Academy Awards
Nine short films, one feature film and one documentary from Switzerland in the Oscar race
16.11.2023
A record number of nine short films from Switzerland are eligible for the 2024 Academy Awards this year: five short fiction films as well as two animation and two documentary films. This testifies to the diversity and high quality of short film production in Switzerland. In addition, Peter Mettler’s documentary film WHILE THE GREEN GRASS GROWS was submitted in the Documentary Feature Film category. Furthermore, the Oscar campaign is in full swing for THUNDER, which is in the running for a nomination in the International Feature Film category.
Films that have been honoured with awards at so-called Oscar-qualifying international festivals are eligible for the short film categories of the Academy Awards. The following short fiction films are in the running for a nomination in the Live Action Short Film category: Lea Bloch’s LAST NIGHT, which garnered two awards at the Locarno Film Festival and has just been screened at the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur. Jorge Cadena’s FLORES DEL OTRO PATIO was honoured with the Grand Prix at the Encounters Film Fest and nominated as a European Short Film.
Kevin Haefelin’s THE FUSE qualifies thanks to winning the Live Action Jury Award at the New Hampshire Film Festival and also made the BAFTA Student Awards Shortlist. The film will run in cinemas in New York and L.A. at the end of November. Zoel Aeschbacher’s film FAIRPLAY has already been screened at more than 150 festivals worldwide and has been honoured with awards at the short film festivals in Clermont-Ferrand and in Leuven, among others.
THE NEWT CONGRESS by Matthias Sahli and Immanuel Esser was screened at Sundance this year and recently at PÖFF Shorts in Tallinn. The film was honoured with awards in Sitges, Locarno and Palm Springs, among others.
Oscar-worthy animation and documentary films
Two short films from Switzerland with exceptional festival careers have qualified for a nomination in the Animated Short Film category: Jonathan Laskar’s THE RECORD, which won the Swiss Film Award, as well as Adrian Flury’s ARREST IN FLIGHT, which was honoured with the award for Best Animated Film at the Ann Arbor Film Festival.
Two multi-award-winning films are also in the Oscar race in the Documentary Awards - Short Subject category: RAMBOY by Matthias Joulaud and Lucien Roux (awards at DOK Leipzig and IDFA, among others), as well as Morgane Frund’s BEAR, which celebrated its premiere at the Berlinale and was honoured with the Swiss Film Award. Both films are currently being screened in New York at the prestigious Festival DOC NYC. Moreover, RAMBOY will also be available on the renowned Op-Docs platform of the New York Times as of November 28.
WHILE THE GREEN GRASS GROWS is in the running for a nomination in the Documentary Feature Film category. Peter Mettler won the Grand Prix at Festival Vision du Réel in Nyon as well as the Golden Dove at DOK Leipzig for his essayistic documentary film. In November, the film will be screened at IDFA, at RIDM in Montreal and at Festival Porto Post Doc. Its cinema release is scheduled for spring 2024.
THUNDER on promo tour
The feature film THUNDER is in the running for an Oscar nomination in the International Feature Film category. Director Carmen Jaquier and producer Flavia Zanon (Close Up Films) have been on a promotional tour throughout North America as part of their Oscar campaign. They presented THUNDER at its US premiere at the IFC Center in New York as well as at the Festival Cinemania in Montreal. The film has been showing in L.A. cinemas since November 10.
SWISS FILMS supports and accompanies the promotion campaigns for Swiss film productions on behalf of the Federal Office of Culture (SFOC).
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood will announce the short list on December 21, followed by the nominations on January 23, 2024. The Oscar award ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on March 10, 2023.