SWISS FILMS Docs Fall Booklet 2017

SWISS 2017 DOCS FALL

FILMS

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

Published in October 2017

SWISS FILMS DOCS FALL 2017

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NEW DOCS FEATURES FAVELA OLÍMPICA FELL IN LOVE WITH A GIRL GIRAFFES DON’T DO IT ANY DIFFERENTLY GLOW HAIRY I AM GENTRIFICATION. CONFESSIONS OF A SCOUNDREL OF SHEEP AND MEN PURE CHARCOAL TALKING MONEY THE CONGO TRIBUNAL WELCOME TO SWITZERLAND

13 NEW DOCS SHORTS 13 BLACK LINE 13 HYPERTABLE – ESSAY ON FRIENDSHIP

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INTIMITY LUNAR TRIBUTE RESISTANCE REWIND FORWARD

16 FESTIVAL FAVOURITES FEATURES 16 A CAMPAIGN OF THEIR OWN 16 BEFORE SUMMER ENDS 17 LUST FOR SIGHT 17 THE PARIS OPERA 18 FESTIVAL FAVOURITES SHORTS 18 EN LA BOCA 18 IN THE WOODS 19 COMING SOON 32 IN PRODUCTION

SWISS FILMS TEAM

CATHERINE ANN BERGER Managing Director caberger@swissfilms.ch T +41 76 368 02 65

SELINA WILLEMSE Head of Festivals & Markets swillemse@swissfilms.ch T +41 79 286 51 88

AIDA SULJICIC Head of Programmes & Consultant Documentaries asuljicic@swissfilms.ch T +41 77 431 87 79

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

NEW DOCS FEATURES E FIR UR

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FAVELA OLÍMPICA

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by Samuel Chalard The film unfolds in Rio de Janeiro on both sides of the wall separating the new Olympic Stadium and the favéla Vila Autódromo. Nothing prevents the co-existence of these two worlds but some judge them “incompatible” including Rio’s Mayor. His wish to reclaim this area, reserved for Rio’s poor since the 1990s, sets off a lopsided power struggle as people with little means fight to keep their home. Meanwhile, the Opening Ceremony approaches.

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: SWITZERLAND Frédéric Gonseth Productions, Documentary, 93 min., 2017 Grandvaux ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: T +41 21 351 05 11 Portuguese www.fgprod.ch PRODUCTION: WORLD PREMIERE: Frédéric Gonseth Productions, Locarno Festival 2017 Grandvaux

SAMUEL CHALARD * 1973 in Lausanne, joint Swiss and French citizenship.

Samuel Chalard studied film at ECAL (École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne) and works as an independent director since 2000. He is especially known for his short fiction film THE PRINCE OF JAPAN (2010), which premiered at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival. His first feature FAVELA OLÍMPICA premiered at the 70th Locarno Festival (Critic’s Week).

NEW DOCS FEATURES

FELL IN LOVE WITH A GIRL

by Kaleo La Belle

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 119 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, German PRODUCTION: La Belle Film GmbH, Zurich / SRF / Recycled TV AG, Bern NARRATOR: Peter Mettler

WORLD RIGHTS: La Belle Film GmbH, Zurich T +41 78 790 06 49 www.labellefilm.com WORLD PREMIERE: Zurich Film Festival 2017

Documentary

KALEO LA BELLE * 1973 in Maui, USA. Joint Swiss and American citizenship. Kaleo La Belle studied at the University for Electronic Arts in New York, art and video department, as well as at the renowned Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU), video department. La Belle shot several experimental short films before he directed his first feature length documentary BEYOND THIS PLACE (2010), which was awarded as Best Swiss Film at Visions du Réel in Nyon and as Best Documentary at Krakow Film Festival.

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A film about longstanding relationships, family, and the deep consequences of falling in love. While exploring the themes of love in music, poetry and art, the filmmaker reflects on his life and the journeys on which love has taken him. Now, a new journey will test him again, an intercontinental exodus to keep his family together. A real and intimate portrait about the complexity of love.

NEW DOCS FEATURES

GIRAFFES DON’T DO IT ANY DIFFERENTLY – A FILM ABOUT FATHERS AND FAMILY

GIRAFFEN MACHEN ES NICHT ANDERS – DIE VATERSPUR

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by Walo Deuber More than 300 letters sent from Africa surface unexpectedly, and a story comes back to life from out of oblivion.

The author decides to pursue the long-since deceased letter writer: his father, who had left his son in the lurch in the 1950s. From Zambia to Namibia, he follows the course of the letters, thereby projecting his own narrative and passing it on to his adoptive daughter, whose roots go back to Africa.

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: SWITZERLAND Doc Productions GmbH, Zurich Documentary, 80 min., 2017 T +41 44 361 1194 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: www.docproductions.ch Swiss-German, German, WORLD PREMIERE: English Zurich Film Festival 2017 PRODUCTION: Doc Productions GmbH, Zurich / SRF

WALO DEUBER 1947– 2017. Born in Freiburg.

Walo Deuber studied Literature and History in Zurich and Berlin and received his PhD in 1976. Deuber worked as journalist and editor before he started working as screenwriter, author and director of films for cinema and tele­vision. He is especially known for his documentary FADING TRACES (1998), which premiered in Nyon and his fiction film REMEMBERING ANNA (2005), screened at Locarno Festival.

NEW DOCS FEATURES

GLOW

by Gabriel Baur

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 100 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Swiss-German, German, English PRODUCTION: ONIX Film GmbH, Zurich

WORLD RIGHTS: ONIX Film GmbH, Zurich T +41 44 272 38 00 www.onixfilms.com WORLD PREMIERE: Zurich Film Festival 2017 MORE INFORMATION: www.glow.film

Documentary

GABRIEL BAUR Obtained an MA in Cultural Anthropology, Psychology and Mass Communications and studied film at New York University. In 1983 she cofounded Onix Film. Baur is especially known for her documentary film VENUS BOYZ (2001), a festival hit, which was selected for the Locarno Festival, the Berlinale and for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival among others.

It was awarded in Locarno and nominated for a Swiss Film Award.

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She was a muse, model and performer – a star, dazzling and intense. Lady Shiva managed to rise from streetwalking to the top. She lived in the fast lane and died tragi­ cally young. Her dream was to become a singer. With her companions, we trace her life during a vibrant time that kindles a yearning and provokes until today. The film takes us on a rebel’s odyssey in search of identity, telling of an irrepressible desire for freedom in all its beauty and destructive force – and a stirring friendship and love.

NEW DOCS FEATURES

HAARIG

HAIRY

by Anka Schmid 6

In a playfully biographical manner, the director recounts her generation’s hairy stories. Whether as a body ornament, political statement or even in the soup, hair is omnipresent – even when shaven. With an ingenious fusion of real-life and archive footage as well as stop-motion technique, the anidoc discovers the tremendous potential of the body’s wispiest part in daily life and in art. A tingling feeling on the head is included.

Anidoc

WORLD SALES: Magnetfilm GmbH, Berlin T +49 30 246 28156 www.magnetfilm.de WORLD PREMIERE: Fantoche Baden 2017 INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE: DOK Leipzig 2017

SWITZERLAND Anidoc, 52 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German PRODUCTION: RECK Filmproduktion, Zurich / SRF / RSI

ANKA SCHMID * 1961 in Zurich. Attended DFFB (Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie, Berlin).

Since 1990 she works as an independent filmmaker and video artist; Schmid also teaches film and animation.

Her film AGAINST ALL ODDS (2011) screened at the Berlinale, WILD WOMEN – GENTLE BEASTS (2015) premiered at Visions du Réel.

NEW DOCS FEATURES DIE GENTRIFIZIERUNG BIN ICH. BEICHTE EINES FINSTERLINGS

I AM GENTRIFICATION. CONFESSIONS OF A SCOUNDREL

by Thomas Haemmerli

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 99 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, English PRODUCTION: ican films GmbH, Zurich / SRF

WORLD RIGHTS: ican films GmbH, Zurich T +41 44 252 33 59 www.ican-films.com WORLD PREMIERE: Zurich Film Festival 2017 (International Documentary Competition)

Documentary

THOMAS HAEMMERLI * 1964 in Zurich. Thomas Haemmerli works as author, journalist, columnist and film director. Haemmerli shot several experimental films before he directed his first feature documentary film SEVEN DUMPSTERS AND A CORPSE (2007). The awardwinning family saga on his messie mother was selected for many international film festivals such as Hot Docs in Toronto and the Locarno Festival.

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A humorous personal essay film addressing architecture, habitation, space, density, xenophobia, gentrification and urban development. The film’s main arc spans the author’s diverse living environments, beginning with his childhood in a rich neighborhood to militant squats, shared flats and yuppie abodes, as well as his various dwellings in such metropolises as Tiflis, São Paulo, Zurich and Mexico City.

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OF SHEEP AND MEN

DES MOUTONS ET DES HOMMES

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by Karim Sayad 8

Algiers, 2016. Habib, 16, dreams of becoming a vet.

Unable to study for his hoped-for profession, he has bought a sheep named El Bouq. His goal? Training the animal to become a fighting champion. Meanwhile, 42-year-old Samir no longer has any dreams and just wants to sell enough sheep before Eid to make ends meet.

Documentary

WORLD SALES: Autlook Filmsales GmbH, Vienna T +43 720 34 69 34 www.autlookfilms.com WORLD PREMIERE: Toronto International Film Festival 2017

SWITZERLAND / FRANCE / QATAR Documentary, 78 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Arabic PRODUCTION: Close Up Films, Geneva / Norte Productions, Paris / Doha Film Institute, Doha

KARIM SAYAD * 1984 in Lausanne. Joint Swiss and Algerian citizenship.

After getting a Master’s degree in International Relations from Geneva’s Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID), Karim Sayad directed his first short documentary film, BABOR CASANOVA (2015), also produced by Close Up Films. It was awarded at doclisboa, the Festival dei Popoli in Florence and the Inter­national Short Film Festival Clermont-Ferrand among others.

NEW DOCS FEATURES KÖHLERNÄCHTE

PURE CHARCOAL

by Robert Müller

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 92 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Swiss-German PRODUCTION: Zeitraum Film GmbH, Adliswil / SRF

WORLD RIGHTS: Zeitraum Film GmbH, Adliswil T +41 44 501 73 33 www.zeitraumfilm.ch WORLD PREMIERE: DOK Leipzig 2017

Documentary

ROBERT MÜLLER * 1962. Robert Müller studied sculpture and animation film at ESAV (École Supérieure d’Art Visuel Genève). He works as an artist and lectures at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. His last film FAUSTRECHT (RULE OF THE FISTS) (2006), a longterm documentary on violent teenagers, premiered at Visions du Réel, International Competition.

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Wearing heavy rubber boots, Fränz Röösli climbs atop his charcoal pile and starts poking holes into what he calls the “Grind” – the dome of the pile, which reaches four meters above ground. White smoke rises from the holes, curling around the charcoal burner to the whims of the wind before it is carried off into the dark of night. In calm, stunning images, the documentary draws the viewer into the archaic world of charcoal burning.

NEW DOCS FEATURES

TALKING MONEY

by Sebastian Winkels 10

A film about our relationship with money. Customers on five continents meet with their bank consultants. A business relationship on a personal level. Questions, anxieties, offerings, decisions. Values are negotiated, soliciting, wavering, giving and taking. The currency is called trust.

The conversation at the table serves as the film’s interface and narrative space. How do we talk about money?

A global connection.

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: solo:film, Berlin T +49 30 257 62 40 WORLD PREMIERE: Visions du Réel Nyon 2017

GERMANY / SWITZERLAND / GEORGIA Documentary, 90 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, English, French, Swiss-German, Arabic, Georgian, Italian, Spanish PRODUCTION: solo:film, Berlin / Catpics AG, Adliswil / Zurich / Zazarfilm Ltd., Tiblissi / rbb / SRF

SEBASTIAN WINKELS * 1968 in Germany. German citizenship. Sebastian Winkels studied directing at HFF (Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen Konrad Wolf). He works as author, director, cine­matog­­ rapher and editor. Winkels is especially known for his documentary NICHT ALLES SCHLUCKEN (2015), which premiered at DOK.fest München.

NEW DOCS FEATURES DAS KONGO TRIBUNAL

THE CONGO TRIBUNAL

MILO RAU * 1977 in Bern. Milo Rau is one of Switzerlands most acclaimed theatre directors.

In 2007 he founded the theatre and film production company Inter­national Institute of Political Murder (IIPM). He is known for his documentary films THE LAST DAYS OF THE CEAUSESCUS (2010) and THE MOSCOW TRIALS (2014).

Rau works as a journalist, author and lecturer. THE CONGO TRIBUNAL is his third feature length documentary.

GERMANY / SWITZERLAND WORLD SALES: Documentary, 100 min., 2017 MAGNETFILM GmbH, Berlin ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Frauke Knappke German, French, English, T +49 177 743 44 29 Swahili, Congolese frauke.knappke@ PRODUCTION: magnetfilm.de Fruitmarket Arts und Medien WORLD PREMIERE: GmbH, Cologne / Langfilm – Locarno Festival 2017 Bernard Lang AG, Freienstein / Int’l Institute of Political Murder IIPM, Berlin / Zurich / SRF / SRG SSR / ZDF in collabo­ration with ARTE

Documentary

In the form of a tribunal with an international cast and filmed on-location in Eastern Congo and in Berlin, the film examines the causes and backgrounds for the war now ongoing for almost 20 years in the Great Lakes region. The result is a humanly harrowing, profound analytic tableau of the neo-colonial world order.

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by Milo Rau

NEW DOCS FEATURES

WELCOME TO SWITZERLAND

WILLKOMMEN IN DER SCHWEIZ

by Sabine Gisiger 12

In the summer of 2015, one million refugees seek sanctuary in Europe. 40,000 reach Switzerland. Andreas Glarner, mayor of the wealthiest municipality in Aargau, wants to set an example and refuses to accommodate ten refugees in his village. Johanna Gündel, student and daughter of a local vegetable farmer, fights this policy with like-minded villagers.

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion AG, Zurich T +41 44 456 30 20 www.dvfilm.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno Festival 2017

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 83 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German PRODUCTION: Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion AG, Zurich / SRF / Aleppo Films, Zurich

SABINE GISIGER * 1959 in Zurich. Sabine Gisiger studied History in Zurich and Pisa. She’s a lecturer on documentary films at Zurich University of the Arts and Lucerne School of Art & Design. She is known for YALOM’S CURE (2014) which was an inter­ national box office success.

It was theatrically released in more than 15 countries.

LIGNE NOIRE

by Mark Olexa, Francesca Scalisi

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 10 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Bengali PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: DOK MOBILE, Fribourg T +41 79 718 48 91 www.dokmobile.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Int’l Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2017

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A woman fishing in turbid waters, a suffering nature, the broken chant of the muezzin, all linked by a thin, black line.

Documentary

NEW DOCS SHORTS

BLACK LINE

HYPERTABLE – ESSAY ON FRIENDSHIP

I asked a few friends to give me some of their time and an object, in order for us to try and understand together what binds us.

And, fragment by fragment, out of the sounds and the images we produced, surfaces the friendship archipelago.

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 20 min., 2016 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: French, Italian, Swiss-German, English PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Filippo Filliger, Geneva T +41 78 654 69 23 23f@10111.org WORLD PREMIERE: Visions du Réel Nyon 2017

Documentary

HYPERTABLE – ESSAI SUR L’AMITIÉ

by Filippo Filliger

NEW DOCS SHORTS

INTIMITY

by Elodie Dermange

As she is showering, dressing, putting on her make-up, a woman bares her soul. She speaks of her fears, her complexes, and the process of accepting – even loving – herself. Insecure, she loves neither her body nor her face. Then, one day, she starts posing as a photography model for a friend. With the passing of time, the photographs reveal to her the beauty of herself.

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Anidoc

SWITZERLAND Anidoc, 5 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: English PRODUCTION: Nadasdy Film Sarl, Geneva / RTS WORLD RIGHTS: Nadasdy Film Sarl, Geneva T +41 22 300 20 54 www.nadasdyfilm.ch WORLD PREMIERE: DOK Leipzig 2017

LUNAR TRIBUTE

Documentary

by Robert Lewis

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 40 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: English PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Robert Lewis, Bern T +41 76 441 19 81 www.rob-lewis.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Margaret Mead New York 2017 MORE INFORMATION: www.lunar-tribute.com

Astronaut Charlie Duke became the tenth and youngest person to walk on the moon. Duke describes the anticipation, sights, and sounds of his outer-space voyage.

Interviews are intercut with propulsive and captivating footage of drummer Jojo Mayer, echoing the thrill of travel through the cosmos.

RÉSISTANCE

by Laurence Favre

SWITZERLAND Documentary / Experimental, 11 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Without dialogue PRODUCTION: Laurence Favre, Geneva / Matza, Geneva WORLD RIGHTS: Laurence Favre, Geneva T +41 77 457 51 19 laurencefb@gmail.com WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno Festival 2017

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Beyond its majestic appearance, sporadic elements reveal the glacier’s fragility. Objects regurgitated through the melt witness the presence of mankind. Sounds of collapsing ice blocks con­ tinuously reveal the symptoms of an evident decrease. And yet in tension this magnificent and frightening body of ice and stones stands, impressive, resisting.

Documentary / Experimental

NEW DOCS SHORTS

RESISTANCE

REWIND FORWARD

All his life, Justin managed to escape his own story. But his past catches up with him when he finds a box full of old family VHS tapes.

A film that begins as an homage to his deceased father develops into an attempt to no longer be a stranger to his own mother.

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 24 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Swiss-German, English PRODUCTION: La Belle Film GmbH, Zurich / SRF WORLD RIGHTS: La Belle Film GmbH, Zurich T +41 78 790 06 49 www.labellefilm.com WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno Festival 2017

Documentary

by Justin Stoneham

FESTIVAL FAVOURITES FEATURES

directed by Lionel Rupp produced by Michael Mitchell

Jonathan is convinced that Bernie Sanders is the only hope for transforming America. Swept up by his enthusiasm for the Socialist Senator, he joins thousands of activists in New York City to get him on the 2016 presidential ballot. But as the primaries come to an end, Jonathan accuses the Democratic Party of cheating and being responsible for the defeat of “Bernie”.

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 74 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: English PRODUCTION: Zooscope Production, Lausanne WORLD SALES: Rushlake Media GmbH, Cologne T +49 221 58 83 21 80 www.rushlake-media.com WORLD PREMIERE: Visions du Réel Nyon 2017 MORE INFORMATION: acampaignoftheirown.com

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Documentary

A CAMPAIGN OF THEIR OWN

BEFORE SUMMER ENDS

Documentary

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FEAT ST

SWITZERLAND / FRANCE Documentary, 80 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: French, Persian PRODUCTION: Intermezzo Films, Geneva / 4A4 Productions, Paris / RTS WORLD SALES: Upside Distribution, Puteaux www.upsidedistribution.com WORLD PREMIERE: ACID Cannes 2017 MORE INFORMATION: www.avantlafindelete.ch

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AVANT LA FIN DE L’ÉTÉ

by Maryam Goormaghtigh

After five years of studying in Paris, Arash has not adjusted to life there and decided to return to live in Iran. Hoping to change his mind, his two friends Hossein and Ashkan convince him to take a last trip through France.

SWITZERLAND / FRANCE Documentary, 85 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: French, English PRODUCTION: Bande à part Films, Lausanne / RTS / Les Films du Tambour de Soie, Marseille WORLD RIGHTS: Bande à part Films, Lausanne T +41 21 311 90 34 www.bandeapartfilms.com WORLD PREMIERE: Visions du Réel Nyon 2017 MORE INFORMATION: www.lafureurdevoir.com

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Faced with the threat of blindness, the director has launched himself into a quest to find out what visual perception means. His “lust for sight” fuels an initiatory journey which plunges us into the world of vision, and attempts to answer the question: what does it mean to SEE?

FESTIVAL FAVOURITES FEATURES

LA FUREUR DE VOIR

by Manuel von Stürler

Documentary

LUST FOR SIGHT

THE PARIS OPERA

In turn ironic, light-hearted and cruel, encompassing music and ballet, the film turns the spotlight on great passions, and tells the story of life behind the scenes at one of the most prestigious performing arts institutions in the world.

FRANCE / SWITZERLAND Documentary, 110 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French PRODUCTION: Les Films Pelléas, Paris / Bande à part Films, Lausanne / RTS / Orange Studio / France 2 Cinéma WORLD SALES: Les Films du Losange, Paris T +33 1 44 43 87 28 b.vincent@filmsdulosange.fr www.filmsdulosange.fr

Documentary

L’OPÉRA DE PARIS

by Jean-Stéphane Bron

FESTIVAL FAVOURITES SHORTS

by Matteo Gariglio

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 25 min., 2016 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Spanish PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Matteo Gariglio, Luzern T +41 78 832 14 77 info@matteogariglio.com www.matteogariglio.com WORLD PREMIERE: Int’l Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2016

In Buenos Aires, the Molina family lives and works in the shadows of the legendary Boca Juniors stadium. Selling fake tickets to the soccer games, they constantly get in conflict with the corrupt police.

As her family sinks deeper into this underworld, the mother tries in vain to keep them all from falling apart.

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Documentary

EN LA BOCA

IN THE WOODS

Documentary

INS HOLZ

by Corina Schwingruber Ilić, Thomas Horat

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 13 min., 2017 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Swiss-German PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Mythenfilm, Schwyz T +41 41 820 02 72 thomas@mythenfilm.ch www.mythenfilm.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Clermont-Ferrand 2017

Snow, ice, sweat and the sound of chainsaws. Every four years, over a period of three months in winter, wood is cut in a steep mountain forest above Lake Aegeri in the Canton of Zug and prepared for log rafting. Neither technology nor progress has been able to replace this traditional craft.

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A LONG WAY HOME

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by Luc Schaedler 20

Five Chinese artists stand at the centre of the film: the modern dancer Wen Hui, the writer Ye Fu, the cartoonist Pi San and the visual artists Gao Brothers. They are part of a fragile yet courageous counterculture. Taking their own family stories as starting points, they explore the echoes of the past in order to understand the predicaments of the present. Increasingly, their struggle for a democratic civil society seems as relevant for the world today as it is for China.

Documentary

WORLD SALES: Wide House, Paris T +33 1 53 95 04 64 www.widehouse.org

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 73 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Chinese PRODUCTION: go between films GmbH, Zurich / Recycled TV AG, Bern / SRF

LUC SCHAEDLER * 1963 in Switzerland. Luc Schaedler studied visual anthropology and film at Zurich University. He started documentary filmmaking in 1995. In 2001 he founded go between films gmbh. He is known for MADE IN HONG KONG (1997), screened in competition at DOK Leipzig, ANGRY MONK (2005), selected for the Sundance Film Festi­­­val (World Cinema) and WATERMARKS – THREE LETTERS FROM CHINA (2013), which premiered at the Locarno Festival (Semaine de la critique).

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BECOMING ANIMAL

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by Peter Mettler, Emma Davie

EMMA DAVIE * 1965 in Glasgow. Emma Davie is a filmmaker and head of film and television at Edinburgh College of Art. I AM BREATHING (2013) won a Scottish BAFTA and played in over 50 countries.

SWITZERLAND / SCOTLAND Documentary, 90 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: English PRODUCTION: maximage GmbH, Zurich / Scottish Documentary Institute, Edinburgh / SRF

WORLD RIGHTS: maximage GmbH, Zurich T +41 44 274 88 66 www.maximage.ch / Scottish Documentary Institute, Edinburgh T +44 131 651 58 74 scottishdocinstitute.com

Documentary

PETER METTLER * 1958 in Toronto. Peter Mettler is an award-winning filmmaker, especially known for PICTURE OF LIGHT (1994), GAMBLING, GODS AND LSD (2002) and THE END OF TIME (2012). GAMBLING, GODS AND LSD won the Grand Prix at Visions du Réel.

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Many of us say we want to feel more connected with the natural world, but what does this really mean? The film is a sensuous exploration into our animal being. Together with cult philosopher David Abram, we embark on a journey to explore how our sensory relationship with the “more than human” world has evolved. Facing an unprecedented loss of species in a natural world which we assumed would be a constant presence in our lives, the question arises: how did such a disconnect happen?

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BLUE NOTE RECORDS: BEYOND THE NOTES

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by Sophie Huber 22

The film explores the vision behind the iconic American jazz record label. Since 1939, Blue Note artists have been encouraged to push creative boundaries in search of uncompromising expressions. Through current recording sessions, rare archive and conversations with iconic Blue Note artists, the film reveals an intimate perspective of a legacy that continues to be vital in today’s political climate.

Documentary

WORLD SALES: Eagle Rock Entertainment, London T +44 20 88 70 56 70 www.eagle-rock.com

SWITZERLAND / UNITED STATES / GREAT BRITAIN Documentary, 85 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: English PRODUCTION: Mira Film GmbH, Zurich / SRF / RTS / Isotope Films, New York / Eagle Rock Entertainment, London / Teleclub

SOPHIE HUBER * 1971 in Bern. Sophie Huber studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles. She worked as a performer for several theatre and film productions and co­ founded the Berlin film collective hangover ltd.* Her awardwinning first documentary feature HARRY DEAN STANTON: PARTY FICTION (2012) be­­ came a huge festival hit. It premiered in Venice at the Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica and was selcted for the IDFA, SXSW, KVIFF and many more.

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CHRIS THE SWISS

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by Anja Kofmel

SWITZERLAND / CROATIA / GERMANY Anidoc, 85 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, Swiss-German, English, Spanish PRODUCTION: Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion AG, Zurich / Nukleus Film, Zagreb / MA.JA.DE. Filmproduktion, Leipzig

WORLD RIGHTS: Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion AG, Zurich T +41 44 456 30 20 www.dvfilm.ch

Anidoc

ANJA KOFMEL * 1982 in Lugano. Anja Kofmel studied animation at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Her Bachelor’s degree film CHRIGI (2009) has been awarded at numerous international film festivals. Since 2010 she has been working as animation and documentary filmmaker and illustrator. CHRIS THE SWISS is her first feature length anidoc film.

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Why are young men so fascinated by war? Today just as back in the nineties when war was raging in Ex-Yugoslavia? On January 7th 1992, the young Swiss journalist “Chris” Christian Würtenberg was found dead in Croatia.

Strangled with his scarf, still wearing the uniform of a platoon of international fighters. Twenty-five years later his cousin, director Anja Kofmel, researches Chris’ murder and tries to get to the bottom of these questions.

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DEATH AND THE LITTLE GIRL

DER TOD UND DAS MÄDCHEN (working title)

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by Christof Schäfer, Janos Tedeschi 24

Nearing the end of a long and successful acting career, Miriam Goldschmidt finds her powers as an actress increasingly on the wane. She struggles to memorize her lines and as her last projects threaten to fall apart, Miriam looks back on her turbulent life replete with great public success and intense personal turmoil. A fascinating and moving portrait of a grand actress between genius and madness.

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: Cineworx Filmproduktion GmbH, Zurich T +41 44 500 40 81 cineworxfilmproduktion.ch

SWITZERLAND / FRANCE Documentary, 85 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, French, English PRODUCTION: Cineworx Filmproduktion GmbH, Zurich / Les Produits Frais, Paris / SRF

CHRISTOF SCHÄFER * 1981 in Basel. He studied Digital Film Making at SAE, Zurich, Postindustrial Design as well as Integrative Design at the Academy of Art and Design Basel. Since 2014 works as independent author and documentary filmmaker.

JANOS TEDESCHI * 1983 in Basel. He studied at the Academy of Art and Design in Basel, Musical Composition at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and Gemological Sciences at AIGS in Bangkok.

Works as filmmaker, cinematographer and designer.

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DIGITAL KARMA

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by Mark Olexa, Francesca Scalisi

MARK OLEXA * 1984 in Biel. Joint Swiss and Czech citizenship. He attended Prague Film School and ZeLIG in Bolzano.

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 80 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Bengali PRODUCTION: DOK MOBILE, Fribourg

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A film about the four-year journey of a girl named Rupa.

It is the story of her dream and her endeavor to escape from a predetermined destiny. The tea gardens lost in the misty hills of northeastern Bangladesh are the background to Rupa’s struggle. She fights against a life of hardships and against the perspective of an arranged marriage. Will she search independence or give in to the pressure of this ancient land?

WORLD RIGHTS: DOK MOBILE, Fribourg T +41 79 718 48 91 www.dokmobile.ch

In 2012 Scalisi and Olexa founded DOK MOBILE. Together they have directed several documentaries such as MORIOM (2015), premiere at IDFA, and HALF-LIFE IN FUKUSHIMA (2016), premiere at Visions du Réel.

Documentary

FRANCESCA SCALISI * 1982 in Bergamo. She received her degree from ZeLIG in Bolzano.

E

COMING SOON

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ECTE XP

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D

WINTER 2018

GENESIS 2.0

ECTE XP

by Christian Frei, Maxim Arbugaev 26

The hunt for white gold at the remotest edge of Siberia reveals a scenario of the future that will turn our world upside down.

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: Christian Frei Filmproduktion GmbH, Zurich T +41 44 481 70 66 christianfrei@gmx.ch

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 110 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Russian, English, Korean PRODUCTION: Christian Frei Filmproduktion GmbH, Zurich / SRF / ZDF / ARTE

CHRISTIAN FREI * 1959. Christian Frei is one of Switzerland’s most acclaimed directors known for his films SPACE TOURISTS (2009), THE GIANT BUDDHAS (2005) and WAR PHOTOGRAPHER (2001), nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 74th Academy Awards.

MAXIM ARBUGAEV * 1991 in Tiksi, Russia. Maxim Arbugaev worked as a pro­ fessional ice hockey player from 1997– 2009. Studies documentary filmmaking at Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography in Moscow.

COMING SOON

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D

SPRING 2018

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ECTE XP

REVOLUTION REVISITED

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(working title)

ECTE XP

by Andreas Hoessli

SWITZERLAND / GERMANY / POLAND Documentary, 90 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, Persian, Polish PRODUCTION: Mira Film GmbH, Zurich / TM Film GmbH, Freiburg / Centrala, Lodz / ARTE / TVP

WORLD RIGHTS: Mira Film GmbH, Zurich T +41 43 960 36 84 www.mirafilm.ch

Documentary

ANDREAS HOESSLI Worked as Eastern European correspondent for Swiss news­ papers as well as a reporter for Swiss television. He is especially known for his documentary DEVILS DON’T DREAM (1995) which premiered at Locarno Festival and was presented within Berlinale Forum 1996, where it was awarded with the Peace Award. His film EPOCA (2002) celebrated its world premiere at Berlinale and was selected for the IDFA among other international festivals.

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A young war journalist witnesses the 1980 Polish uprising.

Almost 40 years later, now an award-winning film director, he returns to Poland to investigate how people experience decisive moments in history. Following the footsteps of Ryszard Kapuscinski, Polish darevil war correspondent, he continues his journey to Iran, the country of a great revolution. This meditative search between Poland and Iran leads to the emotional legacy of revolutions.

E

COMING SOON

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ECTE XP

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D

SPRING 2018

STRAY BULLET

ECTE XP

by Jean-Cosme Delaloye 28

Hundreds of deaths are caused by stray bullets every year in America … innocent lives caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. In Paterson, a town 20 minutes from New York City, gangs rule the streets. The film chronicles the fall and attempt at redemption of Paterson citizens after the killing of 12-year-old Genesis Rincon.

It explores the many connections between the people impacted by this tragedy.

Documentary

WORLD SALES: Cargo Film & Releasing, New York T +1 212 995 81 39 www.cargofilm-releasing.com

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 71 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: English PRODUCTION: Tipi’mages Productions sàrl, Geneva / RTS

JEAN-COSME DELALOYE * 1975 in Switzerland. JeanCosme Delaloye works as a journalist and director in New York City. Since 2009 he specializes in radio docu­ mentaries on Central America.

LA PRENDA (THE PAWN), his previous documentary film premiered at Hot Docs in 2015 and was selected by many festivals including FICG in Guadalajara, Mill Valley and the FIFDH in Geneva. STRAY BULLET is his third feature film.

COMING SOON

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D

ECTE XP

ECTE XP

THE PHILOSOPHERS’ SCHOOL

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À L’ÉCOLE DES PHILOSOPHES

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SPRING 2018

by Fernand Melgar

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 98 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French PRODUCTION: Fernand Melgar, Lausanne / RTS

WORLD SALES: CAT & Docs, Paris T +33 1 44 59 63 53 www.catndocs.com

Documentary

FERNAND MELGAR * 1961 in Tangiers. SwissSpanish dual citizen Fernand Melgar is one of the most renowned Swiss representatives of politically engaged cinema and is especially known for his award-winning documentary trilogy THE FORTRESS (2008), SPECIAL FLIGHT (2011) and THE SHELTER (2014), all on the topic of foreigners and the Swiss migration system.

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The first experiences for five mentally handicapped children entering school, who will have to learn how to get along with the others: an almost impossible task, as they seem to be closed to the outside world. But gradually, the class takes shape before our eyes as the students move towards and against everything, much to the amazement and delight of their parents. The adventure of a small group of children different from the others, who open themselves to life and to the world.

E

COMING SOON

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ECTE XP

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D

SPRING 2018

THE VOYAGE OF BASHÔ

LE VOYAGE DE BASHÔ

ECTE XP

by Richard Dindo 30

A fictionalized documentary about the great Japanese poet Bashô (1644–1694), the spiritual father of Haiku poetry. A monk plays the role of Bashô and walks through the Japanese countryside, following the tracks of the poet’s travel diaries. On the way he writes many of his famous haiku poems. A film about poetry, meditation, zen buddhism and a view of untouched, virgin nature, seen and to understand as a lost paradise.

Documentary

WORLD RIGHTS: Lea Produktion GmbH, Zurich T +41 44 462 46 93 richard.dindo@bluewin.ch / PCT cinéma télévision, Martigny-Croix T +41 27 723 60 15 www.pctprod.ch

SWITZERLAND Documentary, 90 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French PRODUCTION: PCT cinéma télévision, Martigny-Croix / Lea Produktion GmbH, Zurich / RTS

RICHARD DINDO * 1944 in Zurich. Richard Dindo is internationally known for his films ERNESTO “CHE” GUEVARA: THE BOLIVIAN DIARY (1994) or GENET IN CHATILA (1999) and in Switzer­ land especially for his political films DIE ERSCHIESSUNG DES LANDESVERRÄTERS ERNST S. (1976) and GRÜNIN­ GERS FALL (1998). His latest film HOMO FABER (DREI FRAUEN) (2014) screened at Locarno Festival and doc­ lisboa among others.

COMING SOON

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D

D

SPRING 2018

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ECTE XP

WHERE ARE YOU, JOÃO GILBERTO?

ECTE XP

by Georges Gachot

SWITZERLAND / FRANCE / GERMANY Documentary, 100 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, Portuguese, French, English PRODUCTION: Gachot Films, Zurich / Idéale Audience, Paris / NEOS Film, Munich / BR / ARTE / RTS / SRF

WORLD SALES: Doc & Film International, Paris T +33 1 42 77 56 87 www.docandfilm.com

Documentary

GEORGES GACHOT * 1962 in France. Joint Swiss and French citizenship.

Georges Gachot studied piano and musicology and has been working as a film director since 1990. Gachot is known for his documentaries on musicians, composers and performers, like MARTHA ARGERICH, EVENING TALKS (2002) and his trilogy on Brazilian music: MARIA BETHÂNIA, MUSICA É PERFUME (2005), RIO SONATA (2010) and O SAMBA (2014).

With WHERE ARE YOU, JOÃO GILBERTO? Gachot successfully continues to depict the Brazilian music industry.

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The film sets out in the footsteps of German writer Marc Fischer who obsessively searched for the last musical legend of our time, the founding father of Bossa Nova, Brazilian musician João Gilberto. Fischer described his journey in a book, Hobalala, but committed suicide one week before it was published. By taking up Marc Fischer’s quest, following his steps one by one, thanks to all the clues he left us, we pursue João Gilberto to understand the history, the very soul and essence of Bossa Nova.

IN PRODUCTION

SPRING 2018

SPRING 2018

APOLLO MYSTERY

BLACK KITE

by Nicolas Wadimoff director of OPERATION LIBERTAD

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SWITZERLAND / CANADA Documentary PRODUCTION: Akka Films, Geneva / National Film Board of Canada, Montreal / RTS

MILAN NOIR

by Sergio Da Costa, Maya Kosa directors of RIO CORGO

SWITZERLAND Documentary PRODUCTION: Close Up Films, Geneva

SPRING 2018

SPRING 2019

CLOSING TIME

DIDA

(working title)

by Nicole Vögele director of FOG (NEBEL)

by Corina Schwingruber Ilić, Nikola Ilić directors of JUST ANOTHER DAY IN EGYPT

SWITZERLAND / GERMANY Documentary PRODUCTION: Beauvoir Films, Geneva / Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg

SWITZERLAND Documentary PRODUCTION: Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion AG, Zurich / SRF

SPRING 2019

FALL 2018

SUCHE NACH EUROPA

THE FEMALE TOUCH

by Vadim Jendreyko director of THE WOMAN WITH THE 5 ELEPHANTS

(working title)

by Barbara Miller director of FORBIDDEN VOICES

SWITZERLAND Documentary PRODUCTION: Mira Film GmbH, Zurich / SRF

SWITZERLAND / GERMANY Documentary PRODUCTION: Mons Veneris Films GmbH, Zurich / Das Kollektiv für audiovisuelle Werke GmbH, Zurich / Indi Film GmbH, Stuttgart / SRF / RTS / RSI / ARTE

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

SWISS FILMS is supported by

“ What is really behind it?”

Congolese miner in THE CONGO TRIBUNAL by Milo Rau