SWISS FILMS DOCS FALL 2020

SWISS 2020 DOCS FALL

FILMS

SWISS FILMS Neugasse 6, 8005 Zurich Switzerland www.swissfilms.ch WATCH SWISS SHORTS ONLINE www.swissfilms.ch/shortfilmlibrary

Published in October 2020 Image campaign by Sophie Brasey

SWISS FILMS DOCS FALL 2020

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NEW DOCS FEATURES COWS ON THE ROOF IL MIO CORPO MIRAGE NEMESIS NOT ME – A JOURNEY WITH NOT VITAL NOTHING BUT THE SUN THE NEW GOSPEL THEIR ALGERIA TRIXIE W. – WHAT REMAINS OF THE LIE WAR AND PEACE ZURICH DIARY

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NEW DOCS SHORTS BEING SASCHA BURNT. LAND OF FIRE DESERT DOGS LEAVERS PEEL SPIRITS AND ROCKS: AN AZOREAN MYTH 17 THE GAME 17 YOUR STREET

18 COMING SOON 37 THE FILMS AFTER TOMORROW LOCARNO 2020 38 IN PRODUCTION 39 SUPPORT MEASURES

SWISS FILMS TEAM

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

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

LAURA DANIEL Consultant Film, Talent & Awards ldaniel@swissfilms.ch T +41 76 343 61 16

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

NEW DOCS FEATURES

COWS ON THE ROOF

ANCHE STANOTTE LE MUCCHE DANZERANNO SUL TETTO

written & directed by Aldo Gugolz 2

Herdsman Fabiano will be a father soon. He owns fifty goats and eight cows and is trying his best to produce the alpine cheese with which his hippie parents made a name for themselves in the ’70s, in an isolated valley of Ticino. But nothing is going the way it should. He’s in debt, and feels guilty for a fatal accident which occurred the previous year, which haunts him. How can he and his girlfriend build a life together under such difficult circumstances?

Documentary

WORLD SALES: Antidote Sales, Moscow www.antidote-sales.biz WORLD PREMIERE: Visions du Réel Nyon 2020

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 82 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Italian, Swiss-German PRODUCTION: Rough Cat sagl, Lugano / Revolumen Film, Lucerne / RSI PRODUCERS: Nicola Bernasconi, Christina Caruso Aldo Gugolz

ALDO GUGOLZ * 1963. Aldo Gugolz has a back­ground as a journalist and photographer. He worked for various Swiss dailies before studying documentary film at the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film in Munich.

He has been making docu­ mentaries since 1995. His films portray people with a fine sense of humor. With his docu­ mentary RUE DER BLAMAGE he was nominated for the Prix de Soleure in 2017.

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IL MIO CORPO written & directed by Michele Pennetta

SWITZERLAND / ITALY Documentary, 85 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Italian SCREENPLAY: Michele Pennetta, Pietro Passarini, Arthur Brügger PRODUCTION: Close Up Films, Geneva / Kino produzioni, Rome / RAI Cinema / RSI SWISS PRODUCERS: Joëlle Bertossa, Flavia Zanon

WORLD SALES: Lightdox, Blonay www.lightdox.com NATIONAL PREMIERE: Visions du Réel Nyon 2020 INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE: Cannes 2020

Documentary

MICHELE PENNETTA * 1984 in Italy. Michele Pennetta has a Bachelor in Visual Communication from SUPSI in Lugano and a Master in Cinema from École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (ECAL) His short documen­ taries THE BET (2013) and THE DOGS BARK (2010) were selected for numerous fes­ tivals. His first feature-length documentary FISHING BODIES (2016) premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, Cineasti del presente. IL MIO CORPO’s international pre­ miere was in the ACID section of Cannes 2020.

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Oscar, not quite a child anymore, scavenges for scrap metal for his father. He spends his life in improvised landfills among what remains of leftovers. Worlds apart, yet close-by, there is Stanley. He tidies the church in exchange for a monetised hospitality, picks fruits, herds sheep: anything that keep his foreign body busy.

NEW DOCS FEATURES

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MIRAGE written & directed by Nina Stefanka 4

The film accompanies five refugees from West Africa upon their arrival in Italy. Their journey remains a year-long odyssey in which they are exposed to a vacuum of waiting. Only their reflection on their longing for a better life, the disillusionment they will soon experience and their lost homeland form the stability that runs like a red thread through the haunting portraits of the protagonists.

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: Cinédokké Sagl, Savosa www.cinedokke.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Zurich Film Festival 2020

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 86 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Bambara, Italian, English PRODUCTION: Cinédokké Sagl, Savosa / RSI PRODUCER: Michela Pini

NINA STEFANKA * 1978. Nina Stefanka studied Film at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne. She worked and lived in Cairo as a lecturer at the German University and lived in Italy for her researches.

Today she works and lives in Zurich and Locarno.

NEW DOCS FEATURES

NEMESIS The film explores the destruction of a unique train station in Zurich and the construction of the new prison and police centre in its place. From the perspective of the filmmaker’s window, and with testimony from prisoners awaiting deportation, the film probes how we deal with the extinction of history and its replacement with total security.

WORLD RIGHTS: SWITZERLAND Okofilm Productions, Zurich Documentary, 131 min., 2020 www.okofilm.ch ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: NATIONAL PREMIERE: German, English Visions du Réel 2020 PRODUCTION: Okofilm Productions, Zurich / INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE: IDFA 2020 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 documentary 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 Berlinale. His Englishlanguage period drama MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS (2013) was selected for TIFF. NEMESIS celebrates its international premiere in competition at IDFA 2020.

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written & directed by Thomas Imbach

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NOT ME – A JOURNEY WITH NOT VITAL

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written & directed by Pascal Hofmann 6

The film takes us on an intriguing foray into the eventful life and creative artistic expressions of contemporary Swiss artist Not Vital. This film essay sheds light on the work of the internationally renowned Grisons artist.

The filmmaker establishes a dialogue between the motifs in Vital’s work, his childhood dreams, and the influences of his most important places of stay such as Beijing, Patagonia, Niger, Sent in the Grisons, and New York.

Documentary

WORLD SALES: Magnetfilm GmbH, Berlin www.magnetfilm.de WORLD PREMIERE: Zurich Film Festival 2020

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 78 min., 2020 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 University of the Arts (ZHdK).

He is known for his diploma film DANIEL SCHMID – LE CHAT QUI PENSE (2010) codirected with Benny Jaberg.

The documentary on the late Swiss filmmaker Daniel Schmid premiered in the Panorama of the Berlinale 2010 and was selected for numerous festi­ vals. NOT ME – A JOURNEY WITH NOT VITAL is Hofmann’s second feature-length docu­ mentary.

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NOTHING BUT THE SUN

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written & directed by Arami Ullón

SWITZERLAND / PARAGUAY Documentary, 75 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Spanish, Ayoreo PRODUCTION: Cineworx Filmproduktion GmbH, Zurich / Arami Ullón, Asunción SWISS PRODUCERS: Pascal Trächslin, Arami Ullón

WORLD SALES: Film Republic, London filmrepublic.biz WORLD PREMIERE: IDFA 2020 opening film

Documentary

ARAMI ULLÕN * 1978 in Paraguay. Arami Ullón produced 18 AND A HALF CIGARETTES (2011).

She directed the short film AUSENCIA DE UN NOMBRE PROPIO (1998). With the feature documentary EL TIEMPO NUBLADO (2014) she produced and directed a most personal first docu­ mentary, recounting the story of her sick mother. Her feature documentary debut was the first Paraguayan entry to the Oscars (2016). She lives and works between Basel and various Latin American cities.

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With a cassette recorder Mateo Sobode Chiqueno tries to preserve a vanishing culture and reconstruct memories of his lost homeland. He travels through desolate villages in Chaco, Paraguay and records the stories, songs, and testimonies of other Ayoreo natives who, like him, were stripped from the jungle, losing their ancestral territory, their means of subsistence, their beliefs, and their home.

NEW DOCS FEATURES

THE NEW GOSPEL

DAS NEUE EVANGELIUM

written & directed by Milo Rau 8

What would Jesus preach in the 21�� century? Who would his apostles be? The filmmaker and his team return to the origins of the gospel and stage it as a passion play for an entire population. Together with Yvan Sagnet, a former farm worker and activist from Cameroon, Milo Rau creates a new gospel for the 21st century: A manifesto of solidarity for the poorest, a cinematic uprising for a fairer, more humane world.

Docuficton

WORLD SALES: CAT&Docs, Paris www.catndocs.com WORLD PREMIERE: Venice 2020

GERMANY / SWITZERLAND Docufiction, 107 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, French, Italian PRODUCTION: Fruitmarket Arts und Medien GmbH, Cologne / Langfilm – Bernard Lang AG, Freienstein / IIPM International Institute of Political Murder, Cologne / SRF / ZDF/ARTE SWISS PRODUCER: Olivier Zobrist

MILO RAU * 1977. Milo Rau is a director, writer and since the 2018/19 season artistic director of NTGent in Belgium. Since 2002 he has published over fifty plays, films and books. He was awarded several honorary doctorates and won among others the European Theatre Prize and the prize of the International Theatre Insitute (ITI). He is also known for his documentary films THE MOSCOW TRIALS (2014) and THE CONGO TRIBUNAL (2017).

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THEIR ALGERIA written & directed by Lina Soualem

FRANCE / ALGERIA / SWITZERLAND / QATAR Documentary, 72 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: French, Arabic PRODUCTION: AGAT Films & Cie, Paris / Making of Films, Algiers / Akka Films, Geneva / Doha Film Institute, Doha SWISS PRODUCER: Palmyre Badinier

WORLD SALES: Lightdox, Blonay www.lightdox.com WORLD PREMIERE: Visions du Réel Nyon 2020

Documentary

LINA SOUALEM * 1990 in France. Lina Soualem is a filmmaker and actress with French, Palestinian and Algerian roots. After studying History and Political Science, she worked as a programmer in film festivals, among them the International Human Rights Film Festival in Buenos Aires.

She is currently developing her second feature-length docu­ mentary BYE BYE TIBERIAS and works as an author and AD on fiction films, documen­ taries and series. She acted in three films directed by Hafsia Herzi, Hiam Abbass and Rayhana.

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After 62 years of living together, Lina’s grandparents, Aïcha and Mabrouk, have decided to separate. Together, they came from Algeria to Thiers, a small medieval town in the middle of France, over 60 years ago. Side by side, they have experienced this chaotic immigrant life. For Lina, their separation is an opportunity to question their long journey of exile and their silence.

NEW DOCS FEATURES

TRIXIE directed by Bastien Genoux 10

A sensitive portrait of Trixie, an extraordinary woman who testifies to her experience as a dancer and choreographer.

Her personal experiences show a life fascinated by the great icons of dance that she has been and has attended.

With her voice as with her body, she sketches her incredible career by tackling the intimate question of the relationship with the aging body.

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: Detours films, Lausanne www.detoursfilms.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Internationale Hofer Filmtage 2020

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 80 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German SCREENPLAY: Nicole Seiler PRODUCTION: Detours films, Lausanne / Association Plus – Cie. Nicole Seiler, Lausanne PRODUCER: Bastien Genoux

BASTIEN GENOUX * 1976. Bastien Genoux became a filmmaker and cine­ matographer after his studies of photography in Vevey. He’s involved in numerous per­ forming arts projects, creating visuals and films for theatre and dance shows. In 2010, his short docu­mentary LIVING-­ ROOM DANCERS was the opening film of FIFA Montreal.

Testimonies are always at the centre of his approach, valuing atypical life paths as recently woven in a more political way for ME DUELE LA MEMORIA (2018).

NEW DOCS FEATURES

W. – WHAT REMAINS OF THE LIE

W. – WAS VON DER LÜGE BLEIBT

written & directed by Rolando Colla

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 111 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, English, French, Hebrew, Polish PRODUCTION: Peacock Film AG, Zurich / Little Monster GmbH, Zurich / SRF / SRG SSR PRODUCER: Elena Pedrazzoli

WORLD RIGHTS: Peacock Film AG, Zurich www.peacock.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Zurich Film Festival 2020

Documentary

ROLANDO COLLA * 1957. Rolando Colla is a Swiss filmmaker whose film SUMMER GAMES (2011) was nominated

by Switzerland to run as an Oscar candidate in the cate­ gory Best Foreign Language Film in 2012. His first docu­ mentary film A BETTER LIFE IS ELSEWHERE (2012) was a ten-year in depth study on the question what shapes our life. He worked on his latest documentary W. (2020) for seven years. His recent fiction film WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT ME (2019) won the First Prize at the Five Lakes Film Festival.

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A documentary about Bruno Wilkomirski’s autobiography: an acclaimed book on his childhood as a concentration camp victim which was later exposed. The film explores how the sham came about, whereby it also seeks to gain an understanding of the protagonist and the time twenty years after the scandal.

NEW DOCS FEATURES

WAR AND PEACE

GUERRA E PACE

written & directed by Massimo D’Anolfi, Martina Parenti 12

How to film war? The film tells the story of the century-old relationship between cinema and war, from the time of their first encounter, way back in 1911 with the Italian invasion of Libya, up to the present day. Forging ahead from the images captured by the pioneers of cinema to today’s twitter feeds, following young soldiers as they are trained to film war, the alliance between cinema and war appears to be a powerful one.

Documentary

WORLD SALES: Taskovski Films Ltd, London www.taskovskifilms.com WORLD PREMIERE: Venice 2020

ITALY / SWITZERLAND Documentary, 128 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: French, Italian PRODUCTION: Montmorency Film, Milan / Lomotion AG Filmproduktion, Bern / RAI Cinema / SRF SWISS PRODUCERS: David Fonjallaz, Louis Mataré

MASSIMO D’ANOLFI * 1974 in Italy.

MARTINA PARENTI * 1972 in Italy.

Massimo D’Anolfi and Martina Parenti have been making films together for more than a decade. They have shared the development and production of several acclaimed documentaries, among them SPIRA MIRABILIS (Venice International Com­ petition 2016), DARK MATTER (Berlinale Forum 2013) and THE CASTLE (Special Jury Prize Hot Docs Toronto 2011).

NEW DOCS FEATURES ZÜRCHER TAGEBUCH

ZURICH DIARY written & directed by Stefan Haupt

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 101 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, Swiss-German PRODUCTION: Fontana Film GmbH, Zurich / SRF / SRG SSR PRODUCER: Stefan Haupt

WORLD RIGHTS: Fontana Film GmbH, Zurich www.fontanafilm.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Zurich Film Festival 2020

Documentary

STEFAN HAUPT * 1961. Stefan Haupt is known for his documentary ELISABETH KÜBLER-ROSS (2003), with some 300’000 viewers throughout Europe, as well as for THE CIRCLE (2014), recipient of the Pano­rama Audience Award, the Teddy Award at the Berlinale and the Swiss Film Award for Best Feature Film 2015. His last fiction film THE REFORMER. ZWINGLI: A LIFE’S PORTRAIT (2019) was the most success­­ful Swiss film at the Swiss box office in 2019. ZURICH DIARY celebrated its world premiere at the ZFF.

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A personal mirror image, poetically interweaving thoughts, reflections and voices of these confusing, emotional, threatening yet also beautiful and extremely vivid times.

A cinematic diary, personally rooted, from a political and social perspective, with the courage to be incomplete and partial. A film about the irritating simultaneity of the inner and outer world, of daily routine and the state of emergency.

NEW DOCS SHORTS

BEING SASCHA written & directed by Manuel Gübeli

Sascha’s name wasn’t always Sascha. But now it is. Sascha doesn’t identify as a man or as a woman, but as trans non-binary.

A story about what it means to live in a society that wasn’t expecting you. A glimpse into a life that allows us to question our own categories. And a film about what it means to be oneself.

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SWITZERLAND / GERMANY Documentary, 35 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, English, Swiss-German PRODUCTION: Sulaco Film GmbH, Basel / ZDF / 3sat PRODUCER: Peter Zwierko WORLD RIGHTS: Sulaco Film GmbH, Basel www.sulacofilm.ch WORLD PREMIERE: La Cabina Festival Inter­nacional de Mediometrajes de Valencia 2020

BURNT. LAND OF FIRE

Documentary

GRIGIO. TERRA BRUCIATA written & directed by Ben Donateo

SWITZERLAND / ITALY Documentary / Expanded, 14 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Italian PRODUCTION: Ben Donateo, Lugano / Jenny Covelli. Lugano / Enea Zucchetti, Massagno / D.R.C. Creativity Productions, Rome SWISS PRODUCERS: Ben Donateo, Jenny Covelli, Enea Zucchetti WORLD RIGHTS: Ben Donateo, Lugano www.bendonateo.com WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno Film Festival 2020

A portrayal of life in a small village of southern Italy. Hit by the migration of the young people to the north, it tells about what’s left and how the older generation live. Just like the elderly people ravaged by suffering, the walls of the unfinished houses have slowly faded into nature. The film is about a place that actually became like the citizens of the area, old.

NEW DOCS SHORTS

DESERT DOGS directed by Samuel Morris

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 20 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Arabic PRODUCTION: HILLTON AG, Zurich PRODUCERS: Gilles Germann, Moritz Schneider WORLD SALES: CUT-UP, Zurich www.cut-up.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Warsaw International Film Festival 2020

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Aya and Ibrahim are two young Moroccans who live life by their own rules, from one moment to the next. They represent what they call “the new generation of Morocco”, with the uprising Skateboarding culture in its centre.

LEAVERS

Dover, a small harbour town in South East England, January 31, 2020. A man walks his dog, a truck passes by, Great Britain leaves the European Union at 11 pm. A film about the difficulty of noticing political processes while you are busy with your daily life.

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 18 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: English PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Kezia Zurbrügg, Lucerne kzurbruegg@hotmail.com PRODUCER: Kezia Zurbrügg WORLD PREMIERE: Alcine Alcalá de Henares 2020

Documentary

written & directed by Kezia Zurbrügg

ÉCORCE written & directed by Samuel Patthey, Silvain Monney

In a hidden place where time seems suspended, a retirement home reveals its daily routine.

Drawn in pencil, the residents come to life on paper. Everyone is active, rests or bends to the schedule of medication, meals or games. Around them, machines blink, caregivers are busy and crucifixes remind them of the death that lies in wait. Time fades away and nearby, the forest stretches out.

SWITZERLAND Anidoc, 15 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Without dialogue ANIMATION TECHNIQUE: Drawing on paper PRODUCTION: DOK MOBILE, Fribourg / RTS PRODUCERS: Mark Olexa, Francesca Scalisi WORLD RIGHTS: DOK MOBILE, Fribourg www.dokmobile.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno Film Festival 2020

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Anidoc

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PEEL

SPIRITS AND ROCKS: AN AZOREAN MYTH

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SWITZERLAND / PORTUGAL Documentary, 14 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Portuguese PRODUCTION: À Vol d’Oiseau, Sion / DocNomads, Lisbon-BudapestBrussels SWISS PRODUCER: Aylin Gökmen WORLD RIGHTS: Aylin Gökmen, Sion aylin.gokmen.ch@gmail.com WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno Film Festival 2020

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ESPIRITOS E ROCHAS: UM MITO AÇORIANO written & directed by Aylin Gökmen On a volcanic island, inhabitants are caught between the threat of impending eruptions and the burden of past traumas. Some draw upon myth and religious beliefs to interpret their situation, while others demonstrate resil­ ience, rebuilding their villages from the volcanic rocks. Mirroring the ethereal atmosphere of the landscapes, the film gradually takes on the appearance of the stories it recounts.

NEW DOCS SHORTS

THE GAME DAS SPIEL written & directed by Roman Hodel

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 17 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German, English, Turkish PRODUCTION: Ensemble Film GmbH, Zurich / SRF PRODUCER: Franziska Sonder WORLD SALES: Ouat Media, Toronto www.ouatmedia.com FESTIVAL DISTRIBUTION: Square Eyes, Nijmegen www.squareeyesfilm.com WORLD PREMIERE: Venice 2020

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A whistle. It gets loud in the spectator stands. The players protest angrily. The commentators follow the action on the field.

In the middle of it, the referee.

The whole stadium watches him.

Now he has to decide. With the referee Fedayi San we experience the highs and lows of a football game, what it means to earn respect on the field and to direct the energy of an entire stadium.

YOUR STREET

A street in the industrial area of Bonn, faceless, unobtrusive, unfinished. Warehouses, con­ struction sites and washing lines dominate. But little by little the grey present of the street is being charged with its past, which is linked to one of the most painful episodes in the history of reunified Germany. Are public memorials collective remembrance or collective repression?

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 7 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German and English PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Güzin Kar, Zurich www.guzin.ch PRODUCER: Güzin Kar WORLD PREMIERE: Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2020

Documentary

DEINE STRASSE written & directed by Güzin Kar

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written & directed by Felipe Monroy

SWITZERLAND / FRANCE / COLOMBIA Documentary, 112 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Spanish PRODUCTION: Adok Films, Geneva / Les Films d’Ici, Paris / Totiante DC, Bogota SWISS PRODUCER: José Michel Buhler

WORLD RIGHTS: Adok Films, Geneva www.adokfilms.net

Documentary

FELIPE MONROY * 1983 in Colombia. Felipe Monroy has a BA in Film from the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève).

He draws inspiration from his personal experience to tackle issues such as immigration, marginal life, how the violence of the past affect our present, and resilience. He is especially known for his documentary film TACACHO (2013), which premiered in Nyon and screened at various festivals.

His previous film, LOS FANTASMAS DEL CARIBE (2018) had its debut in Nyon’s International Competition.

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In Colombia, between 2002 and 2010, thousands of young people from the slums were kidnapped, tortured and murdered by the army, who paraded them in front of the media as dead guerrillas, to show that the government was winning the war against the guerrillas. The film recounts the struggle for truth and justice of three mothers of murdered young men and a non-commissioned officer who, at the risk of his life, denounced these abuses.

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written & directed by Nikola Ilić, Corina Schwingruber Ilić

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Fifteen years ago Nikola left Serbia to follow his heart to Switzerland. Since then his life is shared between two countries and three women: his mother, his grandmother and his wife. His mother has learning disabilities and has been dependent on the grandmother since ever.

As grandmother is getting older, Belgrade is now calling Nikola back home. A heartwarming balkan documentary about a son who’s trying to step into grandmother’s shoes.

WORLD RIGHTS: Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion AG, Zurich www.dvfilm.ch

Documentary

DIDA

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 80 min ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Serbian, Swiss-German, German PRODUCTION: Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion AG, Zurich / SRF PRODUCERS: Franziska Sonder, Karin Koch

NIKOLA ILIĆ * 1977 in Serbia.

CORINA SCHWINGRUBER ILIĆ * 1981.

Together they have directed a number of award-winning short documentaries, including KOD ĆOŠKA (2013), JUST ANOTHER DAY IN EGYPT (2015) and RAKIJADA (2016).

ALL INCLUSIVE (2018) shot

by Nikola and directed by Corina was selected at over 250 festivals including Venice, Toronto and Sundance.

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SOGNANDO UN’ISOLA

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written & directed by Andrea Pellerani

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 77 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Japanese PRODUCTION: Amka Films Productions SA, Savosa / RSI PRODUCERS: Tiziana Soudani, Gabriella de Gara

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

Documentary

ANDREA PELLERIANI * 1984. Andrea Pelleriani graduated from the CISA (Conservatorio Internazionale di Scienze Audiovisive) in 2007 and from the Geneva Uni­versity of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève) in 2009.

He works as an independent filmmaker.

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What would happen if everything stopped? If the engine gears of the economy jammed for good? The Japanese island of Ikeshima is a place that seems to be ahead of its time, showing us a possible future. The few remaining inhabitants live in a surreal setting, clinging firmly to a normality that seems however to escape them. A dream­ like journey, which forces us to think about our relation­ ship with the planet but also about social isolation and loneliness.

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HAPPY PILLS

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written & directed by Arnaud Robert, Paolo Woods 22

A journey through six different countries and characters into a world where chemistry is the ultimate response to human pursuits of well-being. From antidepressants to opioid pain or stimulant medication, the film questions our whole consumer society and the so-called Eldorado of prescribed happiness.

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: Intermezzo Films, Geneva www.intermezzofilms.ch

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 90 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, French, Hebrew, Spanish, Shipibo, Zarma PRODUCTION: Intermezzo Films, Geneva / RTS / SRG SSR / ARTE PRODUCER: Luc Peter

ARNAUD ROBERT * 1976. Arnaud Robert has directed three documentaries that won awards at Vues d’Afrique festival in Montreal and Jean Rouch Festival in Paris. His medium-length film, GANGBÉ! (2015), premiered at Visions du Réel festival in Nyon.

PAOLO WOODS * 1970 in the Netherlands.

Paolo Woods is a photographer.

He published books on oil networks, Iran, Chinese in Africa, Haiti and on tax havens. He has received two World Press Photos awards. HAPPY PILLS is his first film.

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written & directed by Marie-Eve Hildbrand

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HEALERS

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 79 min ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French PRODUCTION: Bande à part Films, Lausanne / SRG SSR PRODUCERS: Jean-Stéphane Bron, Agnieszka Ramu

WORLD RIGHTS: Bande à part Films, Lausanne www.bandeapartfilms.com

Documentary

MARIE-EVE HILDBRAND * 1978. Marie-Eve Hildbrand works as director of documen­ taries, short fiction films and advertising. She studied at the École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (ECAL). In 2017 she was awarded at the Swiss Film Awards with a Special Academy Award for the casting and voice direction in MY LIFE AS A ZUCCHINI

by Claude Barras. She is cofounder of the Terrain Vague film collective. The documen­ tary project, HEALERS, won the Migros Culture Percentage Swiss Documentary film competition in 2018.

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Ausculting the bodies, probing the recesses of the human psyche, the film sketches the contours of tomorrow’s medicine in the present tense. Through universal characters, it paints the portrait of a health system in the throes of change. And asks a philosophical question: are we ready to become immortal?

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Samir struggles with love and perspectives in a country with limited possibilities. He fights for a brighter future, but the clash of cultures troubles his whole family’s life.

WORLD RIGHTS: freihändler Filmproduktion GmbH, Basel www.freihaendler.ch

Documentary

LOVE WILL COME LATER

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 80 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, Arabic, Berber PRODUCTION: freihändler Film­produktion GmbH, Basel / Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK / SRF PRODUCERS: Franziska Sonder, Stella Händler

JULIA FURER * 1990. Julia Furer graduated with a Bachelor in Film from the Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU), Video Department in 2015. She is currently studing Directing at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). With her short documentary JULIAN (2015) she participated at the EFP talent programme FUTURE FRAMES – Ten New Film­ makers To Follow at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

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EVA VITIJA * 1973. Eva Vitija holds a degree as screenwriter from the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB). She has written for cinema and tele­vision, including the screen­ plays of MEIER, MARILYN, MADLY IN LOVE and SUMMER­BIRDS. Her first feature-length documentary MY LIFE AS A FILM (2015) was nominated for the Swiss Film Award and a prize of the Inter­national Documen­ tary Association in Los Angeles.

The film garnered various awards, such as the Prix de Soleure and the Basel and Zurich Film Prizes.

SWITZERLAND / GERMANY Documentary, 90 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, French, German PRODUCTION: Ensemble Film GmbH, Zurich / Lichtblick Film- und Fernseh­ produktion, Cologne / ZDF/ ARTE / RSI / SRF SWISS PRODUCERS: Franziska Sonder, Maurizius Staerkle Drux

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Based on Patricia Highsmith’s personal writings and accounts of her family and lovers, the film casts new light on the famous thriller writer’s life and oeuvre, permeated by themes of love and its defining influence on identity.

WORLD RIGHTS: Ensemble Film GmbH, Zurich www.ensemblefilm.ch

Documentary

written & directed by Eva Vitija

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LOVING HIGHSMITH

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written & directed by Fisnik Maxhuni

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For the past 20 years, Olivier, a Frenchman, has lived on his own on a small island belonging to First Nations people. He is there alone, 200 kilometres from Yellowknife, the only city of Northwest Territories in Canada. One day, three visitors land on the island and disrupt his peace.

PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Close Up Films, Geneva www.closeupfilms.ch

Documentary

NOSTROMO

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 84 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French PRODUCERS: Flavia Zanon, Joëlle Bertossa

FISNIK MAXHUNI * 1989 in Kosovo. Fisnik Maxhuni was a refugee in Switzerland until 2005.

He studied film at ECAL / HEAD, completing his studies with a Master. His first film LOST EXILE (2016) premiered in Locarno and won a jury award.

He wrote and directed THE VALLEY OF HAPPINESS (2017), ZVICRA (2018) and ENDGAME (2020). Shot in Canada, NOSTROMO is his first film shot in North America. He is currently working on two feature films, THE LAND WITHIN ME and THE DUST OF DAWN.

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OSTROV – THE ISLAND

OSTROV – DIE INSEL

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written & directed by Svetlana Rodina, Laurent Stoop

LAURENT STOOP * 1965. Laurent Stoop has a degree in literature and photography. As DOP he shot various television and feature documentaries, including the award-winning and critically acclaimed CITIZEN KHODORKOVSKY (2016).

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 90 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Russian PRODUCERS: Corinna Dästner, Sonja Kilbertus

PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: DokLab GmbH, Bern www.doklab.com

Documentary

SVETLANA RODINA * 1975 in Russia. Svetlana Rodina graduated in Russian literature, philology and in film directing in Moscow. She is a screenwriter and director of documentaries. She has also worked as a host for various television programmes.

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A portrait of the island of Ostrov in the Caspian Sea, whose inhabitants, left alone by the Russian state after the collapse of the Soviet Union, survive through poaching. Ivan regularly goes out to sea risking his life and freedom. He believes that one day Putin will see their misery and help. His son Anton only relies on himself.

All he wants is to leave the island behind to find a liveable future elsewhere.

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MENSCHENSKIND !

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OUR CHILD written & directed by Marina Belobrovaja 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.

Documentary

SWITZERLAND WORLD RIGHTS: Documentary, 80 min.

GoldenEggProduction, Geneva www.goldeneggproduction.ch ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, Russian PRODUCTION: GoldenEggProduction, Geneva / SRF PRODUCER: Gabriela Bussmann

MARINA BELOBROVAJA * 1976 in the Ukraine. 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 consumption, 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 Belobrovaja received her PhD from the Uni­ versity of Art and Design Linz.

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LESIA KORDONETS * 1983 in the Ukraine.

Lesia Kordonets is deeply influenced by the social turmoil in her home country.

After moving to Switzerland in 2008, she wrote and directed several films in the Ukraine and Switzerland, which received numerous awards, among them best documentary at 33rd Munich International Festival of Film Schools, nomination best documentary at 15th First Steps Awards. She is currently completing her Master’s in Film at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 100 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Russian, Ukrainian PRODUCTION: Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion AG, Zurich / Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK / SRF PRODUCER: Karin Koch

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During the Paralympics in Sochi, the Russians annexed the Crimean peninsula. As a result, the Ukrainian team loses its training base, some even lose their citizenship.

While the borders around them are constantly being shifted, Ukrainian athletes in the war-torn country have to adapt to the new historical circumstances in order to qualify for the next Paralympics.

WORLD RIGHTS: Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion AG, Zurich www.dvfilm.ch

Documentary

written & directed by Lesia Kordonets

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written & directed by Maja Tschumi

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A new life begins for them in Rotzloch, for young men who have fled to Switzerland. From this godforsaken quarry they try to get back on the ground. Above all they are looking for contacts, relationships, love, sex. In the process they run into conflicts of which they had no idea.

WORLD RIGHTS: Distant Lights GmbH, Zurich www.distantlights.ch

Documentary

ROTZLOCH

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 94 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Arabic, Dari, Turkish, Farsi PRODUCTION: Distant Lights GmbH, Zurich PRODUCER: Kaspar Kasics

MAJA TSCHUMI * 1983. Maja Tschumi studied Philosophy and German Philology at the University of Zurich. During her studies, she worked as theatre critic, author of theatre plays and in 2012 was Assistant Dramatic Advisor at Theater Basel. She directed the short documen­ taries THE WITCHER (2016) and REGIMES (2019). Since 2017 she has been pursuing a Master’s in documentary directing at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne. She lives and works in Zurich, Cologne and Berlin.

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LUKA POPADIĆ * 1980. Luka Popadić’s films are as varied and surprising as his biography. The Swiss with Serbian roots returned to his parents’ home country in 2009, and graduated with a Master’s degree in Film Directing from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade in 2014. As an assistant director he worked in Chicago and Berlin before directing his own films. After several awardwinning short films, SWISS CITIZEN SOLDIERS is his first documentary feature.

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 90 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, French PRODUCTION: Beauvoir Films, Geneva / SRF / RTS PRODUCERS: Adrian Blaser, Aline Schmid

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Saad, Thruben and Andrija are Swiss militia officers. Like thousands of other Swiss, they spend four weeks each year in order to defend their country. But they are Muslim, speak Tamil and call themselves Secondos, children of migrants. The film is a long overdue cinematic insight into the Swiss army and brings the concepts of homeland, integration and alienation up to date.

WORLD RIGHTS: Beauvoir Films, Geneva www.beauvoirfilms.ch

Documentary

written & directed by Luka Popadić

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L’ART DU SILENCE

written & directed by Maurizius Staerkle Drux

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This is the first feature documentary about the legendary pantomime Marcel Marceau. He inspires several generations of artists, among them his grandson and family, who cast a new light on his life’s work. As a child, Marceau experiences the execution of his Jewish father by the nazis. A trauma that motivates him to join the French resistance and spurs his deep conviction in the art of silence.

WORLD RIGHTS: Beauvoir Films, Geneva www.beauvoirfilms.ch

Documentary

THE ART OF SILENCE

SWITZERLAND / GERMANY Documentary, 85 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, English, French PRODUCTION: Beauvoir Films, Geneva / Lichtblick Film- und Fernsehproduktion, Cologne / ZDF/ARTE / SRF / RTS SWISS PRODUCER: Aline Schmid

MAURIZIUS STAERKLE DRUX * 1988 in Germany. Maurizius Staerkle Drux studied film directing at Zurich Univer­sity of Arts (ZHdK). His debut film CONCRETE LOVE – THE BÖHM FAMILY (2014) screened around the globe, won several awards and was one of the five most successful documentary films in Germany in 2015. He works as sound designer and documentary filmmaker between Cologne and Zurich.

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written & directed by Valerie Blankenbyl

SWITZERLAND / AUSTRIA Documentary, 91 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: English PRODUCTION: CognitoFilms, Zurich / Golden Girls Filmproduktion & Filmservices GmbH, Vienna / SRF / ORF SWISS PRODUCERS: Dario Schoch, Rajko Jazbec

WORLD SALES: Deckert Distribution GmbH, Leipzig www.deckert-distribution.com

Documentary

VALERIE BLANKENBYL * 1984 in Austria. From 2003–08 Valerie Blankenbyl studied Graphics and Advertising at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. After a two-year Fabrica Art Residency in Italy, she completed her Master in Film at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). THE BUBBLE is her third feature-length documentary.

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In the “Villages”, the world’s largest retirement community, there are not only supermarkets, bars and restaurants.

From belly dancing to synchronized swimming, everything that a pensioner’s heart desires is offered. But what at first glance appears to be the fulfilment of the American dream, cracks upon closer inspection. After all, main­ taining this bubble has a price not only for its inhabitants, but also for the world around them.

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THE MUSHROOM SPEAKS

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What if the fungus would cure and radically change society? THE MUSHROOM SPEAKS explores possible alliances with the fungal reign. While tracing the outlines of a mysterious being, the film reveals the fungus as a true immune system of the planet and, by extension, of ourselves. As if in an uprising of spores, the encounters of the film address the theme of renewal, and question what connects us when the world seems to fall apart.

WORLD RIGHTS: Intermezzo Films, Geneva www.intermezzofilms.ch

Documentary

written & directed by Marion Neumann

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 90 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, English, French, Chinese, Japanese PRODUCTION: Intermezzo Films, Geneva PRODUCERS: Katia Monla, Luc Peter

MARION NEUMANN * 1977 in Germany. Marion Neumann is a Geneva-based filmmaker. She has a Master in documentary film/camera from the HFF in Munich. Her first feature THIS MOMENT IS NOT THE SAME (2010) was the result of a community experiment, and premiered at Visions du Réel. Her work as a cinematographer screened in many festivals, with films such as WILD PLANTS (2016),

by Nicolas Humbert, and NATURALES HISTORIAE (2019), by Pauline Julier.

THE MUSHROOM SPEAKS is her second feature-length film.

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SALOMÉ JASHI * 1981 in Georgia. Salomé Jashi studied journalism and worked as a reporter for several years. In 2005 she received a scholarship from the British Council to study documentary film at the Royal Holloway University in London. She then co-founded the production company Sakdoc Film in Tbilisi. Her film THE DAZZLING LIGHT OF SUNSET (2016) was awarded the main prize of the Visions du Réel, Regard Neuf competition and at ZagrebDox, Jihlava IDFF, Valdivia IDFF and various other festivals.

SWITZERLAND / GEORGIA / GERMANY Documentary, 90 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Georgian, Mingrelian PRODUCTION: Mira Film, Basel / Sakdoc Film, Tbilisi / Corso Film, Cologne / SRF / ARTE / Radio Bremen SWISS PRODUCER: Vadim Jendreyko

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The film is an ode dedicated to the rivalry between men and nature. A powerful man buys some 100-year-old trees, as tall as 15-floor buildings to excavate them along the Georgian coastline and collect them in his private garden. As the film accompanies this unique process, it portrays the needs and values of today’s Georgian society and reflects on the theme of forced migration, where “uprooting” is more than a metaphor.

WORLD SALES: Syndicado Film Sales, Toronto www.syndicadofs.com

Documentary

(WORKING TITLE) written & directed by Salomé Jashi

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written & directed by Pauline Julier

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The Future Circular Collider is the machine of the future.

Thanks to it, we will finally be able to go back in time to the origin of our universe. But which way do we go to set up the largest scientific instrument of all time? Between metaphysics and underground tunnels, a story of the preparations or how men are ready to move mountains for more knowledge.

PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Close Up Films, Geneva www.closeupfilms.ch

Documentary

WAY BEYOND

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 60 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, French PRODUCERS: Joëlle Bertossa, Flavia Zanon

PAULINE JULIER * 1981. Pauline Julier studied at the École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie d’Arles and obtained a Master SPEAP from The School of Public Affairs in Paris. She was awarded the Prix d’art fédéral suisse in 2010 and had a solo exhibition at the Swiss Cultural Centre in Paris (2017).

Her previous film, NATURALES HISTORIAE (2019), was selected in competition for Visions du Réel Nyon and DocLisboa.

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LUX written & directed by Raphaël Dubach, Mateo Ybarra

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The future of Africa belongs to women. A trip to seven African countries to meet powerful women determined to do everything possible to offer a better future to the African people.

2021

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L’AFRIQUE DES FEMMES written & directed by Mohammed Soudani

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SWITZERLAND Documentary, 90 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Jeunes Sauvages, Chêne-Bourg raphael.dubach@gmail.com PRODUCERS: Raphaël Dubach, Mateo Ybarra

SWITZERLAND / COTE D’IVOIRE Documentary, 90 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, French, Portuguese PRODUCTION: Amka Films Productions SA, Savosa / RSI / SRG SSR / Nikady’s Production, Abidjan SWISS PRODUCERS: Tiziana Soudani, Michela Pini, Amel Soudani WORLD RIGHTS: Amka Films Productions SA, Savosa www.amka.ch

THE FILMS AFTER TOMORROW LOCARNO 2020

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In Cape Verde, a man and a woman survive from day to day by eating shellfish that they catch along the rocky coast. They hope that their situation will improve thanks to the influx of tourists who are coming to fish for blue marlin, “the cheetah of the seas”.

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written & directed by Pierre-François Sauter

SWITZERLAND / PORTUGAL / ITALY Documentary, 90 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, Portuguese Creoles and pidgins PRODUCTION: Le Laboratoire Central, Lausanne / Terratreme Filmes, Lisbon / Qoomoon, Agrigento SWISS PRODUCER: Nadejda Magnenat WORLD RIGHTS: Le Laboratoire Central, Lausanne www.lelaboratoirecentral.com

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SUMMER 2021

SPRING 2021

BECOMING GIULIA

(IM)MORTELS

by Laura Kaehr

SWITZERLAND Documentary PRODUCTION: Point Prod, Geneva / SRF / RTS / RSI WORLD RIGHTS: Point Prod, Geneva

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by Lila Ribi

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

SPRING 2021

SUMMER 2021

IN SEARCH OF EUROPE

MARTIN SUTER

by André Schäfer

(working title)

by Vadim Jendreyko, director of THE WOMAN WITH THE 5 ELEPHANTS SWITZERLAND Documentary PRODUCTION: Mira Film, Zurich / SRF WORLD RIGHTS: Mira Film, Zurich

SWITZERLAND / GERMANY Documentary PRODUCTION: Filmgerberei GmbH, Zurich / Florianfilm GmbH, Cologne / SRF / SRG SSR / ARTE WORLD RIGHTS: DCM Film Distribution (Schweiz) GmbH, Zurich

WINTER 2021/22

WINTER 2021/22

STRAY BODIES

THERE WAS NOTHING HERE BEFORE

by Elina Psykou

GREECE / SWITZERLAND / ITALY / BULGARIA Documentary PRODUCTION: Jungle Films, Athens / Contrast Film Zürich GmbH, Zurich / Anemon Productions, Athens / DocLab, Rome / Red Carpet Productions, Sofia / ERT WORLD RIGHTS: Jungle Films, Athens

(working title)

by Yvann Yagchi, director of ACTA NON VERBA SWITZERLAND Documentary PRODUCTION maximage, Zurich / SRF / SRG SSR WORLD SALES: Paul Thiltges Distribution, Kehlen

DISTRIBUTION SUPPORT NON-EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Its aim is to strengthen the visibility and the distribution of Swiss films in Europe. The subsidies are granted according to the “Guidelines Funding for the distribution of Swiss films and coproductions in foreign countries”.

Applications must be submitted by the European distributor via the Swiss producer.

Its aim is to strengthen the visibility and the distribution of Swiss films outside of Europe. Eligible territories: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and USA. Applications must be submitted by the foreign distributor via the Swiss producer.

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

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

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Supporting the theatrical release of Swiss feature films in Europe.

Supporting the theatrical release of Swiss feature films in thirteen selected non-European territories.

SUPPORT MEASURES

DISTRIBUTION SUPPORT EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

FILM SALES SUPPORT

VOD SUPPORT

A scheme by the European Film Promo­ tion (EFP) for the promotion of Euro­ pean films outside of Europe.

FSS OPEN CALL: Available to European and Swiss sales companies selling Swiss films at selected festivals and markets through digital promotion campaigns.

READY-TO-USE DIGITAL PROMOTION CAMPAIGNS: This scheme encourages the creation of innovative universal digital promotion strategies (B2B/B2C)

by European sales com­panies.

Applications must be submitted online by the European sales company.

A support measure by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC), Media Desk Suisse and SWISS FILMS. Guidelines and application: www.efp-online.com/en/project_market/fss.php

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

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.

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

FINANCIAL AID AND SUPPORT MEASURES DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS Contact: support@swissfilms.ch

DISTRIBUTION SUPPORT for applicants (distributors and rights holders) with European and non-European distribution support

IF THE THEATRICAL RELEASE IS POSTPONED: – International distributors who have received a funding agreement from the Federal Office of Culture and who had confirmed the theatrical release may request the first instalment against proof of the distribution costs planned or already incurred within the scope of their application.

IF THE THEATRICAL RELEASE IS CANCELLED: – International distributors for whom the theatrical release had to be completed or terminated prematurely can request the second instalment upon receipt of an interim invoice for services already rendered.

FOR NEW CINEMA RELEASES: – Submission deadlines for distribution support will remain as such until further notice.

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SWISS FILMS SUPPORT DURING CORONA

METHOD OF PAYMENT FOR

VOD SUPPORT for applicants (rights holders and international distributors currently using alternative distribution)

FILM SALES SUPPORT (FSS) for applicants (sales)

– Applications for VOD Support for the distribution of Swiss films on international VOD platforms can be submitted at any time.

– Under the current circumstances, SWISS FILMS also accepts platforms that are not on the SWISS FILMS VOD list, provided there is a valid reason.

IF THE MARKET IS POSTPONED OR CANCELLED: – Costs incurred will be paid out against receipt and within the scope of the funding agreed upon.

FOR DIGITAL MARKETS: – Applications for support can be submitted within the scope of FSS. The share of costs is based on the regular FSS conditions.

– Additional applications for digital online campaigning may be submitted. SWISS FILMS follows the recommendations and guidelines of the European Film Promotion EFP. SWISS FILMS would like to point out that VOD Support is an alternative distribution tool for promoting Swiss films on VOD platforms.

Please consult our website for up-to-date information on our festival attendance. www.swissfilms.ch

SWISS FILMS is supported by

“ I like it that ‘queer’ is not that clear.”

Sascha in BEING SASCHA by Manuel Gübeli