Swiss Filmmaker Peter Liechti dies aged 63
The Swiss director, author and cinematographer Peter Liechti died on Friday, 4 April 2014 in Zurich at the age of 63 after suffering from a serious illness. With Peter Liechti, Swiss cinema loses one of its most exceptional filmmakers with a remarkable international career.
12.04.2014
With his documentaries and essays, Peter Liechti leaves behind a comprehensive and independent-minded opus, which has been shown at renowned film festivals worldwide and honoured with numerous retrospectives in New York, Rotterdam, Buenos Aires, Vienna, Leipzig and Berlin. He won the European Film Award in 2009 for “The Sound Of Insects – Record Of A Mummy”. In Switzerland, Peter Liechti won the Zurich Art Award and the Grand St. Gallen Cultural Award in 2010. His last film, “Father's Garden – The Love Of My Parents” was shown in the Forum competition section at the Berlin Film Festival in 2013 and was honoured with the Swiss Film Awards for Best Documentary Film and Best Editing in March 2014.
Peter Liechti was born in 1951 in St. Gallen and initially studied painting and worked as an arts teacher, before turning to filmmaking. His interest in music and writing have always influenced and enriched his approach to cinema. His aphorisms appeared in “Lauftext – ab 1985” and in “Klartext” he published the conversations and thoughts that motivated his film “Father’s Garden: The Love of My Parents” (Vexer Verlag). As script consultant and producer he was committed to younger generations. Numerous filmmakers found their own cinematic voice thanks to his sharp mind and critique. As a cinematographer, he left visual marks in the works of other filmmakers.
Zurich, April 7, 2014