2006 Summary of Swiss Films at International Festivals

This year’s big kick-off was the showing of the three documentary films at the Sundance Film Festival: “Angry Monk” by Luc Schaedler, “The Giant Buddhas” by Christian Frei, and “The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez” by Heidi Specogna. Also noteworthy were appearances at the Berlinale, where the feature film “Vitus” by Fredi M. Murer, “Nachbeben” by Stina Werenfels, and “Lenz” by Thomas Imbach celebrated their international premiere. The Swiss Day at the “All the Cinemas of the World” section in Cannes put Swiss filmmaking further into the limelight. In Locarno –where three Swiss productions screened at the Piazza Grande – the Golden Leopard went to a Swiss film for the first time in 21 years, with the award given to “Das Fraulein” by Andrea Staka. Similarly strong festival appearances were at Montreal’s “Festival des Films du Monde”, where “Ultima Thule” by Hans-Ulrich Schlumpf represented Switzerland in the international competition, and where actor Bruno Ganz was invited as a guest of honor. As a member of the jury in San Sebastian, Ganz was also honored for his participation in “Vitus”. In the new talent selection “Zabaltegi” in San Sebastian, the film “Wir werden uns wiederseh’n” by Oliver Paulus and Stefan Hillebrand was part of the festival competition.

Swiss animated films received special attention in 2006 as well, with films prominently featured and awarded at three of the four genre-specific festivals – Hiroshima, Ottawa, and Zagreb. Films that stood out were “Jeu/Play” by Georges Schwizgebel, “Banquise” by Claude Barras, and Cédric Louis, as well as “Tarte aux pommes” by Isabelle Favez. Short films – first and foremost “Wir sind dir treu” by Michael Koch and “Terra Incognita” by Peter Volkart – were shown at numerous important film festivals and received several awards.

Eight out of twelve festival competitions for feature-length films, which are recognized by the International Association of Film Producers (A-Festivals), showed films made in Switzerland. The spectrum of Swiss films was impressive due to its number and variety.

The film promotion agency SWISS FILMS supports the presence of Swiss films at foreign film festivals through networking and financial contributions of more than 230,000 Swiss francs, as well as the purchase of international film copies totaling 150,000 Swiss francs.

Zurich, November 22, 2006