthan desert, hears her sing, he falls desperately in love. But even before they can get to know each other better, Nooran is poisoned by a treachery that sets her on a perilous journey to avenge herself and find her song.
Concorso internazionale
Goliath by Dominik Locher 4
When Jessy tells David she’s pregnant, he breaks out in panic. A few days later the two are assaulted in the city train, and when David realises he is unable to protect his girlfriend, his fears of inadequacy as a man take hold. Frantic, he resorts to steroids and begins with excessive gym workouts. Initially, the muscles give him selfconfidence. Within a short time, however, David develops erratic behaviour and becomes a threat to Jessy and the unborn child.
Fiction
World Sales: WIDE, Paris T +33 1 53 95 04 64 www.widemanagement.com World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
Switzerland Fiction, 85 min., 2017 Original languages: German, Swiss-German Production: CognitoFilms, Zurich / Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK / SRF / SRG SSR Cast: Sven Schelker, Jasna Fritzi Bauer, José Barros, Michael Neuenschwander
Dominik Locher * 1982 in Aarau. Dominik Locher studied theatre at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and film at the renowned American Film Institute in Los Angeles. His award-winning first feature TEMPO GIRL (2013) premiered at the Hofer Filmtage and was screened in competition at numerous international festivals.
Concorso Cineasti del presente
E Fir ur
Those Who Are Fine
Feat st
Dene wos guet geit
F re ir
Featu st
by Cyril Schäublin
Switzerland Fiction, 71 min., 2017 Original languages: Swiss-German Production: Seeland Filmproduktion GmbH, Zurich / Amon Films, Zurich
World Rights: Seeland Filmproduktion GmbH, Zurich T +41 76 503 55 61 www.seelandfilm.ch World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
Fiction
Cyril Schäublin * 1984 in Zurich. Cyril Schäublin studied filmmaking at the DFFB in Berlin as well as in Beijing and Paris. He is known for his short films LENNY (2009) and STAMPEDE (2012). His work was shown at festivals such as New Directors / New Films at MoMA in New York or Rencontres Internationales Paris /Berlin /Madrid. Schäublin participated in Berlinale Talent Campus 2010, Next Generation Festival de Cannes 2012 and in the Filmmakers Academy in Locarno 2013.
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Alice works in a call center in the outskirts of Zurich, selling internet subscriptions and insurance deals to strangers on the other end of the line. After work she walks through the city, which seems to function without any friction. Inspired by her job, she calls lonely grandmothers and pretends to be their granddaughter in urgent need of money. With this trick, she quickly makes a fortune.
CHoisir à vingt ans by Villi Hermann
Switzerland / Algeria Documentary, 100 min., 2017 Original languages: French, Arabic, English, Norwegian Production: Imago Film, Lugano / RSI / RTS / Cirta Films, Constantine World Rights: Imago Film, Lugano T +41 91 922 68 31 www.imagofilm.ch World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
Between 1954 and 1962, some young Frenchmen refused to participate in putting down the Algerian War of Independence. These draft dodgers believed in non-violence or were against colonialism. Some of them fled to Switzerland where they received help, in France they were condemned as traitors.
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Documentary
Fuori concorso
CHoosing at Twenty
Pietra tenera by Aurélie Mertenat
Documentary
Switzerland Documentary, 52 min., 2017 Original languages: Italian, Thai Production and World Rights: Terrain Vague, Lausanne T +41 79 297 85 26 www.terrainvague.ch World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
In the mountains of northern Italy, a family manufactures soapstone objects according to age-old tradition. Along with his adoptive father and set in a place where time seems to stand still, Ati, a 17-year-old Thai native, seeks his place in this world.
Le vénérable W. by Barbet Schroeder
Switzerland / FRANCE Documentary, 100 min., 2017 Original languages: Burmese, Pali, English, French Production: Les Films du Losange, Paris / Bande à part Films, Lausanne / ARTE / RTS / SRG SSR World Rights: Les Films du Losange, Paris T +33 1 44 43 87 28 www.filmsdulosange.fr World Premiere: Cannes 2017
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In Burma, the Venerable Wirathu is a highly respected and influ ential Buddhist monk. But meeting him amounts to traveling to the heart of everyday racism and observing how Islamophobia and hate speech lead to violence and destruction. Yet this is a country in which 90 % of the population has adopted Buddhism as a faith: a religion based on a peaceful, tole rant and non-violent way of life.
Documentary
Fuori concorso
The Venerable W.
Welcome to Switzerland
In the summer of 2015, one million refugees seek sanctuary in Europe. 40 000 reach Switzerland. Andreas Glarner, mayor of the wealthiest municipality in Aargau, wants to set an example and refuses to accommodate ten refugees in his village. Johanna Gündel, student and daughter of a local vegetable farmer, fights this policy with like-minded villagers.
Switzerland Documentary, 83 min., 2017 Original language: German Production: Dschoint Ventschr Film produktion AG, Zurich / SRF / Aleppo Films, Zurich World Rights: Dschoint Ventschr Film produktion AG, Zurich T +41 44 456 30 20 www.dvfilm.ch World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
Documentary
Willkommen in der Schweiz by Sabine Gisiger
Semaine de la critique E Fir ur
F re ir
Featu st
Favela Olímpica
Feat st
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by Samuel Chalard The film unfolds in Rio de Janeiro on both sides of the wall separating the new Olympic Stadium and the favéla Vila Autódromo. Nothing prevents the co-existence of these two worlds but some judge them “incompatible” including Rio’s Mayor. His wish to reclaim this area, reserved for Rio’s poor since the 1990s, sets off a lopsided power struggle as people with little means fight to keep their home. Meanwhile, the Opening Ceremony approaches.
Documentary
World Rights: Switzerland Frédéric Gonseth Productions, Documentary, 93 min., 2017 Grandvaux Original language: T +41 21 351 05 11 Portuguese www.fgprod.ch Production: Frédéric Gonseth Productions, Grandvaux / RTS
Samuel Chalard *1973 in Lausanne, joint Swiss and French citizenship. Samuel Chalard studied film at ECAL (École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne) and works as an independent director since 2000. He is especially known for his latest short fiction film THE PRINCE OF JAPAN (2010), which premiered at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival.
Semaine de la critique Das Kongo Tribunal
The Congo Tribunal
Milo Rau * 1977 in Bern. Milo Rau is one of Switzerlands most acclaimed theatre directors. In 2007 he founded the theatre and film production company International Institute of Political Murder (IIPM). He is known for his documentary films THE LAST DAYS OF THE CEAUSESCUS (2010) and THE MOSCOW TRIALS (2014). Rau works as a journalist, author and lecturer. THE CONGO TRIBUNAL is his third feature length documentary.
Germany / Switzerland World Sales: Documentary, 100 min., 2017 MAGNETFILM GmbH, Berlin Original languages: Frauke Knappke German, French, English, T +49 (0)177 7434429 Swahili, Congolese frauke.knappke@ Production: magnetfilm.de Fruitmarket Arts und Medien World Premiere: GmbH, Cologne / Langfilm – Locarno Festival 2017 Bernard Lang AG, Freienstein / Int’l Institute of Political Murder IIPM, Berlin / Zurich / SRF / SRG SSR / ZDF in collaboration with ARTE
Documentary
In the form of a tribunal with an international cast and filmed on-location in Eastern Congo and in Berlin, the film examines the causes and backgrounds for the war now ongoing for almost 20 years in the Great Lakes region. The result is a humanly harrowing, profound analytic tableau of the neo-colonial world order.
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by Milo Rau
59 Secondes by Mauro Carraro
Switzerland / FRANCE Animation, 16 min., 2017 Animation Technique: 3D computer animation Original language: Italian Production: Nadasdy Film Sarl, Geneva / Autour de Minuit Production / Distribution, Paris / RTS World Rights: Nadasdy Film Sarl, Geneva T +41 22 300 20 54 www.nadasdyfilm.ch World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
59 seconds is short when it comes to changing the destinies of two people, of an entire region, or of a country, but it can seem like a long time when the earth is trembling.
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Short Animation
PardI di domani
59 Seconds
A SONG FROM THE FUTURE
Short Experimental
by Tommaso Donati
Switzerland Experimental, 17 min., 2017 Original language: Somali Cast: Maxamuud Cumar Adan Production and World Rights: Tommaso Donati, Lugano T +41 78 639 50 14 www.tommasodonati.com World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
A Somali migrant seeks refuge in the underground of a building near the Swiss-Italian border. A popular song from his country awakens in him the desire to leave.
KUCKUCK by Aline Höchli
Switzerland Animation, 3 min., 2017 Animation Technique: Drawing on paper Original language: Without dialogue Production And World Rights: Aline Höchli Tricksfilms, Bern T +41 76 488 57 80 tricksfilms@hotmail.com World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
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The skinny, young girl spends her time alone feeding pigeons in the park. But even they fly away from her. Suddenly, company turns up. But the beanpole feels uneasy about the new compa nionship, so she sets about going to a specialist for parasites.
Short Animation
PardI di domani
Cuckoo
Fabula Rasa
Faced with the injustices of this world, Margot has lost all hope in the future. Giving up on politics, she decides to entrust her fate to the Dardu, a legendary carp that supposedly predicts the future. But the lake’s rules have changed: fishing is now forbidden.
France / Switzerland Fiction, 26 min., 2017 Original language: French Cast: Julie Lesgages, Pascal Tagnati Production: 5à7 Films, Paris / Twosa Films, Geneva World Rights: 5à7 Films, Paris T +33 6 80 32 63 02 World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
Short Fiction
PARADES by Sarah Arnold
UND ALLES FÄLLT by Nadine Schwitter
Germany Fiction, 27 min., 2017 Original language: German Cast: Katharina Hauter, Thorsten Hierse, Milva Stark, Taner Sahintürk Production And World Rights: Kunsthochschule für Medien, Cologne T +49 221 20 18 93 30 ute.dilger@khm.de www.khm.de World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
The breaking of a teapot comes to haunt and change the rela tionship of two couples living in the same apartment. FALLING depicts how a minor incident can create seismic changes, shifting the perception of the individuals involved as well as the course of their lives.
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Short Fiction
PardI di domani
Falling
LA FEMME CANON
Short Animation
by David Toutevoix, Albertine Zullo
Switzerland / France / Canada Animation, 12 min., 2017 Animation Technique: Puppet animation, Stop motion Original language: French Production: Hélium Films, Lausanne / Parmi les Lucioles Films, Lyon / National Film Board of Canada, Montreal / RTS World Rights: Hélium Films, Lausanne T +41 78 620 59 69 info@heliumfilms.ch www.heliumfilms.ch World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
Day after day human cannonball, Madeleine, is shot kilometres from her home and has to return on foot. Each evening she comes back home exhausted, only to find her husband reading the newspaper, waiting for her with the spaghetti ready. But one evening Madeleine doesn’t come home.
by Magdalena Froger
Switzerland Fiction, 13 min., 2017 Original language: French Cast: Arthur Jaquier, Simon Asgedom, Ernest Gachet Production and World Rights: ECAL Ecole cantonale d’art de Lausanne jean_guillaume.sonnier@ ecal.ch World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
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Three young men dressed in military uniforms roam around a ghost town. Walking, taking breaks in a variety of landscapes, they decide to go and see the sea, perhaps for the last time.
Short Fiction
PardI di domani
LES INTRANQUILLES
RESISTANCE
Beyond its majestic appearance, sporadic elements reveal the glacier’s fragility. Objects regurgitated through the melt witness the presence of mankind. Sounds of collapsing ice blocks continuously reveal the symptoms of an evident decrease. And yet in tension this magnificent and frightening body of ice and stones stands, impressive, resisting.
Switzerland Fiction, 11 min., 2017 Original language: Without dialogue SOUND DESIGN and MIX: Philippe Ciompi Production: Laurence Favre, Geneva / Matza, Geneva World Rights: Laurence Favre, Geneva T +41 77 457 51 19 laurencefb@gmail.com World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
Short Fiction
Résistance by Laurence Favre
by Justin Stoneham
Switzerland Documentary, 24 min., 2017 Original languages: Swiss-German, English Production: La Belle Film GmbH, Zurich / SRF World Rights: La Belle Film GmbH, Zurich T +41 78 790 06 49 www.labellefilm.com World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
All his life, Justin managed to escape his own story. But his past catches up with him when he finds a box full of old family VHS tapes. A film that begins as an homage to his deceased father develops into an attempt to no longer be a stranger to his own mother.
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Short Documentary
PardI di domani
REWIND FORWARD
The True Tales
Short Documentary
LES HISTOIRES VRAIES by Lucien Monot
Switzerland Documentary, 22 min., 2017 Original language: French Production and World Rights: Geneva School of Art and Design (HEAD Genève) info.head@hesge.ch World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
My father the professor, the poli tician, the judge, the architect. Memories of those assumed roles merge with my longing for the cinema. Ideas take root, scenarios are written. True stories always have a component of lying: what is important is to tell them.
by Roman Hüben
Switzerland Fiction, 26 min., 2017 Original language: French Cast: Mirko Majstorski, Simon Hildebrand, Lola Giouse, Ivan Georgiev Production: Cinédokké Sagl, Lugano / Amka Films Productions SA, Savosa / Casa Azul Films, Lausanne World Rights: Cinédokké, Lugano T +41 91 911 97 01 www.cinedokke.ch World Premiere: Locarno Festival 2017
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Simon and Lola are two young actors invited to give private theatre lessons to Mirko, the son of the family living in Villa Ventura. Mirko slightly suffers from psychological trouble. The aim is to increase his communication skills, but nothing goes as planned. Simon wants to become more than a friend to Lola, but she is fascinated by Mirko’s elusive yet strong character.
Short Fiction
PardI di domani
VILLA VENTURA
Discover
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swissfilms.ch/shortfilmlibrary
RENDEZ-VOUS Du CINEMA SUISSE
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Monday, August 7 14 : 30 – 15 : 30 Spazio RSI, Magnolia Three international film critics discuss five Swiss productions in this years’ Locarno Festival programme with SWISS FILMS director Catherine Ann Berger at the critic’s panel Rendez-vous du cinéma suisse. Allan Hunter, Screen International Boyd van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter Pamela Jahn, Electric Sheep Magazine / Vertigo Magazine GOLIATH by Dominik Locher (International Competition) THOSE WHO ARE FINE by Cyril Schäublin (Cineasti del Presente) THE SONG OF SCORPIONS by Anup Singh (Piazza Grande) THE DIVINE ORDER by Petra Volpe (Panorama Suisse) THE CONGO TRIBUNAL by Milo Rau (Semaine de la Critique)
directed by Lionel Rupp produced by Michael Mitchell
Switzerland Documentary, 80 min., 2017 Original language: English Production and World Rights: Zooscope Production, Lausanne T +41 79 810 31 07 www.zooscope.ch World Premiere: Visions du Réel Nyon 2017 MORE INFORMATION: acampaignoftheirown.com
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Jonathan is convinced that Bernie Sanders is the only hope for transforming America. Swept up by his enthusiasm for the Socialist Senator, he joins thousands of activists in New York City to get him on the 2016 presidential ballot. But as the primaries come to an end, Jonathan accuses the Democratic Party of cheating and being responsible for the defeat of “Bernie.”
Documentary
Panorama Suisse
A Campaign of Their Own
Airport
Airports – the pinnacle of modern society, places where the limits of borders, security and tolerance are constantly tested. While for some the journey starts, for others it abruptly ends.
Switzerland / Croatia Animation, 11 min., 2017 Animation Technique: Painting on glass Original language: Without dialogue Production: Schick Productions, Zollikon / Kinorama, Zagreb / SRF World Rights: Schick Productions, Zollikon T +41 79 400 62 60 ruedi.schick@gmail.com World Premiere: Animafest Zagreb 2017 More information: www.airportanimation.com
Short Animation
by Michaela Müller
by Jacqueline Zünd
Switzerland Documentary, 80 min., 2016 Original languageS: English, Japanese Production: Hugofilm Productions GmbH, Zurich / Intermezzo Films SA, Geneva / SRF / RTS / SRG SSR / ARTE World Rights: First Hand Films GmbH, Zurich T +41 44 312 20 60 www.firsthandfilms.com World Premiere: IDFA Amsterdam 2016 More information: www.almostthere.ch
The story of three men who embark on a journey in search of meaning and happiness in the autumn of their lives. Bob swaps his home for a campervan and tries to find the tough guy inside himself in the Californian desert. Drag queen and stand-up comedian Steve is fed up of England and makes amends with his past between Benidorm’s concrete towers. And Yamada rediscovers his smile by reading stories to children in Tokyo.
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Documentary
Panorama Suisse
Almost There
Dark Fortune
Fiction
Finsteres Glück by Stefan Haupt
Switzerland Fiction, 114 min., 2016 Original language: Swiss-German Cast: Eleni Haupt, Noé Ricklin, Elisa Plüss, Chiara Carla Bär, Martin Hug, Peter Jecklin Production: Triluna Film AG, Zurich / Fontana Film GmbH, Zurich / SRF / SRG SSR / Teleclub World sales: WIDE, Paris T +33 1 53 95 04 64 www.widemanagement.com World Premiere: Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2016
Late at night, the psychologist Eliane Hess is called to the hospital to take care of Yves, an eightyear-old boy, who has just lost his parents and siblings in a car accident. Eliane is both shocked and curiously drawn to the traumatized boy. As time goes by, she loses the professional distance to the patient, and when Yves’ relatives begin a heavy dispute about the boy’s future, Eliane makes an unorthodox decision.
La fureur de voir by Manuel von Stürler
Switzerland / FRANCE Documentary, 85 min., 2017 Original languages: French, English Production: Bande à part Films, Lausanne / RTS / Les Films du Tambour de Soie, Marseille World Rights: Bande à part Films, Lausanne T +41 21 311 90 34 www.bandeapartfilms.com World Premiere: Visions du Réel Nyon 2017 More information: www.lafureurdevoir.com
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Faced with the threat of blindness, the director has launched himself into a quest to find out what visual perception means. His “lust for sight” fuels an initiatory journey which plunges us into the world of vision, and attempts to answer the question: what does it mean to SEE?
Documentary
Panorama Suisse
Lust for Sight
MisÉricorde
Thomas, a European, has come to Québec for some recreational fishing on his own. He then embarks on the road leading to the north of Canada, chasing after a black truck that killed the son of a young Amerindian woman. This Swiss cop in exile wants justice to be done. He has, however, other reasons for wanting to do the right thing.
SWITZERland / Canada / Monaco / France Fiction, 90 min., 2016 Original language: French Cast: Jonathan Zaccaï, Evelyne Brochu, Daniel Gadouas, Charlie Arcouette, Marco Collin, Marie Hélène Belanger, Marthe Keller, Isabelle Caillat Production and World Rights: PointProd SA, Geneva, www.pointprod.ch / 1976 Productions Inc., Montreal / KNM, Monaco / RTS World Premiere: Zurich Film Festival 2016
Fiction
by Fulvio Bernasconi
Die göttliche Ordnung by Petra Volpe
Hit 1971: Nora is a young housewife and mother, living in a quaint little village with her husband and their two sons. The Swiss countryside is untouched by the major social upheavals the movement of 1968 has brought about. Nora’s life is not affected either; she is a quiet person who is liked by everybody – until she starts to publicly fight for women’s suffrage, which the men are due to vote on in a ballot on February 7, 1971.
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Switzerland Fiction, 96 min., 2017 Original language: Swiss-German Cast: Marie Leuenberger, Max Simonischek, Rachel Braunschweig, Sibylle Brunner, Marta Zoffoli, Bettina Stucky, Therese Affolter, Ella Rumpf Production: Zodiac Pictures Ltd, Zurich / SRF / Teleclub World sales: TrustNordisk ApS, Hvidovre T +45 29 74 62 06 www.trustnordisk.com INTERNATIONAL Premiere: Tribeca Film Festival 2017
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Fiction
Panorama Suisse
The Divine Order
The Girl Down Loch Änzi
Documentary
Das Mädchen vom Änziloch by Alice Schmid Switzerland Documentary, 87 min., 2016 Original languageS: Swiss-German, German Production: Ciné A.S. GmbH, Zurich / SRF World Rights: Ciné A.S. GmbH, Zurich T +41 44 202 49 69 www.aliceschmid.ch World Premiere: IDFA Amsterdam 2016
The pivotal summer for 12-year-old Laura, who lives in a remote area in the Swiss mountains. As the only daughter in a family of farmers, she becomes obsessed with the legends told about a gorge in the area where no one dares to go. When a boy from town arrives to help on the farm she finally has a friend to share her fears and fantasies with. After he has left she takes the courage to explore the mysterious place all by herself.
L’Opéra de Paris by Jean-Stéphane Bron
In turn ironic, light-hearted and cruel, encompassing music and ballet, the film turns the spotlight on great passions, and tells the story of life behind the scenes at one of the most prestigious performing arts institutions in the world.
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FRANCE / Switzerland Documentary, 110 min., 2017 Original language: French Production: Les Films Pelléas, Paris / Bande à part Films, Lausanne / RTS / Orange Studio / France 2 Cinéma World SALES: Les Films du Losange, Paris T +33 1 44 43 87 10 www.filmsdulosange.fr
Documentary
Panorama Suisse
The Paris Opera
Yenish Sounds
Switzerland Documentary, 92 min., 2017 Original languageS: Swiss-German, French Production: Dschoint Ventschr Film produktion AG, Zurich / SRF World RIGHTS: Dschoint Ventschr Film produktion AG, Zurich T +41 44 456 30 20 www.dvfilm.ch World Premiere: Solothurner Film Festival 2017
Documentary
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Hit
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He plays with the image of the gypsy, he senses his Yenish roots: Stephan Eicher. The film leads us to the Grison mountains, to former immigrant families and their legendary dance tunes. It tells the story of an unknown music tradition but also the story of discrimination and persecution which have silenced these musicians.
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Unerhört jenisch by Karoline Arn, Martina Rieder
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
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Lisa Brühlmann * 1981 in Zurich. Lisa Brühlmann studied acting in Berlin and directing at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). Recurring themes in her work are young female perspectives, coming of age stories and gender issues, like in her shorts SPRING AWAKENINGS (2010) and HYLAS AND THE NYMPHS (2013). She has recently codirected PERIPHERY (2016), which premiered at the Zurich Film Festival. BLUE MY MIND is her first feature film.
Switzerland Fiction, 97 min. Original language: Swiss-German Cast: Luna Wedler, Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen, Regula Grauwiller, Georg Scharegg Production: tellfilm GmbH, Zurich / Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK / SRF / SRG SSR
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15-year-old Mia faces an overwhelming transformation which puts her entire existence into question. Her body is changing radically, and despite desperate attempts to halt the process, Mia is soon forced to accept that nature is far more powerful than she is.
World Sales: Be For Films, Brussels T +32 4 89 80 21 23 www.beforfilms.com
Fiction
by Lisa Brühlmann
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Blue my Mind
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Spring 2018
Der Unschuldige
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by Simon Jaquemet 24
Ruth loves Jesus and works in cutting-edge neuroscience. When her past lover reappears after twenty years in prison her fragile reality comes undone.
Fiction
World Rights: 8horses GmbH, Zurich T +41 44 500 50 81 www.8horses.ch
Switzerland / Germany Fiction, 120 min. Original language: Swiss-German Cast: Judith Hofmann Production: 8horses, Zurich / Augenschein Filmproduktion GmbH, Cologne / ZDF / SRF / ARTE / Teleclub
Simon Jaquemet * 1978 in Zurich. Simon Jaquemet studied film at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). His award-winning first feature film CHRIEG, which was developed at the renowned Torino Film Lab, was selected for numerous international festivals such as San Sebastian, Sao Paulo and Karlovy Vary. It was awarded at the Max Ophüls Festival and at the Marrakech Inter national Film Festival. DER UNSCHULDIGE is Jaquemets second feature film.
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Die letzte Pointe
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by Rolf Lyssy
Switzerland Fiction, 99 min. Original languages: Swiss-German Cast: Monica Gubser, Delia Mayer, Suly Röthlisberger, Peter Jecklin, Daniel Bill, Anikó Donáth, Stella Mayer Production: Langfilm – Bernard Lang AG, Freienstein / SRF / Teleclub
World Rights: Langfilm – Bernard Lang AG, Freienstein T +41 44 865 66 27 www.langfilm.ch
Fiction
Rolf Lyssy * 1936 in Zurich. Rolf Lyssy is known for his box-office success THE SWISSMAKERS (1978). The film has remained the most successful Swiss film production in Swiss cinemas of all time. Lyssy works as cameraman, editor, screenwriter, publisher and director. During the last 30 years he focused on documentaries such as URSULA – LEBEN IN ANDERSWO (2011), which premiered at the Zurich Film Festival. DIE LETZTE POINTE is Lyssys first fiction film since LEO SONNYBOY (1989).
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Gertrud (89) has only one thing in mind when she smiles at the man online, even though she has no memory of doing so: to determine the final stages of her life herself before winding up in the dementia ward. But neither her end-of-life therapist or her family nor her suitor can be coaxed into honouring her request.
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WINTER 2018
Glaubenberg
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by Thomas Imbach 26
Bright and beautiful, Lena feels more for Noah than she should as a sister. She struggles with her dark passion by dating other boys. When she reveals her feelings, Noah rejects her. Lena chases him to Turkey but finally, in desperation returns to the Swiss mountain that is full of childhood memories. When Noah returns to what was once their special place, he finds a fountain instead of Lena.
Fiction
World Rights: Okofilm Productions, Zurich info@okofilm.ch www.okofilm.ch
Switzerland Fiction, 130 min. Original languageS: Swiss-German, German, English Cast: Zsofia Körösi, Francis Meier, Milan Peschel, Bettina Stucky, Nikola Sosic, Morgane Ferru, Ilayda Akdogan, Erol Afsin Production: Okofilm Productions, Zurich / SRF / SRG SSR
Thomas Imbach *1962 in Lucerne. With WELL DONE (1994) and GHETTO (1997) Imbach has won nume rous awards. He established his trademark style based on a combination of cinema- verité camera-work and fastpaced computer-controlled editing. His fiction feature films HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN (2001), LENZ (2006), I WAS A SWISS BANKER (2007) and DAY IS DONE (2011) all premiered at the Berlinale. His first English-language film MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS was selected for Special Presentations at TIFF 2013.
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Hannes Baumgartner * 1983. Hannes Baumgarnter studied film at F+F and Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). His award-winning short film TENERIFFA (2012) was honored with the Zurich Film Award and selected for festivals such as Max Ophüls Prize in Saarbücken and the International Short Film Festival Winterthur. MIDNIGHT RUNNER is his first feature film.
Switzerland Fiction, 90 min. Original language: Swiss-German Cast: Max Hubacher, Annina Euling, Sylvie Rohrer, Christophe Sermet, Saladin Dellers, Luna Wedler Production: Contrast Film Bern GmbH / SRF / Teleclub
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The true drama about a well-known top athlete, who evolves into a serial offender: The Swiss marathon runner Jonas Widmer is looking for a way to overcome his tragic past and as a result, becomes more and more entangled in an ominous double life.
World Rights: Contrast Film Bern GmbH T +41 78 654 30 38 www.contrastfilm.ch
Fiction
by Hannes Baumgartner
spring 2018
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Midnight Runner
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Der Läufer
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Fall 2017
by Batbayar Chogsom
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The story of the entangled fates of a nomadic Mongolian couple traveling into town due to a troublesome pregnancy, a taxi driver who is also a pimp, his mother and a prostitute.
World Rights: Hesse Film GmbH, Zurich T +41 44 576 40 30 www.hessefilm.ch
Fiction
Out of Paradise
Switzerland / mongolia Fiction, 98 min. Original language: Mongolian Cast: Bayarsaikhan Bayartsengel, Enerel Tumen, Adiyabaatar Rina, Erdenetsetseg TsendAyush, Oyun-Erdene Jamiyan Production: Hesse Film GmbH, Zurich / SRF / Milan Film AG, Basel / Chogsom Film, Rapperswil / Chogsom Film, Ulaanbaatar
Batbayar Chogsom * 1974 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Batbayar Chogsom lives in Switzerland since 2008 and studied Social Sciences at the University of Zurich. Chogsom is a self-taught filmmaker, OUT OF PARADISE is his first feature film.
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Katharina Wyss * 1979. Katharina Wyss studied Film and Philosophy at Freie Universität Berlin and at the Sorbonne in Paris as well as directing at DFFB in Berlin. Her mid-lenghth films MINUSLAND (2010) and 1000 MEILEN VON TASCHKENT (2009) both premiered at the Hofer Filmtage. SARAH PLAYS A WEREWOLF is her first feature film.
Switzerland / Germany WORLD RIGHTS: Fiction, 86 min. Intermezzo Films SA, Geneva Original languages: T+ 41 22 741 47 47 French, Swiss-German www.intermezzofilms.ch Cast: Loane Balthasar, Michel Voïta, Manuela Biedermann, Annina Walt, Sabine Timoteo, Simon Bonvin, Monica Budde, Amélie Peterli Production: Intermezzo Films SA, Geneva / Deutsche Film- und Fernseh akademie Berlin / Mnemosyn Films, Geneva
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On stage 17-year-old-Sarah gives it her all. When she performs, she transforms completely into her character. But what lies behind Sarah’s radical stage presence? A secret she is trying to express; her longing for someone she can trust. However, the more vehemently Sarah expresses this desire, the more she ends up alienating the people willing to get close to her. The downfall of an outsider and her incessant struggle to escape her solitude.
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by Katharina Wyss
Fall 2017
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Sarah Plays a Werewolf
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Fall 2017
The Stone Eater
Il mangiatore di pietre
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by Nicola Bellucci 30
Cesare, a former bootlegger and human trafficker, finds the dead body of his nephew Fausto who was introduced into the business by him, in a remote Piedmont valley. He is resolved to find the killer. Sergio, a teenager from the valley, eager to flee its constriction, asks Cesare to help him guide a couple of stranded refugees abandoned by Fausto over the border. During the journey they get attacked and suddenly he faces Fausto’s murderer ...
Fiction
World Rights: Cineworx Filmproduktion GmbH, Zurich T +41 44 500 40 81 cineworxfilmproduktion.ch
Switzerland / Italy Fiction, 90 min. Based on the novel Il Mangiatore di Pietre by Davide Longo Original language: Italian Cast: Luigi Lo Cascio, Vincenzo Crea, Ursina Lardi, Bruno Todeschini, Leonardo Nigro, Antonio Buil Production: Cineworx Filmproduktion GmbH, Zurich / Achab Film Srl., Rome / RAI / RSI
Nicola Bellucci * 1963 in Arezzo, Italy. Nicola Belluci studied Philosophy, Literature and Film at the Università degli Studi in Florence and Film at the Istituto di Scienze cinematografiche. Bellucci is known for his award winning documentary film IN THE GARDEN OF SOUNDS (2010), which was screened at numerous festivals worldwide and for GROZNY BLUES (2015), selected for Visions du Réel, DOK Leipzig and IDFA among others. THE STONE EATER is Bellucci’s first fiction film.
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Vacuum
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Christine Repond * 1981 in Basel. Christine Repond studied film in Bern, Basel and Munich. She is known for her award-winning first feature film SILVER FOREST (2011), which was selected for many inter national film festivals, such as Locarno Festival, BAFICI and Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis in Saarbrücken.
Switzerland World Rights: Fiction, 85 min. Dschoint Ventschr Film Original language: produktion AG, Zurich German T +41 44 456 30 20 Cast: www.dvfilm.ch Barbara Auer, Robert Hunger- Bühler, Anna-Katharina Müller, Oriana Schrage, Therese Affolter, Daniel Rohr, Andrea Zogg, Charlotte Heinimann, Annette Wunsch Production: Dschoint Ventschr Film produktion AG, Zurich / SRF / Teleclub
Fiction
Amidst the preparations for her 35th wedding anniversary, Meredith discovers that she is HIV-positive. Only her husband comes into question as the carrier. She finds out that he has been unfaithful to her with prostitutes and confronts him. Following an intense fight, they decide to deal with the condemnations and the illness together. But how much injury can love withstand?
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by Christine Repond
In Production
WINTER 2018
FALL 2018
Baghdad in my Shadow
BEAST by Lorenz Merz
by Samir Switzerland / Germany / United Kingdom Fiction Production: Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion AG, Zurich / Coin Film GmbH, Cologne / Ipso Facto Productions Ltd., London
Switzerland Fiction Production: Hesse Film GmbH, Zurich
SPRING 2018
MARE
MARIO
by Andrea Štaka
by Marcel Gisler
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WINTER 2019
Switzerland / Croatia Fiction Production: Okofilm Productions, Zurich / Dinaridi Film, Zagreb
SWITZERLAND Fiction PRODUCTION: Triluna Film AG, Zurich / Carac Film AG, Bern
SUMMER 2018
Spring 2018
The Wind Turns
Wolkenbruch’s WONDROUS Journey into the Arms of ShiksA
Le vent tourne by Bettina Oberli
by Michael Steiner Switzerland / FRANCE Fiction Production: Rita Productions, Geneva / Silex Films, Paris
Switzerland / Germany Fiction Production: Turnus Film AG, Zurich / DCM Productions, Berlin / SRF
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“ Giochiamo in casa, sulla Piazza.” Leo Leoni in GOTTHARD – ONE LIFE, ONE SOUL