SWISS FILMS Docs Fall 2019

SWISS

2019 DOCS FALL

FILMS

SWISS FILMS Neugasse 6, 8005 Zurich Switzerland www.swissfilms.ch

Published in October 2019 Image campaign by StĂŠphanie Gygax

SWISS FILMS DOCS FALL 2019

18 FESTIVAL FAVOURITES FEATURES 18 AFRICAN MIRROR 18 BARACOA 19 MADAME 19 WHERE WE BELONG

� NEW DOCS FEATURES � BIRD ISLAND 3 CODY – THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER 4 IN A WHISPER 5 MY ENGLISH COUSIN 6 NO PROMISED LAND 7 RADIO SILENCE 8 SHALOM ALLAH 9 SING ME A SONG 10 TASTE OF HOPE 11 THE FORUM 12 UNDER THE SKIN 13 VOLUNTEER 14 WHO ARE WE?

20 FESTIVAL FAVOURITES SHORTS 20 BROTHER, MOVE ON 20 HUNTERS 21 COMING SOON 31 IN PRODUCTION

15 NEW DOCS SHORTS 15 ALL CATS ARE GREY IN THE DARK 15 AZURE MEMORIES 16 BIRDS OF PARADISE 16 MAMA ROSA 17 SILENT STORM 17 THEY DO NOT REPRESENT US

32 SUPPORT MEASURES

SWISS FILMS TEAM

AIDA SULJICIC Head of Festivals & Markets asuljicic@swissfilms.ch T +41 77 431 87 79

ANDREAS BÜHLMANN Industry & Film Consultant abuehlmann@swissfilms.ch T +41 79 303 58 69

SYLVAIN VAUCHER Consultant Short Films svaucher@swissfilms.ch T +41 79 542 83 80

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BIRD ISLAND

L’ÎLE AUX OISEAUX

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written & directed by Maya Kosa, Sergio da Costa 2

After a long period of isolation, Antonin, a young man suffering from persisting exhaustion, rediscovers the world at a rehabilitation centre for birds. In this strange place wounded birds and lost souls cohabit, lulled by the ubiquitous sounds of airplanes.

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: Close Up Films, Geneva www.closeupfilms.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno Film Festival 2019

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 61 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French PRODUCTION: Close Up Films, Geneva / RTS PRODUCERS: Joëlle Bertossa, Flavia Zanon

MAYA KOSA * 1985. Maya Kosa studied directing at the Geneva School of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève) from 2005–10. In 2010 she founded Pó Films.

SERGIO DA COSTA * 1984. Joint Swiss and Portugese citizenship. Sergio da Costa received his degree from Geneva School of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève) in 2010.

BIRD ISLAND is their second feature film and celebrated its international premiere at the Locarno Film Festival.

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CODY – THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER

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A family adopts the Romanian street dog Cody to Switzer­ land. They rapidly grow fond of Cody, changing their lives and opening up a new world. In search of the traces of his past, the family learns more about the life that Cody has left behind. He was there with the stray dog Blanche in freedom. What happens when he is confronted with his past? Cody’s fate leads to important issues: How do people deal with their environment, especially with animals – and are they willing to grant them rights?

WORLD SALES: SWITZERLAND CAT&Docs, Paris Documentary, 90 min., 2019 www.catndocs.com ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: WORLD PREMIERE: Swiss-German Zurich Film Festival 2019 PRODUCTION: MORE INFORMATION: Buzzinho Codestar www.cody-thefilm.com Productions GmbH, Zurich / Playground Media Productions AG, Zurich PRODUCERS: Martin Skalsky, Rudolf Isler

Documentary

MARTIN SKALSKY * 1977. Martin Skalsky is a film composer and director of Czech and Swiss origin.

He holds an MA in Compo­ sition from Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). Skalsky co­founded Triplet Studios with Christian Schlumpf and Michael Duss in Zurich and Berlin. For over a decade he has been working as a com­ poser for documentaries and feature films for cinema and television. CODY is his first feature-length film and cele­ brated its world premiere at the ZFF.

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written & directed by Martin Skalsky

NEW DOCS FEATURES

IN A WHISPER

A MEDIA VOZ

written & directed by Heidi Hassan, Patricia Pérez Fernàndez 4

An autobiographical documentary based on the corre­ spondence of two Cuban filmmakers. Patricia and Heidi have been friends since childhood. Their emigration to Europe separated them for 15 years. By recalling memo­ ries of their country and sharing their current life ex­peri­ ences abroad, they try to find themselves in their film practice. An emotional and intimate journey on friendship, motherhood and borders crossed. Their story reflects the challenges, roots, and journey of an entire generation.

Documentary

WORLD SALES: Habanero Film Sales, Rio de Janeiro www.habanerofilmsales.com WORLD PREMIERE: IDFA 2019

SPAIN / CUBA / FRANCE / SWITZERLAND Documentary, 87 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Spanish, French PRODUCTION: Matriuska Producciones, Pontevedra / Producciones de la 5ta Avenida, Havana / Perspective Films, Paris / PCT Cinéma Télévision SA, Martigny-Croix / Light Night Production SA, Geneva SWISS PRODUCER: Pierre-André Thiébaud

HEIDI HASSAN * 1978 in Cuba. Heidi Hassan graduated in 2002 as cinema­ tographer from the EICTV. She has a diploma in Directing from Geneva School of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève) and works as a filmmaker and as a DOP. PATRICIA PÉREZ FERNÀNDEZ * 1978 in Cuba. Patricia Pérez Fernàndez has a degree in direct­ing from the School of Cinema of San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba (EICTV). She has directed several short films and docu­ mentaries, and also works as an editor.

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MY ENGLISH COUSIN

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written & directed by Karim Sayad

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 85 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, Arabic PRODUCTION: Close Up Films, Geneva / RTS PRODUCERS: Joëlle Bertossa, Flavia Zanon

WORLD RIGHTS: Close Up Films, Geneva WORLD PREMIERE: TIFF 2019 MORE INFORMATION: www.closeupfilms.ch

Documentary

KARIM SAYAD * 1984. Karim Sayad has both Swiss and Algerian citizen­ ship. After earning a Master’s degree in International Rela­ tions from Geneva’s IHEID, he directed his first short documentary film, BABOR CASANOVA (2015). It was awarded at doclisboa, Festival dei Popoli and at ClermontFerrand ISFF among others.

His first feature-length film OF SHEEP AND MEN (2017) premiered within TIFF DOCS and won the Prix de Soleure 2018. MY ENGLISH COUSIN also premiered in TIFF DOCS.

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2001, Fahed reaches the UK his head filled with dreams.

2018, in the thrall of a mid-life crisis, he must now make a decision. Will he keep his head low and continue working 50-hours weeks between the kebab shop and the factory, or will he return to Algeria, a country he fled in the hope of making a better life for himself?

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NO PROMISED LAND

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written & directed by Raphael Bondy 6

Four young Jewish Ethiopians face an identity crisis as their community experiences exclusion in Israel. Teacher Benny and fashion designer Lemlem immigrated to Israel with their parents. Social activist Inbar and stand-up comedian Shlomo were born in Israel. Although fluent in Hebrew and having served in the compulsory military service, their dream of belonging did not come true. Now, in the wake of growing demonstrations against police brutality, a new hope arises, for a life without discrimination.

Documentary

WORLD SALES: New Docs, Cologne www.newdocs.de WORLD PREMIERE: Jewish Film Festival Berlin 2019

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 52 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, Hebrew PRODUCTION: Mira Film GmbH, Zurich / Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK / SRF PRODUCERS: Hercli Bundi, Anita Wasser

RAPHAEL BONDY * 1988. Raphael Bondy attended film schools in London and Los Angeles and worked as a DOP in the TV and film industry.

In 2018 he received his MA in Film from the Zurich University of Arts (ZHdK). NO PROMISED LAND is his first feature-length documentary.

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RADIO SILENCE

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written & directed by Juliana Fanjul

SWITZERLAND / MEXICO Documentary, 78 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Spanish PRODUCTION: Akka Films, Geneva / Cactus Docs, Mexico City / RTS / SRG SSR SWISS PRODUCERS: Philippe Coeytaux, Nicolas Wadimoff

WORLD SALES: Sweet Spot Docs www.sweetspotdocs.com WORLD PREMIERE: Zurich Film Festival 2019

Documentary

JULIANA FANJUL * 1981 in Mexico. Juliana Fanjul studied Film at the Docu­ mentary Department of the International Cinema and TV School of San Antonio de los Baños (EICTV) in Cuba and Cinema Studies at École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (ECAL) and Geneva School of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève). Her first documentary feature MUCHACHAS (2015) premiered at Visions du Réel in Nyon and was selected for numerous international festivals. At the FIFDH in Paris it was awarded with the Grand Prix.

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Mexico, March 2015. Carmen Aristegui, incorruptible journalist, has been fired from the radio station where she has worked for years. Supported by more than 18 million listeners, Carmen continues her fight. Her goal: raising awareness and fighting against misinformation. The film tells the story of this quest: difficult and dangerous, but essential to the health of democracy. A story in which resistance becomes a form of survival.

NEW DOCS FEATURES

SHALOM ALLAH written & directed by David Vogel 8

When Muslims are shown in the media, they are portrayed as the bad guys. How then is it to be explained that every year, over a hundred Swiss people convert to Islam? David Vogel sets out to investigate this question in his film. The fact that he himself is Jewish doesn’t matter – or does it?

Documentary

WORLD SALES: Taskovski Films Ltd, London www.taskovskifilms.com WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno Film Festival 2019

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 99 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Swiss-German, French, English PRODUCTION: Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion AG, Zurich / SRF PRODUCER: Joël Jent

DAVID VOGEL * 1978. David Vogel studied Film at HFF (Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen, Munich) and graduated in 2010. He works as independent radio journalist and documentary filmmaker. His previous film SHALOM CHAVERIM, SHALOM SHALOM (2011) premiered at Visions du Réel in Nyon. SHALOM ALLAH celebrated its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival.

NEW DOCS FEATURES

SING ME A SONG written & directed by Thomas Balmès

FRANCE / UNITED STATES / GERMANY / SWITZERLAND Documentary, 99 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Dzongkha PRODUCTION: TBC Productions, Paris / Participant Media, Beverly Hills / zero one film GmbH, Berlin / Close Up Films, Geneva / ARTE / RTS SWISS PRODUCERS: Joëlle Bertossa, Flavia Zanon

WORLD RIGHTS: Participant Media, Beverly Hills www.participantmedia.com WORLD PREMIERE: TIFF 2019

Documentary

THOMAS BALMÈS * 1969 in Paris. Thomas Balmès is an independent director and producer of nonfiction films.

His directorial credits in­clude BOSNIA HOTEL (1996), A DECENT FACTORY (2005), BABIES (2010). HAPPINESS (2013) received the Documen­ tary World Cinema Cinema­ tography Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

SING ME A SONG premiered at TIFF.

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The film follows Peyangki, a young monk living in a rural monastery in Bhutan. When television and the internet eventually come to the remote country, Peyangki is lured by the power of smartphones, which now compete with the structured daily rituals of monastery life. Unexpected and profound, Peyangki’s journey challenges us to re­assess our own perceptions of relatedness and self-worth in an age of unparalleled connectivity.

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TASTE OF HOPE

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written & directed by Laura Coppens 10

In 2010, Unilever announced the closing of the profitable Fralib tea processing and packaging plant in the South of France. After 1336 days of resistance, the workers celebrated their victory against the giant multinational.

Now, with the take-over of the company and production under workers’ control, a new struggle has begun. Can this alternative project be viable within an oversaturated, highly competitive market?

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: Laura Coppens, Bern www.lauracoppens.com WORLD PREMIERE: Visions du Réel Nyon 2019 MORE INFORMATION: www.tasteofhope-film.com

SWITZERLAND / GERMANY Documentary, 70 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French PRODUCTION: Srikandi Films, Berlin / Laura Coppens, Bern SWISS PRODUCER: Laura Coppens

LAURA COPPENS * 1980 in Berlin. Laura Coppens works as a social anthropo­ logist, documentary filmmaker and curator. She received a Ph.D. from the University of Zurich in 2014. Her Ph.D. film CHILDREN OF SRIKANDI (2012) premiered at the Berlinale and has been screened at numer­ous international film festivals.

TASTE OF HOPE is her debut documentary as sole director.

It premiered at Visions du Réel in Nyon and won the Prix ZONTA and the SSA/SUISSIMAGE Jury Award for most innovative Swiss feature film.

NEW DOCS FEATURES DAS FORUM

THE FORUM

MARCUS VETTER * 1967 in Stuttgart. Marcus Vetter has a degree in Media Studies from Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen. His films have screened at film festivals worldwide and won numerous prizes, including three Adolf Grimme Awards: THE TUNNEL (2000), WO DAS GELD WÄCHST – DIE EM. TV STORY (2001) and BROADWAY BRUCHSAL (2002). His previous film, THE PROMISE (2016), opened the New German Cinema section at the München Filmfest.

THE FORUM premiered in Competition at DOK Leipzig.

WORLD RIGHTS: GERMANY / SWITZERLAND / Gebrueder Beetz NETHERLANDS Filmproduktion GbR, Berlin Documentary, 115 min., 2019 www.gebrueder-beetz.de ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: WORLD PREMIERE: German, English, SwissDOK Leipzig 2019 German PRODUCTION: Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion GbR, Berlin / Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion AG, Zurich / Filmperspektive GmbH, Stuttgart / SWR / SRF / SRG SSR / BR / HR / VPRO SWISS PRODUCER: Karin Koch

Documentary

In times of rampant populism and increasing distrust of the elite, the filmmaker accompanies the 81-year-old founder of the controversial World Economic Forum over the period of one year in his efforts to implement his leitmotif: to improve the state of the world. Can the WEF contribute to solving global problems? Or is it rather an integral part of the problem?

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written & directed by Marcus Vetter

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SOUS LA PEAU

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UNDER THE SKIN

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written & directed by Robin Harsch 12

A film about the transition of three trans teenagers, the upheaval it causes in them and their loved ones, as well as the quest for identity buried deep within them.

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: Alva Film Production, Geneva www.alvafilm.ch WORLD PREMIERE: DOK Leipzig 2019

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 85 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French PRODUCTION: Alva Film Production, Geneva / RTS PRODUCER: Britta Rindelaub

ROBIN HARSCH * 1977. Robin Harsch studied directing at École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (ECAL).

He works as director for film and television and as an actor.

Harsch directed several short documentary and fiction films such as SOPHIE CALLE, PRÈS TEXTE (2002) and LES CHEVEUX COURTS, RONDE, PETITE TAILLE (2012), among others. UNDER THE SKIN is his first feature-length docu­ mentary and it premiered at DOK Leipzig.

NEW DOCS FEATURES

VOLUNTEER written & directed by Anna Thommen, Lorenz Nufer

LORENZ NUFER * 1976. Lorenz Nufer trained as actor at the University of Performing Arts Ernst Busch in Berlin as well as at Film­ akademie Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg. He now works as director and author for film and theatre.

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 93 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, English, Italian, Arabic PRODUCTION: Sulaco Film GmbH, Basel / SRF

WORLD RIGHTS: Sulaco Film GmbH, Basel www.sulacofilm.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Zurich Film Festival 2019 MORE INFORMATION: www.volunteer-film.com

Documentary

ANNA THOMMEN * 1980. Anna Thommen is known for her first feature-length documentary UNKNOWN TERRITORY (2013), which was selected for and awarded at numerous international festivals and for her award-winning short doc SECOND ME (2008).

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A film about the unprecedented Swiss grassroots move­ ment of regular citizens who rise to aid thousands of refugees stranded at the European borders. In rich and safe Switzerland people from all backgrounds leave their regular life behind to support people in need. There is a Swiss farmer and his wife, a former commander of the Swiss Army, an elder rich lady, and a successful comedian and entertainer. These unexperienced volunteers take on an adventure that will change their lives forever.

NEW DOCS FEATURES

WER SIND WIR?

WHO ARE WE? written & directed by Edgar Hagen 14

How do we deal with it, if everything turns out differently than we imagined? Helena (19) and Jonas (11) are people with high support needs and put their parents, families, schools and society to the test. The film breaks with them the wall that separates them from our world, shows how language and community develop from the ground up – and poses the question of who we are.

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: Cineworx Filmproduktion GmbH, Zurich cineworxfilmproduktion.ch WORLD PREMIERE: IDFA 2019

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 98 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, Swiss-German PRODUCTION: Cineworx Filmproduktion GmbH, Zurich / SRF / RTS PRODUCER: Pascal Trächslin

EDGAR HAGEN * 1958. Edgar Hagen studied Philosophy and German at the University of Basel and at the Free University Berlin.

He works as an independent documentary filmmaker and author as well as lecturer of cinematic and documentary storytelling. His previous film JOURNEY TO THE SAFEST PLACE ON EARTH (2013) on the global search for nu­clear waste repositories was screened at DOK Leipzig, CPH:DOX and many more international film festivals.

NACHTS SIND ALLE KATZEN GRAU written & directed by Lasse Linder SWITZERLAND Documentary, 18 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German PRODUCTION: Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU) / SRF WORLD RIGHTS: Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU) Video Department www.hslu.ch/video WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno Film Festival 2019

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He calls himself Catman.

Christian lives with his two cats Marmelade and Katjuscha. They are inseparable. As he yearns to become a father, he has his beloved Marmelade fertilized by an exclusive tomcat abroad.

Documentary

NEW DOCS SHORTS

ALL CATS ARE GREY IN THE DARK

AZURE MEMORIES L’AZZURRO DEL CIELO written & directed by Enea Zucchetti

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 10 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Mandingo PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Enea Zucchetti, Lugano www.eneazucchetti.com WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno Film Festival 2019

Documentary

A silent city, mysteriously devoid of inhabitants, is crossed by a man who has come from afar.

The anonymised architecture of the urban landscape guides the person into an inaccessible space, the city cemetery, making him reflect on his own identity. The film was born from the metaphysical suggestion of some architectural works by Aldo Rossi, in particular the modern extension of the San Cataldo Cemetery in Modena.

NEW DOCS SHORTS

BIRDS OF PARADISE LES OISEAUX DU PARADIS written & directed by Aline Suter, Céline Carridroit

Through her personal photos and footage, a woman tells the story of her life with HIV. The film takes us on an journey of initiation mingling motherhood and resurrection.

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Documentary

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 15 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Earthling Productions, Geneva www.earthling-prod.net WORLD PREMIERE: DOK Leipzig 2019

MAMA ROSA

Documentary

written & directed by Dejan Barac

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 20 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Croatian PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU) Video Department www.hslu.ch/video WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno Film Festival 2019

The filmmaker provides us with an insight into his mother’s life. Rosa is originally from Croatia and has lived in Switzerland for many years, with her husband who de­pends on her care. She takes care of everything. Her children have grown up and want to leave home to escape the asphyxiating atmo­ sphere. Rosa stays behind alone.

TEMPÊTE SILENCIEUSE written & directed by Anaïs Moog

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 13 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Arabic PRODUCTION: GoldenEggProduction, Geneva / Geneva School of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève) WORLD RIGHTS: GoldenEggProduction, Geneva www.goldeneggproduction.ch NATIONAL PREMIERE: Locarno Film Festival 2019 INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE: IDFA 2019

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From the shores of the Atlantic to those of the Mediterranean, the director meets the women whose faces and voices bear witness to the loss of loved ones and ruined hopes. The mourning and hopeless waiting of the bodies find in the incessant movement of the waves a dimension of painful meditation.

Documentary

NEW DOCS SHORTS

SILENT STORM

THEY DO NOT REPRESENT US

Inspired by her own experience as a student of the Fine Arts in Madrid and “an indignant young person” on the Puerta del Sol in 2011, the young director, Irene Muñoz, questions herself on art as the production of identities and its use in the service of power.

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 40 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Spanish PRODUCTION: Bord Cadre films, Geneva / Geneva School of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève) WORLD RIGHTS: Bord Cadre films, Geneva www.bordcadrefilms.com WORLD PREMIERE: Visions du Réel Nyon 2019

Documentary

NO NOS REPRESENTAN written & directed by Irene Muñoz Martin

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For decades the Swiss travel author René Gardi (1909 –2000) elucidated the African continent and its inhabi­tants for us. In books, tele­vision programmes and films, he rhapsodised about the beautiful naked peoples and the pre­modern times in which they lived. The alleged­ly ideal world became Gardi’s paradise and Africa the surface on which to project the longings of those back home. The story of our colonial image of Africa.

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SWITZERLAND Documentary, 84 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, French, Swiss-German PRODUCTION: ton und bild GmbH, Biel / SRF WORLD RIGHTS: ton und bild GmbH, Biel www.tonundbild.ch FESTIVALS (SELECTION): Berlinale 2019 Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 2019 Docaviv Tel Aviv 2019 Viennale 2019 IDFA 2019 MORE INFORMATION: www.africanmirror.ch

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written & directed by Mischa Hedinger

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Documentary

AFRICAN MIRROR

BARACOA directed by Pablo Briones, The Moving Picture Boys

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Docufiction

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SWITZERLAND / SPAIN / UNITED STATES Docufiction, 90 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Spanish SCREENPLAY: Pablo Briones PRODUCTION: C-Side Productions, Geneva / Playlab Films, Barcelona / The Moving Picture Boys, Nashville WORLD SALES: Sweet Spot Docs, Blonay www.sweetspotdocs.com FESTIVALS (SELECTION): Berlinale 2019 / CPH:DOX 2019 Sheffield Doc/Fest 2019 Locarno Film Festival 2019

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During summer break, Leonel and Antuán intimately explore their universe far from adults in the Cuban countryside. With a consi­ derable difference in age, their unique friendship is torn between games and fights, conversations about everyday life, existentialist questions, simple pleasures and boredom. While Cuban society is going through a transitional period, the two friends also come to a crossroad.

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 93 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French PRODUCTION: Lambda Prod, Geneva / RTS / SRG SSR WORLD SALES: Sweet Spot Docs, Blonay www.sweetspotdocs.com FESTIVALS (SELECTION): Visions du Réel Nyon 2019 Pink Apple Zurich 2019 Documenta Madrid 2019 Locarno Film Festival 2019 Taipei Golden Horse 2019

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A double self-portrait in which a 90-year-old grandmother and her homosexual grandson confide in each other. With sincerity and humour, the film deconstructs gender stereotypes in depth and with subversive power and traces a family saga from bourgeois society with enchanting archive footage.

FESTIVAL FAVOURITES FEATURES

written & directed by Stéphane Riethauser

Documentary

MADAME

WHERE WE BELONG

Parents split up, a family falls apart. Two separate worlds emerge from what once was considered a unity. In constant tran­sition, children now live between two homes. The film approaches their reality and focuses on how frag­ile, but also how brave, smart and funny children perceive their situation.

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 78 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, French PRODUCTION: real Film GmbH, Zurich / SRG SSR WORLD SALES: Autlook Filmsales GmbH, Vienna www.autlookfilms.com FESTIVALS (SELECTION): Berlinale 2019 Visions du Réel Nyon 2019 Full Frame Durham 2019 Docs Against Gravity 2019 Locarno Film Festival 2019 DOK Leipzig 2019 IDFA 2019

Documentary

written & directed by Jacqueline Zünd

FESTIVAL FAVOURITES SHORTS

written & directed by Antshi von Moos

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 8 min., 2018 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Hindi PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Antshi von Moos, Zurich antshivm@hotmail.com FESTIVALS (SELECTION): Kasseler Dokfest 2018 Solothurn Film Festival 2019 Palm Springs ShortFest 2019 Odense IFF 2019 Encounters Bristol 2019 shnit Bern 2019 Kurzfilmfestival Berlin 2019

Geeta is one of the few female taxi drivers in India. Her taxi service “for women by women” enables women to move freely in the city at any time. Her motiva­ tion is: “The more women become taxi drivers, the less women are afraid to step out of the house.”

Geeta’s hope is that the cityscape and atmosphere of the city will in­­creasingly change and so will the position of women in society.

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Documentary

BROTHER, MOVE ON

HUNTERS

Documentary

CHASSEURS written & directed by Benjamin Bucher

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 17 min., 2019 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French PRODUCTION: Box Productions sàrl, Lausanne / ECAL École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne WORLD RIGHTS: Box Productions sàrl, Lausanne www.boxproductions.ch FESTIVALS (SELECTION): Visions du Réel Nyon 2019 Palm Springs ShortFest 2019 Etats généraux du film documentaire Lussas 2019 shnit Bern 2019

A man releases a huge balloon in the dark night … In the south of France, two men lead us on a strange treasure hunt through crisscrossing roads, armed with GPSes and maps. An obser­ vational and absurd road movie, where it is a matter of climbing up trees, celestial explosions and mysterious links between men separated by hundreds ofkilometres.

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FALL 2019

AMAZONIAN COSMOS

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written & directed by Daniel Schweizer 22

Jaider, a Macuxi Indian, leaves the Amazon to carry the voice of his people. Sharing the prophecy of the impending “Fall of the Sky”, he is convinced that the world’s spiritual leaders must unite to protect this endangered Earth.

His quest takes him from the rainforest to San Francisco and Geneva, before travelling to Rome with an elderly shaman woman to meet Pope Francis. Jaider’s odyssey becomes a shamanic criticism of our consumer society.

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: Amka Films Productions SA, Savosa www.amka.ch

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 87 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, Portuguese PRODUCTION: Amka Films Productions SA, Savosa / Horizon2Films, Sion / RSI / RTS PRODUCER: Tiziana Soudani

DANIEL SCHWEIZER * 1959. Daniel Schweizer attended the Geneva School of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève) and the École Supérieure d’Études Cinématographiques (ESEC) in Paris. He is best known for his award-winning trilogy on rightwing extremism SKINHEAD ATTITUDE (2003), SKIN OR DIE (2003) and WHITE TERROR (2005) as well for his commited ongoing series on Amazonian people DIRTY PARADISE (2009), DIRTY GOLD WAR (2015), TRADING PARADISE (2016) for which he won international acclaim.

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MENSCHENSKIND!

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written & directed by Marina Belobrovaja

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WINTER 2019/20

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 80 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German PRODUCTION: GoldenEggProduction, Geneva / SRF PRODUCER: Gabriela Bussmann

WORLD RIGHTS: GoldenEggProduction, Geneva www.goldeneggproduction.ch

Documentary

MARINA BELOBROVAJA * 1976 in Kiev. Marina Belobrovaja grew up in the Soviet Union and Israel. She studied Fine Arts and Art Education in Berlin and Zurich.

Her multimedia projects focus on phenomena from the world of work and consump­ tion, questions of legislation and migration. In addition to her artistic work, she is a lecturer and researcher at Lucerne School of Design and Art (HSLU). In 2018 Belobro­ vaja received her PhD from The University of Art and Design Linz.

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Is parenthood the only logical continuation of every life?

Has the traditional concept of the nuclear family had its day? The filmmaker has achieved what many women in a comparable situation think about but never actually do.

In the film, based on her daughter’s procreation story and with the help of a sperm donor, Marina Belobrovaja deals with existing social ideas, role patterns and conventions around parenthood and family.

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MOKA NOIR: NO MORE COFFEE IN OMEGNA

MOKA NOIR – A OMEGNA NON SI BEVE PIÙ CAFFÈ

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In the Italian town Omegna an unusual industrial center was born in the twentieth century: the so-called “house­ ware district”. The sister companies like Bialetti, Alessi and Piazza exploited the post-war economic boom and became known worldwide. Following economic crises, generational changes, globalisation, relocations, and the workers’ struggles, the golden years ended drastically leaving an immense void not only in the abandoned estab­ lishments but also in the hearts of the local population.

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: ventura film sa, Meride www.venturafilm.ch

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 93 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Italian SCREENPLAY: Matteo Severgnini, Erik Bernasconi PRODUCTION: ventura film sa, Meride / RSI / SRG SSR PRODUCERS: Elda Guidinetti, Andres Pfaeffli

ERIK BERNASCONI * 1973. Erik Bernasconi studied Italian Literature and Psycho­ logy at the University of Fribourg and attended the Conserva­ toire Libre du Cinéma Français in Paris. In 2014 he cofounded the independent filmmakers collective Tikinò. His film SINESTESIA (2010) received several awards and was select­ed for numerous inter­ national festivals such as the Festival des films du monde Montréal, the International Film Festival Molodist in Kiev and Sevilla Festival de Cine Europeo.

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This New Year my firm intention was to stop filming the prison and police centre. But who knows what the future of this place will bring. So my resolution is to accept my fate and welcome my new neighbours whoever they are.

WORLD RIGHTS: SWITZERLAND Okofilm Productions, Zurich Documentary, 120 min. www.okofilm.ch ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, English CAST: Milan Peschel (voice) PRODUCTION: Okofilm Productions, Zurich / Bachim Film, Zurich PRODUCERS: Thomas Imbach, Andrea Staka

Documentary

THOMAS IMBACH As one of Switzerland’s most innovative and internationally renowned filmmakers, Thomas Imbach moves with virtuous mastery between documen­ tary and fiction. HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN (2001), LENZ (2006) and I WAS A SWISS BANKER (2007) as well as the documentary DAY IS DONE (2011) premiered at the Berli­ nale. His English-language period drama MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS (2013) was selected for Toronto. His latest feature film MY BROTHER MY LOVE (2018) premiered at Locarno Film Festival in competition.

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written & directed by Thomas Imbach

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written & directed by Pascal Hofmann

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The film takes us on a journey through the eventful life of the conceptual artist Not Vital, and introduces you to the rich collection of his artwork. The poetic essay depicts the internationally renowned artist’s life from his youth in the Swiss Alps until today. The director accompanies Not Vital to the most important of his various places of creation such as Beijing, Patagonia, Niger and the Grisons village of Sent.

WORLD RIGHTS: RECK Filmproduktion, Zurich www.reckfilm.ch

Documentary

NOT ME – A JOURNEY WITH NOT VITAL

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 77 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Rumantsch, Tamashek, German PRODUCTION: RECK Filmproduktion, Zurich / SRF / RTR / RSI / SRG SSR PRODUCER: Franziska Reck

PASCAL HOFMANN * 1977. Pascal Hofmann studied directing at the Zurich Uni­ versity of the Arts (ZHdK). He is known for his diploma film DANIEL SCHMID – LE CHAT QUI PENSE (2010) codirected with Benny Jaberg. The docu­ mentary on the late Swiss filmmaker Daniel Schmid pre­ miered in the Panorama of the Berlinale 2010. It was selected for numerous festivals world­ wide and received the Babels­ berg Media Award for Best Graduate Film. NOT ME – A JOURNEY WITH NOT VITAL is Hofmann’s second featurelength documentary.

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DANIEL KEMENY * 1981 in Pietrapaola. Daniel Kemeny studied Art and Sculpture in Berlin, Athens and Bologna. He exhibits since over ten years in cultural and art institutions in Europe and around the world, creating spatial installations and videos.

Since 2010 he works cinema­ tographically, where he com­ bines expressive skills with his narrative needs, combining different points of view and languages. PIETRAPAOLA is his first feature-length documentary.

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 75 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Italian SCREENPLAY: Daniel Kemeny, Erik Bernasconi, Manuel Perrone, Dario D’Amato PRODUCTION: Cinédokké Sagl, Savosa / RSI PRODUCER: Michela Pini

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Forty years ago 2000 people lived there, today Pietrapaola, in Calabria, is home to 200 people. I was born there, the son of two Germans who ended up there, who knows how, I didn't come back for twenty years. Where are the others? And the stories? A journey to the origins, in search of lost time. My imagination and a man from my past, guardian of memory, of music, guide me. A tale in which symbols and reality meet and I see the art of living, the “tranquillitudine”.

WORLD RIGHTS: Cinédokké Sagl, Savosa www.cinedokke.ch

Documentary

(working title) written & directed by Daniel Kemeny

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written & directed by Julie Biro, Antoine Jaccoud

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In April 1992, the war starts in Yugoslavia. In the town of Visegrad in Eastern Bosnia, home of the famous bridge over the Drina, the school closes. From now on, Muslim and Serbian pupils who lived and studied together are separated. More than 25 years later, Budimir Zecevic, the school’s former director, and Djemila Krsmanovic, the teacher's widow, take their old Zastava and start the long journey to maybe bring the kids together again.

WORLD RIGHTS: Louise Productions Lausanne www.louiseproductions.ch

Documentary

RETOUR À VISEGRAD

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 90 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Serbo-Croatian PRODUCTION: Louise Productions Lausanne / RTS PRODUCER: Elisa Garbar

JULIE BIRO * 1970. Julie Biro worked with NGOs for 20 years. She studied directing at the Ateliers Varan and trained in video at École des Gobelins. She works on her own projects and also accompanies others.

ANTOINE JACCOUD * 1957. Antoine Jaccoud is co-screenwriter of numerous films including Ursula Meier’s HOME (2008) and SISTER (2012), winners of Swiss Film Awards for Best Screenplay.

RETOUR À VISEGRAD is their first feature-length film.

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THE DRAMA OF THE GIFTED SON

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DAS DRAMA DES BEGABTEN SOHNES

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written & directed by Daniel Howald

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 103 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, English, French, Swiss-German, Polish PRODUCTION: SwissDok GmbH, Basel / SRF / SRG SSR PRODUCER: Frank Matter

WORLD RIGHTS: SwissDok GmbH, Basel www.swissdok.ch

Documentary

DANIEL HOWALD * 1966 in Basel. Daniel Howald studied Philosophy, Literature and Ethnology. He works as director, producer and screen­ writer and is known for ANNA IN SWITZERLAND (2014) and MY MOTHER’S DEATH OR FIVE ATTEMPTS TO MAKE A FILM (2008) which he both codirected with Chantal Millès. With his production company SwissDok he pro­ duced the award-winning first feature by Eva Vitija MY LIFE AS A FILM – HOW MY FATHER TRIED TO CAPTURE HAPPINESS (2015).

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Martin was rejected and treated with coldness by his mother, and beaten and humiliated by his father: a childhood without love. The story sounds like a case study from the book “The Drama of the Gifted Child” by the world-famous Swiss child psychologist Alice Miller. But Martin is her son. After her death, he sets out to discover the drama behind everything: the Shoa, the annihilation of the Jewish people, from which his mother in Poland had barely escaped.

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UNTER EINEM DACH

written & directed by Maria Müller

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A Swiss couple takes a family which fled from Syria with five children into their own home. The Swiss reality, which is characterized by wealth and peace, confronts people from a different culture. At the same time, the chaos of war in Syria hovers like a shadow over the apparent normality. The film shows how a distant conflict affects us. It offers a glimpse of the destinies of these people, confronted with the problems of everyday life in a foreign culture and with the Swiss hosts’ expectations.

WORLD RIGHTS: Mira Film GmbH, Zurich www.mirafilm.ch

Documentary

UNDER THE SAME ROOF

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 87 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, English, French, Arabic PRODUCTION: Mira Film GmbH, Zurich / SRF / 3sat PRODUCER: Hercli Bundi

MARIA MÜLLER * 1959. Maria Müller attended teacher’s college in Lucerne, prior to completing a BA in Film at the Lucerne School of Design and Art (HSLU) in 2008. For her MA at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) she specialized in directing and screenwriting. Her diploma film HÜLLEN (2010) was awarded a Special Mention of the Jury from Film Festival Max Ophüls Prize in 2011.

FALL 2020

I(M)MORTELS

IN SEARCH FOR EUROPE

by Lila Ribi, director of SILENT REVOLUTION SWITZERLAND

SWITZERLAND Documentary PRODUCTION: Mira Film GmbH, Zurich / SRF WORLD RIGHTS: Mira Film GmbH, Zurich

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SWITZERLAND Documentary PRODUCTION: maximage, Zurich / SRF WORLD RIGHTS: maximage, Zurich

(working title) SUCHE NACH EUROPA

by Vadim Jendreyko, director of THE WOMAN WITH THE 5 ELEPHANTS

IN PRODUCTION

SUMMER 2020

FALL 2020

FALL 2020

SWISS CITIZEN SOLDIERS

WAX AND GOLD

by Luka Popadić, director of BAITS AND HOOKS and RED SNOW

(working title) WACHS UND GOLD

by Heidi Specogna, director of CAHIER AFRICAIN

SWITZERLAND Documentary PRODUCTION: Beauvoir Films, Geneva / SRF / RTS WORLD RIGHTS: Beauvoir Films, Geneva

SWITZERLAND / GERMANY Documentary PRODUCTION: FAMA FILM AG, Zurich / Ma.ja.de.

Filmproduktions GmbH, Berlin / SRF WORLD RIGHTS: Deckert Distribution GmbH, Leipzig

SUPPORT MEASURES

DISTRIBUTION SUPPORT NON-EUROPEAN COUNTRIES Supporting the theatrical release of Swiss feature films in ten selected non-European countries.

Its aim is to increase the visibility and the distribution of Swiss films outside of Europe. Eligible countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China / Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and USA. Applications must be submitted by the foreign distributor.

Film Sales Support FSS is a scheme by the European Film Promotion (EFP) for the promotion of European films outside of Europe.

With support by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, Media Desk Suisse and SWISS FILMS, FSS is also available to European and Swiss sales companies selling Swiss films at selected festivals and markets: Hong Kong Int’l Film & TV Market, Tribeca FF, Hot Docs Toronto, TIFF, Asian Film Market, American Film Market, Sundance FF. Applications must be submitted online by the world sales company.

Guidelines and application: www.efp-online.com/en/project_market/guidlines.php

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A support measure by SWISS FILMS in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC). www.swissfilms.ch/distribution Contact: support@swissfilms.ch

FILM SALES SUPPORT

VOD SUPPORT

Supporting the distribution of Swiss films on selected international VOD platforms.

DISTRIBUTION SUPPORT EUROPEAN COUNTRIES Supporting the theatrical release of Swiss feature films in Europe.

Its aim is to increase the visibility and the online distribution of Swiss films.

The subsidies are granted according to the “Guidelines VOD Support”.

Applications must be submitted by the Swiss rights holder.

Its aim is to strengthen the visibility and the distribution of Swiss films in Europe.

The subsidies are granted according to the “Guideline Funding for the distribution of Swiss films and coproductions in foreign countries.” Applications must be submitted by the European distributor via the Swiss producer.

A support measure by SWISS FILMS in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC). www.swissfilms.ch/en/vod Contact: support@swissfilms.ch

A support measure by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC), administrated by SWISS FILMS. www.bak.admin.ch Contact: support@swissfilms.ch

VISIT US AT OUR STANDS AT : Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market Berlinale European Film Market Cannes Village International Annecy Mifa Locarno Film Festival Toronto International Film Festival

SWISS FILMS is supported by

“ I’d like to change, see something different.”

Fahed in MY ENGLISH COUSIN by Karim Sayad