Swiss presence at FIPA in Biarritz

21.01.2008

Five Swiss film productions for the cinema and television will be presented at the 21st International Festival of Audiovisual Programs (FIPA), which runs in Biarritz, France, from January 22 – 27, 2008. “Roulette” by Mohammed Soudani (production: Amka Film, Savosa and TSI) is in the running for the FIPA d’Or in the “Fiction” section – together with nine other films, which will be judged by a five-member jury, presided over by Hungarian film director Istvan Szabo.
Two other films from Switzerland will be screened with eight films in the “Situation de la création européenne” program, which presents documentary highlights of television co-productions. One of the films is Heinz Bütler’s “Die Nacht ist heller als der Tag”, which was produced by NZZ in collaboration with SF, ZDF and 3sat and is dedicated to the life and work of Swiss artist Andreas Walser, who died prematurely in 1930. Marcel Schüpbach’s “Novartis contre l’Inde” will also be screened. This film, produced by the French Swiss Broadcasting Service (TSR), addresses the pressing topic of the attempts on the part of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis to prevent generic medications being manufactured in India.



In conjunction with a special screening, FIPA will present “Freddy Buache, Passeur du 7ème Art” by Michel Van Zele (production: AMIP, Paris), which was co-produced by the French Swiss Broadcasting Service. The legendary figure, who founded Cinémathèque Suisse, is portrayed in the film in discussion together with eminent contemporaries of his generation: Alain Tanner, Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Chessex. The 12-minute film “La Valise” by Kaveh Bakthiari (Louise Productions, Vevey), with Maurice Aufair performing in the leading role, will be screened in the short film program. Eight other long-playing Swiss documentary films will also be presented to numerous professionals from the film industry attending FIPATEL, the television trade fair which runs parallel to the festival in Biarritz.




Zurich, January 21, 2008
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