Short Films
S W I S S F ILM S T e a m
TA BLE OF CONTENTS
Cover: STUN by Stefania Cazzato / Pascal Greco Back cover: IVAN'S NEED by Veronica L. Montaño / Manuela Leuenberger / Lukas Suter
Simon Koenig Short Films – Zurich skoenig@swissfilms.ch T +41 43 211 40 50
Fiction
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Animation 18 Experimental 24 Documentary 26
Sylvain Vaucher Short Films – Geneva svaucher@swissfilms.ch T +41 22 308 12 40
Watch online: SHORT FILM LIBRARY www.swissfilms.ch/shortfilmlibrary
Fiction
Bonne poire Jasmin Gordon
Switzerland Fiction, 2015, 10 min. Original languages: French/Swiss-German Cast: Sonja Riesen / Véronique¶ Mermoud Production: Jasmin Gordon, Bern Bluebox Film, Bern RTS Radio Télévision Suisse World Rights: Jasmin Gordon, Bern T +41 79 741 83 05 jasmin.gordon@gmail.com
A young woman. A family secret. A mother who would prefer to forget.
*1978 in Los Angeles. Jasmin Gordon grew up in Switzerland and the US. Before graduating from Stanford University’s documentary film M.A. programme in 2006, she studied Literature and Photography in the US and in France. Her work has received multiple awards including the Princess Grace Foundation Award and ITVS Grand Jury Prize and has screened at international festivals and on television in the US. BONNE POIRE is her first fiction film.
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Fiction
Courber l’échine Khadija Ben-Fradj
Chaima, a 25-year-old woman of Maghreb origin, lives with her parents in a popular neighbourhood on the outskirts of Geneva. It's her day off, she pretends to go to work in her uniform. Instead she joins her friend and accomplice Leila. Together, they go off to party. *1986 in Ambilly, France. French citizenship. In 2015 Khadija Ben-Fradj received her BA in Film from HEAD (Haute école d'art et de design – Genève). COURBER L’ÉCHINE is her first fiction film and celebrates its international premiere at the renowned International Short Film Festival ClermontFerrand 2016.
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Switzerland Fiction, 2016, 15 min. Original languages: French/Arabic International premiere: Clermont-Ferrand 2016 Cast: Sarah Jelassi / Matthieu Gronjean / Sarah Larerad / Fatima Sfia Production and World Rights: Haute école d’art et de design – Geneva T +41 22 388 58 89 cinema.head@hesge.ch head.hesge.ch/cinema
Fiction
Doug & Walter Samuel Morris
Switzerland Fiction, 2016, 27 min. Planned for Spring 2016 Original languages: Swiss-German/English Cast: Jeff Zach / Nicolas Rosat / Beat Schlatter / Manuela Biedermann Production and World Rights: Filmgerberei GmbH, Zurich T +41 44 542 21 00 www.filmgerberei.ch
The plains, two crazy outlaws in search of freedom and adventure: Wyatt & Billy, Duke & Gonzo, Bonnie & Clyde, Thelma & Louise. Why not Doug & Walter? A bizarre road trip through the Swiss countryside. *1992 in Basel. Lives and works as independent filmmaker since 2012. His experience spans documentaries, fiction films, music videos and commercials.
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F I C TIO N
Harmony
Hausarrest
Felix Schaffert
Matthias Sahli
Switzerland | Fiction | 2015 | 17 min. Original language: Swiss-German
Switzerland | Fiction | 2015 | 13 min. Original language: Swiss-German
World premiere: Show Me Shorts Film Festival Auckland 2015 Cast: Mona Petri / Anouk Petri / Kenneth Huber / Viola von Scarpatetti / Alessandro Reinhart Production: Fama Film AG, Zurich T +41 44 245 86 60, www.famafilm.ch World Rights: Fama Film AG, Zurich Felix Schaffert, Allschwil ich@felixschaffert.ch
World premiere: Festival del film Locarno 2015 Award: Int’l Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2015, Audience Award Cast: Urs-Peter Wolters / Nicole Steiner / Walter Menzi / Peter Hottinger Production: Zürcher Hochschule der Künste ZHdK World Rights: Zürcher Hochschule der Künste ZHdK Matthias Sahli, Winterthur T +41 79 394 42 88 matthias.sahli@zhdk.ch
When a 9-year-old girl discovers that her mother works as a prostitute at night, she tries to escape their morbidly symbiotic relationship with a bold move.
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The story of Max, who was sentenced to six months of house arrest. An electronic ankle bracelet called Percy helps him through his new daily life. One day Max is shocked to discover how far Percy is willing to go to assist him in his needs.
Fiction
Home's Sound O som da casa
Maxime Kathari
Switzerland Fiction, 2015, 14 min. Original language: Portuguese World premiere: Int’l Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2015 (Swiss Cinematography Award) Cast: Mariana Mello / Josiane Mello Production: Les Films du Buisson, Paris World Rights: Maxime Kathari, Paris T +33 7 52 53 18 59 mkathari.tumblr.com
Before leaving for Europe, a young Brazilian student spends the last moments at home with her mother. A hug and a chat express the mutual love between mother and daughter.
*1990 in Geneva. Maxime Kathari acted in films for television and cinema before attending the cinema department of the HEAD (Haute école d'art et de design – Genève) in 2009, where he received his BA in 2013.
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Fiction
I Gave Everything To The Sun Except My Shadow J'ai tout donné au soleil sauf mon ombre
Valérie Anex / Christian Johannes Koch
Valérie Anex *1983 in Lausanne. Joint Swiss and Irish citizenship. Valérie Anex studied international relations at Institut de Hautes Études Internationales et du Développement in Geneva and Fine Arts at HEAD (Haute école d’art et de design – Genève). She completed her Master studies at Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf and cofounded the production company Dalva Films in 2014. Christian Johannes Koch * 1986 in Lucerne. Christian Johannes Koch attended HEAD (Haute école d’art et de design – Genève) and HGB (Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst) Leipzig. He attended Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf from 2010– 15 and cofounded Dalva Films in 2014.
When Lynn comes back home after having been away for a year, she suddenly feels like a stranger among her own. An intimate journey into the world and mind of this young woman, striving to love and to find her own identity.
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Switzerland / Germany Fiction, 2016, 22 min. Planned for Spring 2016 Original language: French Cast: Marine Sleiman / Albert Chinet / Stéphanie Schneider / Paul Laurent / Anastasia Kuklova / Léna Voisin / Matthieu Bovel / Alban Mariéthoz / Jodie Rudaz / Noé Savioz Production: Dalva Films, Lausanne OVALfilm Köln Gmbh, Cologne World Rights: Dalva Films, Lausanne T +41 76 260 48 38 info@dalvafilms.com
F I C TIO N
La femme et le TGV Timo von Gunten
Switzerland Fiction, 2016, 30 min. Original language: French Planned for Summer 2016 Cast: Jane Birkin / Gilles Tschudi / Lucien Guignar/ Mathieu Bisson Production: arbel gmbh film und fernsehproduktion, Allschwil World Sales: Innovative EYE, Muttenz T +41 78 639 8408 info@innovative-eye.ch
Sometimes life seems to pass at 300 km/h: A touching story between a lonely woman and a TGV train driver. Inspired by true events and with actress Jane Birkin in the leading role. www.tgv-movie.com *1989 in Zurich. Timo von Gunten founded BMC Films. Works as a screenwriter and director based in Switzerland.
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Fiction
Homer, A Hunter's Fate
Lick Us, Miaou, Miaou!
La fin d'Homère Zahra Vargas
Léchez-nous, Miaou, Miaou! Marie de Maricourt
Switzerland | Fiction | 2015 | 22 min. Original language: French
Switzerland | Fiction | 2015 | 15 min. Original language: French
World premiere: Int’l Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2015 Cast: Sonja Bruttin / Narcisse Seppey / Rodolphe Rauber / Viviane Roh / Daniel Roh / Patrick Theytaz / Lionel Favre / Michel Breganti / Jean-Luc Dubosson / Ludovic Dayer Production: Louise Productions Vevey Haute école d'art et de design – Geneva World Rights: Louise Productions Vevey T +41 21 923 63 63 | www.louiseproductions.ch
World premiere: Int’l Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2015 Cast: Aida Grifoll / Clément Langlais / Frédéric Payens / Marie Colin / Coralie Moreau / Stéphane Guérin / Yoram Gué / Nadia Sadji / Stiva Paterno / Stéphane Brunier / Thomas Caspar et al. Production and World Rights: Haute école d’art et de design – Geneva T +41 22 388 58 89 cinema.head@hesge.ch head.hesge.ch/cinema
Out on a hunt, Homère accidentally kills a bearded vulture, a pro‑ tected bird of prey. Public outrage is intense and the persecuted hunter loses his life as a result. Collective lynching? Urban legend? This fable fuels the rumours coursing in the kingdom.
Jeannette lives in an institution. Eager for an emotional and sexual life, she is confronted with the authority represented by her family and the institution itself. Other residents join the revolt to support her. 10
F I C TIO N
Nirin Josua Hotz
Switzerland Fiction, 2015, 15 min. Original language: Malagasy World premiere: Int’l Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2015 Cast: Andry Tafika Harison Rakotozafy / Marie Esther Razanamanga / Nary Elysée dit Tapé Raherison / Arnaud Olivier Rakotozafy / Nomena Andrianina Safidinekena Bryan Ainarifetra / Martine Yvonne Razafinirina / Yvette Rajaonah / Dominique Ratojoarimanana et al. Production: Louise Productions Vevey École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne World Rights: Louise Productions Vevey T +41 21 923 63 63 www.louiseproductions.ch
Nirin is 6 years old. His mother had promised they would go on a lovely, long trip and Nirin is eagerly looking forward to discovering his country on a journey in a bush taxi, together with his two younger brothers. It’s the first time he’s leaving his native village in Madagascar. However, this great journey doesn’t turn out the way he had imagined it.
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*1986 in Madagascar. Swiss citizenship. Josua Hotz lives in Switzerland since 1995. He attended ECAL (École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne) in 2010 and received his BA in Visual Communication, specialisation cinema from ECAL in 2015. Founder of Niri Studios.
Fiction
Suspendu
The Big Dam
Elie Grappe
Le barrage Samuel Grandchamp
Switzerland | Fiction | 2015 | 15 min. Original language: French
Switzerland / United States | Fiction | 2015 | 15 min. Original language: French
World premiere: Int’l Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2015 Cast: Max Ricat / Julia Petit / Erwan Jeammot Production: PointProd SA, Carouge École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne RTS Radio Télévision Suisse World Rights: PointProd SA, Carouge T +41 22 328 48 48 www.pointprod.ch
World premiere: Festival del film Locarno 2015 (Pardino d'oro- Concorso nazionale) Cast: Alessio Balossi / Pascal Gravat / Natacha Koutchoumov Production ViceVersal, Geneva Tisch School of the Arts, New York World Rights: ViceVersal, Geneva T +41 78 748 29 22 viceversalproduction@gmail.com
At dawn, in a great classical dance conservatory, a boy falls while rehearsing some movements. Something breaks in his foot, causing sharp pain. But it's exams day and the boy refuses to quit: he tries to face his dance partner and classmates, convincing himself his body has no limits.
A 10-year-old boy sets off on a long-promised adventure with his father to discover Europe’s biggest dam. But as they progress, harboured feelings surface and their relationship is put to a test. The dam they eventually face is not the one initially dreamed of. 12
F I C TIO N
The Formula
The Gift
Die Formel Kathrin Frey
Le don Sophie Perrier
Switzerland | Fiction | 2015 | 14 min. Original language: German
Switzerland | Fiction | 2015 | 21 min. Original language: French
World premiere: Vancouver International Film Festival 2015 Cast: Lisa Brand / Therese Affolter / Markus Scheumann / Beat Gärtner Production and World Rights: Minerva Film GmbH, Zurich T +41 44 383 21 21 www.minervafilm.ch
World premiere: Int’l Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2015 Cast: Paulo Dos Santos / Christophe Bugnon / Chimmi James / Nathalie Oberson Production: Bord Cadre films Sàrl, Geneva Haute école d’art et de design – Geneva World Rights: Bord Cadre films Sàrl, Geneva T +41 79 411 93 87, www.bordcadrefilms.com
Miss Fibel was an exemplary employee until the day she started responding to all orders with “I would prefer not to”. A short film about a strange phrase with fatal consequences. www.dieformel.ch
An annual Christmas charity drive. Two rich donators deliver a financial donation to a local disadvantaged family. However, things are complicated when each member of the family expresses a different attitude towards accepting their generosity. Sometimes the road to hell is paved with good intentions. 13
F I C TIO N
The Right Path Al surat al mustaquim
Auby El Hout / Fouad Alaywan
Auby El Hout *1973 in Beirut, Lebanon. Swiss citizenship. Auby el Hout works as director, writer and actor.
Leaving one’s land behind is a serious matter for the Lebanese, and especially for Zacharia, who prides himself on defending his country from extremists across the border. Yet, he has no other choice than to send his wife and two children away. It is in the name of Islam and of its blurred limits that everything collapses and that one man’s fate merges with that of his country.
Fouad Alaywan *1964 in Beirut, Lebanon. Fouad Alayawan graduated from film school at Montana State University in 1991. He works as director of both feature and short films and directed several television docu‑ mentaries on the Middle East and Europe.
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Switzerland / Lebanon Fiction, 2015, 15 min. Original language: Arabic World premiere: Interfilm Berlin 2015 Cast: Nizar Ghanem / Auby El Hout / Murielle Yazbeck Production: Auby Film, Neuchâtel Exit Film Production, Beirut World Rights: Auby Film, Neuchâtel T +41 79 611 27 53 o.elhout@gmail.com
fiction
The River Under The Tongue La rivière sous la langue Carmen Jaquier
Switzerland Fiction, 2015, 18 min. Original language: French World premiere: Festival del film Locarno 2015 Cast: Marilyne Canto / Marie Cornil / Sacha Gravat-Harsch / Slimane Dazi Production and World Rights: Garidi Films, Geneva T +41 78 835 24 88 contact@garidifilms.ch
After discovering her eldest daughter’s diary, a mother decides to take her two daughters into the forest.
*1985 in Geneva. Studied graphic design at École d'arts appliqués in Geneva from 2000–04 and attended ECAL (École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne), cinema department from 2007–11. Carmen Jaquier is one of the ten directors of the feature film WONDERLAND (2015), which premiered at the Festival del film Locarno in competition.
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F I C TIO N
The Tourists Les touristes
Heidi Hassan
Old walls whisper old dreams. Memories and generations intertwine in the corridors of a small hotel in the Swiss Alps. Who were the tourists? What was their journey?
*1978 in Havanna, Cuba. Joint Swiss and Cuban citizenship. 2002 graduated in cinematography at Escuela Internacional de Cine y Television, San Antonio de los Baùos, Cuba. 2008 Receives degree in film directing from HEAD (Haute École d'Art et de Design), Geneva. She works alternatively as DOP and film director. Her work has been shown in prestigious festivals and received several prizes.
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Switzerland Fiction, 2015, 15 min. Original language: English World premiere: Festival internacional de cine documental y cortometrajes de Bilbao 2015 Production: Samuel Torello, Verbier World Rights: Samuel Torello, Verbier samuel@torello.ch Heidi Hassan, Geneva T +41 77 425 48 42 www.heidi-hassan.com
fiction
Victoria Anouk Chambaz
Switzerland Fiction, 2015, 14 min. Original language: French World premiere: Festival Tous Ecrans Geneva 2015 Cast: Amélie Peterli / Cédric Leproust Production: Rita Productions, Geneva École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne RTS Radio Télévision Suisse World Rights: Rita Productions, Geneva T +41 22 775 15 50 www.ritaproductions.com
Surprise! It’s Victoria’s birthday. To celebrate, her brother is taking her to a paintball game. Victoria is lost in the middle of the uniforms, the orders and the guns. Her brother, the team’s captain, doesn’t take care of her. To find her place in the game and in life, Victoria can only rely on herself. *1993 in Renens. 2015 BA in Film from ECAL (École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne). VICTORIA is Anouk Chambaz' first film.
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An i m a t i o n
Analysis Paralysis Anete Melece
*1983 in Latvia. Latvian citizenship. 2007 BA in Visual Communication from the Art Academy of Latvia. 2012 MA in Animation from HSLU (Hochschule Luzern, Design & Kunst). Anete Melece is an illustrator, animator and graphic designer. Her previous film THE KIOSK (2013) was awarded with the Swiss Film Award for Best Animation Film in 2014 and became a huge festival-hit.
Every time Anton needs to make even the tiniest decision, his head starts to swell and sometimes becomes so big that he can't keep it straight. While looking for passersby willing to play a game of chess with him in the park, he notices Lily complaining about her trampled flowerbed. Will Anton be able to decide whether to help her?
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Switzerland Animation, 2016, 9 min. Planned for Spring 2016 Without dialogue Production: Virage Film | Saskia von Virรกg, Zurich SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen World Sales: Interfilm, Berlin T +49 30 25 94 29 03 www.www.interfilm.de
An i m a t i o n
Au revoir Balthazar Rafael Sommerhalder
Switzerland Animation, 2016, 9 min. Without dialogue Planned for Spring 2016 Production and World Rights: Freihändler Filmproduktion GmbH, Basel T +41 61 631 45 05 www.freihaendler.ch
The scarecrow hears something enticing in the seashell. A sound so wonderful that it is ready to leave everything behind.
*1974 in Zurich. 2000 Receives degree in directing from ECAL (École Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne). Since 2000 works as independent director and animator. Co-owner of the production company Crictor. 2009 MA in Animation from RCA (Royal College of Art) in London. Sommerhalder's films, such as WOLVES (2009) and HERR WÜRFEL (2004) were screened and awarded at numerous festivals worldwide.
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An i m a t i o n
Erlking
Islander's Rest
Erlkönig Georges Schwizgebel
Claudius Gentinetta / Frank Braun
Switzerland | Animation | 2015 | 6 min. Without dialogue
Switzerland | Animation | 2015 | 18 min. Without dialogue
World premiere: Festival del film Locarno 2015 Awards: Leipzig 2015, Golden Dove Fantoche 2015, Best Swiss &Best Visual Production: Studio GDS, Carouge RTS Radio Télévision Suisse World Rights: Studio GDS, Carouge T +41 22 342 72 36 www.studio-gds.ch A father rides through the dark forest with his son. The sick child thinks he sees the Erlking, who both charms and frightens him. Based on Goethe's poem Erlkönig and the music of Schubert and Liszt comes a new film by Georges Schwizgebel, one of Switzerland's leading animation film directors.
World premiere: Fantoche Baden 2015 Production: Gentinettafilm, Zurich SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen World Rights: Gentinettafilm, Zurich T +41 44 271 44 55 www.gentinettafilm.ch A bitter-sweet, affectionate tale of lost innocence, bottled-up desires and the comfort of recycling.
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An i m a t i o n
Ivan's Need
Of Shadows And Wings
Veronica L. Montaño / Manuela Leuenberger / Lukas Suter
D'ombres et d'ailes Elice Meng / Eleonora Marinoni
Switzerland | Animation | 2015 | 6 min. Without dialogue
Switzerland / France | Animation | 2015 | 13 min. Original language: French
World premiere: Fantoche Baden 2015 (High Swiss Risk Award) Production: Hochschule Luzern, Design & Kunst, Studienbereich Animation SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen World Rights: Hochschule Luzern, Design & Kunst, Studienbereich Animation T +41 41 248 64 64 animation@hslu.ch Ivan is obsessed with the incredible softness of the dough. When kneading, he gets lost in intensive daydreams not accepting that sooner or later the master baker will turn every wonderfully elastic dough into horribly crispy bread. Until he sees Alva's looooong breasts.
World premiere: Festival del film Locarno 2015 Awards: Locarno 2015, Pardino d'argento - Concorso nazionale Fantoche 2015, Audience Award Swiss Competition Bilbao 2015, Mikeldi de Plata de Animación 2015 Production and World Rights: Nadasdy Film Sarl, Geneva T +41 22 300 20 54 / www.nadasdyfilm.ch Vivement Lundi!, Rennes T +33 299 65 00 74 / www.vivement-lundi.com Amid a population of “birdmen”, Moann is shamed when her wings disappear and a strange cracking sets in beneath her feet. In a society where all that matters is the size of one’s wings and ambition, Ciobeck, the nihilist, would like to protect her. But how can they survive in a barren land, pervaded by “caved in” spirits? 21
An i m a t i o n
OS Love Luc Gut
A young woman. A computer. A modern office space. Faint/Muted typing and occasional mouse clicks. Downloading. Copying. Pasting. Editing. The hunt for pictures in this rhythmic flow yields a new visual world in Photoshop. A contemporary tête-à-tête between user and computer. * 1984 in Zurich. Luc Gut has graduated with a BA in Media Arts from ZHdK (Zurich University of the Arts) in 2010. His short 1 KM ZÜRICH HARDBRÜCKE (2007) was selected for several international short film festivals such as Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur and the Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short & Animation Films.
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Switzerland Animation, 2016, 6 min. Original language: German Planned for Spring 2016 Production: Cinéma Copain Ltd, Zurich SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen World Rights: Cinéma Copain Ltd, Zurich T +41 43 322 05 11 www.cinemacopain.com
An i m a t i o n
Ruben Leaves
Sailor's Yarn
Frederic Siegel
Seemannsgarn Julia Munz / Claudia Wirth
Switzerland | Animation | 2015 | 5 min. Without dialogue
Switzerland | Animation | 2015 | 6 min. Without dialogue
World premiere: Fantoche Baden 2015 Production: Hochschule Luzern, Design & Kunst, Studienbereich Animation SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen World Rights: Hochschule Luzern, Design & Kunst, Studienbereich Animation T +41 41 248 64 64 animation@hslu.ch On his way to work, Ruben is haunted by obsessive-compulsive thoughts. Is the front door locked? Is the stove really turned off? As Ruben’s creative mind is invaded by increasingly absurd scenarios, reality and imagination begin to merge.
World premiere: Fantoche Baden 2015 Award: Int'l Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2015, Best School Film Production: Hochschule Luzern, Design & Kunst, Studienbereich Animation SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen World Rights: Hochschule Luzern, Design & Kunst, Studienbereich Animation T +41 41 248 64 64 animation@hslu.ch On a small boat on high seas a sailor and a mosquito meet. Their passion for making music nourishes their friendship – the sailor's blood nourishes the mosquito. The strange situation escalates as the mosquito's greed takes over.
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E x p e r i m e n ta l
Paradise
Stun
Paradies Max Philipp Schmid
Stefania Cazzato / Pascal Greco
Switzerland | Experimental | 2015 | 15 min. Original language: German
Switzerland | Experimental | 2015 | 29 min. Without dialogue
World premiere: Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen 2015 Cast: Thomas Douglas Production and World Rights: freih채ndler Filmproduktion GmbH, Basel T +41 61 631 45 05 www.freihaendler.ch How do we imagine paradise? Presented against the backdrop of an artificial greenhouse, the film interweaves texts, documentary images and sounds into a cluster of questions. It explores the current societal tendency toward withdrawal and separation within the framework of a yearning for an ideal way of life closely linked to nature.
World premiere: Mapping Festival Geneva 2015 Cast: Stefania Cazzato Production and World Rights: Pascal Greco, Geneva T +41 78 660 01 02 www.pascalgreco.com The places, the character and the music are in complete osmosis, offering a poetic shift, installing a contemplative temporality. An outline's mysterious presence. A slowness' gravity to produce rhythm. A gaze on two opposing worlds. You can enter, get lost, find, drift.
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E x p e r i m e n ta l
Voyage To Ravenna Viaggio a Ravenna
Hanspeter Ammann
Switzerland Experimental, 2016, 39 min. Without dialogue Planned for Spring 2016 Cast: Stefan Marian / Martin Toci / Franck Viderot / Julian Castravet Production and World Rights: Hanspeter Ammann, Zurich T +41 44 461 24 18 www.hanspeterammann.ch
Two strangers travel to Ravenna and meet there by chance. Together they visit some of the places where Michelangelo Antonioni collected images for his film IL DESERTO ROSSO in 1964. A tribute to the neo-realists and their powerful desire to map hard Italian realities. * 1953 in Zürich. Hanspeter Ammann is a video artist, a photographer, a filmmaker and a practicing Freudian psychoanalyst. He studied Political Science and Pedagogy in Zurich from 1976–79. From 1986–92 Ammann trained as a psychoanalyst and worked on various video projects. Between 2005 and 2015 he ran Shanghai Studio, an iconic nightclub in Shanghai, China. Since the late 1970's he has produced numerous art videos.
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D o cu m e n t a r y
A Simple Story, Mine, Yours And M’s
Une histoire simple, la mienne, la tienne et celle de M.
Atefeh Yarmohammadi
In search of one's childhood, what is lost, forgotten, stolen. Back in the 1980s in Iran, an eventful decade that changed our lives. Just before and after the revolution, an entire country is destabilized. And then the war, unforeseen complicating the lives of Iranians, and whose influences never end. * 1984 in Tehran, Iran. Iranian citizenship. Atefeh Yarmohammadi studied painting at the Art University in Tehran in 2004 and Art-Action and Film at HEAD (Haute école d’art et design – Genève) from 2008–11. She works as filmmaker and lives alternately in Tehran and Geneva.
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Switzerland / Iran Documentary, 2015, 32 min. Original language: Persian World premiere: Int’l Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2015 Production: Haute école d’art et de design – Geneva Atefeh Yarmohammadi, Tehran World Rights: Haute école d’art et de design – Geneva T +41 22 388 58 89 cinema.head@hesge.ch head.hesge.ch/cinema
D o cu m e n t a r y
Babor Casanova Karim Sayad
Switzerland Documentary, 2015, 35 min. Original language: Arabic World premiere: Festival del film Locarno 2015 Award: doclisboa 2015, SPA Int'l Competition Jury Award Production and World Rights: Close Up Films, Geneva T +41 22 808 08 46 www.closeupfilms.ch
Algiers. Adlan and Terrorist navigate the neighbourhood, desperately trying to make a few dinars. Between small deals and unofficial parking service, they wait for the weekends and the Mouloudia's soccer games. There, they can forget the emptiness of their lives, sing their love for the team and dream about the boat that might take them far away.
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*1984 in Lausanne. Joint Swiss and Algerian citizenship. After getting a Master’s degree in International Relations from Geneva’s Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID), Karim Sayad directed his first documentary film, BABOR CASANOVA, which was already awarded at doclisboa and at the Festival dei Popoli in Florence.
D o cu m e n t a r y
Heidi At The Foley Artist Heidi beim Geräuschemacher
Christian Frei
* 1959. Christian Frei is one of Switzerland's most acclaimed directors known for his documentaries WAR PHOTOGRAPHER (2001), THE GIANT BUDDHAS (2005), SPACE TOURISTS (2009) and SLEEPLESS IN NEW YORK (2014). WAR PHOTOGRAPHER was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 74th Academy Awards.
Nine-year-old Anuk Steffen plays the title role of the new HEIDI film. Full of curiosity, she watches the film crew at work, and is intrigued by the sound engineer. Anuk takes us to a mysterious studio, where she becomes part of a fascinating experiment. Together with the Foley artist, she learns to dangle, plop and wriggle objects, adding sound effects to a scene from one of the first film adaptations of the famous novel by Johanna Spyri. A lesson about a legendary film character and the importance of the soundtrack.
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Switzerland Documentary, 2016, 14 min. Original languages: Swiss-German/German World premiere: Solothurner Filmtage 2016 Production: Milos-Films SA, Neuchâtel RTS Radio Télévision Suisse La Lanterne Magique, Neuchâtel Christian Frei Filmproduktion GmbH, Zurich World Rights: Milos-Films SA, Neuchâtel T +41 76 365 98 87 milosfilms@gmail.com
D o cu m e n t a r y
Julian
Just Another Day In Egypt
Julia Furer
Nikola Ilić / Corina Schwingruber Ilić
Switzerland | Documentary | 2015 | 20 min. Original language: German/English
Switzerland | Documentary | 2015 | 11 min. Original language: Arabic
World premiere: Int’l Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2015 Production: Hochschule Luzern Design & Kunst, Studienrichtung Video SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen World Rights: Hochschule Luzern Design & Kunst, Studienrichtung Video T +41 41 248 61 14 edith.flueckiger@hslu.ch Julian has been living in an old warehouse for twelve years, building harpsichords. When he faces eviction from his live-in workshop, he is confronted with the fact that he has neglected himself as a human being; he is suddenly aware of his lifestyle and of the ever more pressing questions about his future and his purpose in life.
World premiere: Festival del film Locarno 2015 Production and World Rights: Cortha Film, Luzern T +41 78 835 51 58 www.corthafilm.com What's left after the Egyptian Revolution in 2011? Not much, except a lot of people in prison and a big disappointment. The former Chief of Army Al-Sisi took over and now rules the country with an iron fist. Everyday life goes on and in Cairo's alleyways people are trying to make the best of it.
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D o cu m e n t a r y
Moriom
Our Sea
Francesca Scalisi / Mark Olexa
Nuestro mar Eileen Hofer
Switzerland | Documentary | 2015 | 12 min. Original language: Bengali
Switzerland | Documentary | 2015 | 15 min. Original language: Spanish
International premiere: IDFA 2015 Production and World Rights: DOK MOBILE, Fribourg T +41 79 718 48 91 www.dokmobile.ch Summer 2014. Rural Bangladesh. “I came from Heaven. I came to destroy all bad things in the world. I'm a police officer. I'm a flower angel. I got a job at the police station. I will punish them. I will put them in jail.” This is the story of a girl and the tragedy that changed her life.
World premiere: Int’l Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2015 (Best Swiss Film) Production and World Rights: 5 To Five, Geneva T +41 76 432 53 83 info@eileenhofer.ch In Havana, Emilio watches the prima ballerina dancing. He repairs her ballet shoes but doesn’t dare talk to her. At home, he takes care of his elderly mother and spends some time with his neighbour, the singer Omara Portuondo. Together they watch the sea changing its colour. A storm is brewing.
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D o cu m e n t a r y
The Meadow
The Mirror System
Jela Hasler
Le système miroir Eva Zornio
Switzerland | Documentary | 2015 | 9 min. Without dialogue
Switzerland | Documentary | 2015 | 17 min. Original language: French
World premiere: Festival del film Locarno 2015 Production and World Rights: Jela Hasler, Zurich T +41 79 757 64 91 www.jelahasler.ch In a dry, barren landscape, a herd of cattle grazes, accompanied by dogs, tended to by cowboys. Step by step the seemingly peaceful place starts to prove deceptive to the viewer – while the cows end their day as it began. Filmed in the Golan Heigts, on the border of Israel and Syria.
World premiere: Kasseler Dokumentarfilm- & Videofest 2015 Production: Haute école d'art et de design – Geneva Elefant Films Sàrl, Geneva World Sales: Ultraviolet Media, Bucharest T +40 72 388 91 69 sales@ultravioletmedia.eu A dream keeps coming up every night. A forest of neurons where the director encounters memories and has to figure out the relation between brain and cinema. A walk in search of the link between neuroscience and cinema.
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