Successful start of the year internationally for Swiss filmmaking

Twelve Swiss film productions will be screened in the programme of the 36^th Film Festival Max Ophuels Prize in Saarbrücken, which opens today, Monday, January 19. Approximately one third of the fiction films competing for the Max Ophuels Prize are Swiss productions: the successful debut film “Chrieg” by Simon Jaquemet; “Confusion” by Laurent Nègre; “Cure – The Life of Another” by Andrea Štaka; “Driften” by Karim Patwa; and “What’s Between Us” by Claudia Lorenz. The latter will also open the anniversary edition of the Solothurn Film Festival on Thursday, January 22.

Rotterdam: “Above and Below” competes for the Tiger Award
The promising documentary film “Above and Below” by Nicolas Steiner, the young director from Valais, will be screened in Saarbrücken in the Documentary Film Competition. Furthermore, it was selected for the coveted Hivos Tiger Awards Competition of the 44^th International Film Festival Rotterdam. For the first time in ten years, a Swiss film is thus in the running again for the esteemed Tiger Award, awarded to the director of a first or second feature film. Steiner has recently travelled around the globe with his debut film “Battle Of The Queens.” In addition, the documentary film “Broken Land” by Stéphanie Barbey and Luc Peter from the Romandy, as well as the short film productions “In August” and “Cábala Caníbal” are also on the programme in Rotterdam.

Eleven Swiss short films in Clermont-Ferrand
At the 37^th International Short Film Festival in Clermont-Ferrand, a total of eleven Swiss short film productions or coproductions will be screened, eight of which are in competitions. This a comparatively high number of Swiss film on the programme of the world’s most important short film festival. Two productions from French-speaking Switzerland – “Deadline” by Julia Bünter and “L’Offre” by Moïra Pitteloud – will be screened in the International Competition, as well as “Tišina Mujo” by Ursula Meier in the National Competition. SWISS FILMS is present with a stand at the Short Film Market in Clermont-Ferrand from February 2 – 6.

Berlinale: SWISS FILMS at European Film Market
The Berlinale has already confirmed that several Swiss films are on its programme for the 65^th edition. «Vergine Giurata» by Laura Bispuri, a Swiss coproduction by Borde Cadre Films and RSI with Italy, Germany, Albania and Kosovo, was selected for the prestigious Berlinale Competition and two productions by Dschoint Ventschr will be screened in the renowned Berlinale Panorama section: “Dora Or The Sexual Neuroses Of Our Parents” by Stina Werenfels, and “Iraqi Odyssey” by Samir. Furthermore, Swiss entries screened the following sections have already been announced: in Generation Kplus (“The Little Bird And The Squirrel” by Lena von Döhren, “Kacey Mottet Klein, Birth Of An Actor” by Ursula Meier, and “Messages dans l’air” by Isabelle Favez); in Berlinale Shorts (“La Isla está Encantada con Ustedes” by Alexander Carver and Daniel Schmidt); and in Perspektive Deutsches Kino (“Sibylle” by Michael Krummenacher). The complete programme will be announced on Tuesday, January 27.

Together with the Austrian Film Commission and Autlook world sales, SWISS FILMS will have a stand at the European Film Market EFM.

Parvaneh in Hollywood
Switzerland is also present at the 87^th Academy Awards in 2015. The Swiss short film “Parvaneh” by the ZHdK graduate Talkon Hamzavi is in the running for the most prestigious award in cinema in the Live Action Short Film category. The Oscar award ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on February 22, 2015. Filmmaker Talkhon Hamzavi and the film’s producer Stefan Eichenberger will take part in the glamorous event.

SWISS FILMS, January 19, 2015