Pierre Maillard

A sister and two brothers get into an argument concerning the fate of their deceased parents' home. What shall they do with it? Destroy it, or restore it? Sell it? Give it away or live in it? Let it rot, preserve it or set fire to it? What use is memory? Is it necessary to forget so as to be able to move on? Or should remembering be part of living? And what about the three wonderful magic masks bequeathed by the dead parents? Should they be worn, or set aside in a display? The potlatch is a ceremony during which people destroy their most precious belongings so that life can be reborn and continue. The potlatch is the gratuitous spending which provides the necessary basis. Potlatch the film is a multi-coloured portrait of young people at the turn of the century, caught between acceptance and rejection, interpreted by a company of 12 talented young actors.
www.potlatch-le-film.com
 

Directed by

Written by

Pierre Maillard, Jean-Marc Fröhle

Cinematography

Aldo Mugnier

Editing

Rodolfo Wedeles

Sound

Laurent Barbey, Florian Eidenbenz

Music

Arthur Besson, Florian Eidenbenz

Art Direction

Stéphane Levy

Lighting

Eric André

Costumes

Nathalie Tanner

Cast

Julien George, Anne-Shlomit Deonna, Olivier Lafrance, Fanny Brunet, Hélène Hudovernik, Nicole Bachmann, Felipe Castro, Antonella Vitali, Miami Themo, Alexandra Thys, Valentin Rossier

Original Version

French, colour, 35mm, 100 min.

Production

World Rights

World Sales

Distribution
Switzerland

World Premiere

October 2001

Awards

• Solothurn, Bundesamt für Kultur, Swiss Film Prize, Best Performance by an Actor 2002 (Nomination)
• Genève, Cinéma Tous Écrans, Prix TV5 du meilleur film francophone 2001