SWISS
2021 BERLINALE
FILMS
CLICK HERE TO VISIT US VIRTUALLY AT THE EUROPEAN FILM MARKET ONLINE WATCH SWISS SHORTS ONLINE: www.swissfilms.ch/shortfilmlibrary
SWISS FILMS Neugasse 6, 8005 Zurich www.swissfilms.ch Published in February 2021 Image campaign by Solène Gün
SWISS FILMS AT BERLINALE 2021
17 FESTIVAL FAVOURITES FEATURES
� BERLINALE SPECIAL 3 ENCOUNTERS
19 FESTIVAL FAVOURITES SHORTS
5 BERLINALE SHORTS 6 FORUM
20 COMING SOON
7 GENERATION 14PLUS
34 IN PRODUCTION
8 BERLINALE TALENTS
35 SUPPORT MEASURES
10 EUROPEAN FILM MARKET
SWISS FILMS TEAM
AIDA SULJICIC Head of Festivals & Markets asuljicic@swissfilms.ch T +41 77 431 87 79
ANDREAS BÜHLMANN Consultant Film & Industry abuehlmann@swissfilms.ch T +41 79 303 58 69
LAURA DANIEL Consultant Film, Talent & Awards ldaniel@swissfilms.ch T +41 76 343 61 16
MARCEL MÜLLER Consultant Film, Programmes & VOD mmueller@swissfilms.ch T +41 79 787 93 88
SYLVAIN VAUCHER Consultant Short Films svaucher@swissfilms.ch T +41 79 542 83 80
DANIELA STRIKA Support Scheme Manager support@swissfilms.ch T +41 43 211 40 63
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directed by Tim Fehlbaum 2
In the not too-distant future: after a global catastrophe has wiped out nearly all of humanity on earth, an elite astronaut from Space Colony Kepler must make a decision that will seal the fate of the people on both planets.
Fiction
WORLD SALES: Mister Smith Entertainment, London www.mistersmithent.com WORLD PREMIERE: Berlinale 2021 INTERNATIONAL PRESS: Mister Smith Entertainment Mark Towle marketing@mistersmithent.com T +44 20 74 94 17 24
GERMANY / SWITZERLAND Fiction, 104 min., 2021 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: English SCREENPLAY: Tim Fehlbaum, Mariko Minoguchi CAST: Nora Arnezeder, Iain Glen, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Sope Dirisu, Joel Basman PRODUCTION: BerghausWöbke Filmproduktion, Munich / Vega Film, Zurich / Constantin Film, Munich / Studio Babelsberg / SRF / SRG SSR SWISS PRODUCERS: Ruth Waldburger, Tim Fehlbaum
TIM FEHLBAUM * 1982. Tim Fehlbaum studied directing from 2002–09 at the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF). There, he made several short films, including FOR JULIAN (2004), which won the top prize at the Shocking Shorts Awards. As a cinematographer he worked for various films, including MY AMERICAN COUSIN (2008) and DOUBLE JEOPARDY (2012). His end-time thriller HELL (2011) was awarded at genre festivals, received six nominations at the German Film Awards, and nominations for the Swiss Film Awards.
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AZOR written & directed by Andreas Fontana
SWITZERLAND / ARGENTINA / FRANCE Fiction, 100 min., 2021 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: French, Spanish CAST: Fabrizio Rongione, Stéphanie Cléau PRODUCTION: Alina film, Geneva / Ruda cine, Buenos Aires / Local Films, Paris / RTS SWISS PRODUCERS: Eugenia Mumenthaler, David Epiney
WORLD SALES: Be For Films, Brussels www.beforfilms.com WORLD PREMIERE: Berlinale 2021 MORE INFORMATION: www.alinafilm.com/azor INTERNATIONAL PRESS: Alibi Communications Brigitta Portier brigittaportier@ alibicommunications.be T + 32 477 98 25 84
Fiction
ANDREAS FONTANA * 1982. After completing his Master in Comparative Literature at the University of Geneva, Andreas Fontana moved to Buenos Aires where he trained as production assistant. In 2010 he graduated with a Master in film production from the ECAL / HEAD. His first short film COTONOV VANISHED (2009) won the First Steps prize at Visions du Réel in Nyon. AZOR was selected for The Films After Tomorrow section at Locarno Film Festival 2020 and premiered in the Berlinale 2021 Encounters section.
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Yvan De Wiel, a private banker from Geneva, is going to Argentina in the midst of a dictatorship to replace his partner, the object of the most worrying rumours, who disappeared overnight. Between hushed lounges, swimming pools and gardens under surveillance, a remote duel between two bankers who, despite different methods, are the accomplices of a discreet and merciless form of colonization.
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THE GIRL AND THE SPIDER
DAS MÄDCHEN UND DIE SPINNE
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written & directed by Ramon & Silvan Zürcher 4
Lisa is moving out. Mara is left behind. As boxes are shifted, walls painted and cupboards built, abysses begin to open up, yearnings fill the room and an emotional rollercoaster is set in motion. A tragicomic catastrophe film. A poetic ballad about change and transience.
SWITZERLAND Fiction, 98 min., 2021 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German CAST: Henriette Confurius, www.the-girl-and-the-spider.com Liliane Amuat, Ursina Lardi, Flurin Giger, André M. INTERNATIONAL PRESS: Gloria Zerbinati Hennicke, Ivan Georgiev, gloria.zerbinati@gmail.com Dagna Litzenberger Vinet, T +33 7 86 80 02 82 Lea Draeger, Birte Schnöink, Sabine Timoteo PRODUCTION: Beauvoir Films, Geneva / SRF PRODUCERS: Aline Schmid, Adrian Blaser
Fiction
WORLD SALES: Cercamon, Dubai www.cercamon.biz WORLD PREMIERE: Berlinale 2021 MORE INFORMATION:
RAMON ZÜRCHER * 1982. Ramon Zürcher studied Visual Arts at the Bern School of Arts (HKB) and Film at the DFFB in Berlin. SILVAN ZÜRCHER * 1982. Silvan Zürcher studied Philosophy, Film and German in Zurich and Bern and Production at the DFFB. Their award-winning debut film THE STRANGE LITTLE CAT (2013) premiered at the Berlinale Forum and screened at festivals such as TIFF, Cannes, Viennale and New Directors / New Films New York.
BERLINALE SHORTS DEINE STRASSE
YOUR STREET written & directed by Güzin Kar
SWITZERLAND Documentary, 7 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German PRODUCER: Güzin Kar
PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Güzin Kar, Zurich www.guzin.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2021 INTERNATIONAL PRESS: Jelly Press – Agentur für Public Relations Nikola Mirza info@jellypress.de T +49 30 28 83 39 55
Documentary
GÜZIN KAR Güzin Kar is a Swiss screenwriter, director and columnist and a graduate of the BadenWürttemberg Film Academy. Her feature film FLIEGENDE FISCHE (2011) received, among others, the Script Prize of the SSA and the Directing Award at the Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis Saarbrücken. Her series SEITENTRIEBE / MONOGAMISH for Swiss television sold worldwide and won the European Script Award.
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A street in the industrial area of Bonn, faceless, unobtrusive, unfinished. Warehouses, construction sites and washing lines dominate. But little by little the grey present of the street is being charged with its past, which is linked to one of the most painful episodes in the history of reunified Germany. Are public memorials collective remembrance or collective repression?
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written & directed by Salomé Jashi A powerful man, who is also the former Prime Minister of Georgia, buys some 100-year-old trees. His men uproot them, and bring them to his private garden: through villages, over hills and across the Black Sea. To archieve this, other trees must be cut, electric cables moved and new roads paved through mandarin plantations. The film takes the concept of “uprooting” from its metaphorical meaning to an oppressive, tangible and yet surreal reality. An ode to the rivalry between men and nature. WORLD SALES: SWITZERLAND / GEORGIA / Syndicado Film Sales, Toronto GERMANY www.syndicadofs.com Documentary, 90 min., 2021 WORLD PREMIERE: ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Sundance Film Festival 2021 Georgian, Mingrelian MORE INFORMATION: PRODUCTION: Mira Film Basel, Basel / www.tamingthegarden-film.com INTERNATIONAL PRESS: Sakdoc Film, Tbilisi / Susan Norget Film Promotion Corso Film, Cologne / SRF / Susan Norget ARTE / Radio Bremen susan@norget.com SWISS PRODUCER: T +1 917 833 30 56 Vadim Jendreyko GERMAN-LANGUAGE PRESS: Kern des Ganzen Agentur für Filmkommunikation Jennifer Jones jennifer.jones@kerndesganzen.de T +49 176 10 54 85 49
SALOMÉ JASHI * 1981 in Georgia. Salomé Jashi studied journalism and worked as a reporter for several years. In 2005 she received a scholarship from the British Council to study documentary film at the Royal Holloway University in London. She then co-founded the production company Sakdoc Film in Tbilisi. Her film THE DAZZLING LIGHT OF SUNSET (2016) was awarded the main prize of the Visions du Réel, Regard Neuf competition and at ZagrebDox, Jihlava IDFF, Valdivia IDFF and various other festivals.
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FRÉDÉRIC BAILLIF * 1973. Frédéric Baillif is a selftaught filmmaker. In 2000 he graduated from the Institut d’Études Sociales in Geneva with a degree in special edu cation. He interned as production assistant in New York. While producing various short films he developed his own approach and voice in filmmaking, which he calls social cinema. THE FAM premiered in the Generation section of the Berlinale 2021.
SWITZERLAND WORLD SALES: Fiction, 110 min., 2021 Latido Films, Madrid ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: www.latidofilms.com French WORLD PREMIERE: CAST: Berlinale 2021 Claudia Grob, Anaïs Uldry, INTERNATIONAL PRESS: Kassia Da Costa, Amélie Tonsi, Stephen Lan PR Amandine Golay, Joyce Esther Stephen Lan Ndayisenga, Charlie Areddy, lan.stephen@sympatico.ca Sara Tulu T +1 416 923 63 27 PRODUCTION: Freshprod, Geneva / RTS PRODUCERS: Frédéric Baillif, Véronique Vergari, Agnès Boutruche
Fiction
A group of teenage girls have been placed in a residential care home with social workers. This forced “family” experience creates unexpected tensions and intimacies. An incident triggers a chain of over-reactions. The fall-out reveals the weaknesses of the retrograde juvenile system, as well as the demons that haunt “La Mif”. A social drama, mirroring our ill-mannered morals.
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written & directed by Frédéric Baillif
BERLINALE TALENTS
MIRJAM SKAL Mirjam Skal is a composer, orchestrator and music producer based in Switzerland. She is specialised in writing atmospheric music for feature films, documentaries and video games. She is currently completing a Master’s degree in film music composition at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).
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SOUNDTRACKS (A SELECTION) 2020 THE EDGE by Géraldine Cammissar, Zaide Kutay Animation, 7 min. 2019 WALK WITH ME by Jenny Meier, Arnold Wagner & Valerie Scheidegger Animation, 7 min. 2017 THE MARKET OF LOST THINGS by Zaide Kutay, Christelle Serrano Animation, 6 min. 2017 NORMAL DAY Interactive VR installation by Natasha Babenko, Alexia Kyriakopoulos
LUCIANO AZZIGOTTI Luciano Azzigotti studied com position at Universidad Nacional de La Plata and piano at the Williams Conservatorio in Buenos Aires. A Master candidate in Composition at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (HKB – BFH), his work interweaves microsound, feedback and edges towards computer based music. SOUNDTRACKS (A SELECTION) 2020 THE INTRUDER by Natalia Meta Fiction, 90 min. 2018 A FAMILY SUBMERGED by Maria Alché Fiction, 91 min. 2017 ZAMA by Lucrecia Martel Fiction, 115 min.
Kantarama Gahigiri is a Swiss and Rwandan filmmaker. Her work centres around identity and diversity through the prism of various genres, spanning Switzerland and East Africa. She is an alumna of Realness Residency 2018, La Fabrique Cinéma – Cannes Film Festival 2019, and Le Moulin d’Andé CÉCI 2020.
BERLINALE TALENTS
KANTARAMA GAHIGIRI
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IN DEVELOPMENT 2021 TANZANITE Fiction, 100 min. FILMOGRAPHY (A SELECTION) 2019 ETHEREALITY Documentary, 14 min. 2014 TAPIS ROUGE codirected with Frédéric Baillif Fiction, 90 min.
JORGE CADENA Born 1985 in Colombia, Jorge Cadena is a filmmaker based in Geneva. He studied photography in Buenos Aires and graduated in 2018 with a Master in Film from the HEAD – Geneva. He was a participant in both the EFP programme Future Frames 2019 in Karlovy Vary and in the TIFF Filmmaker Lab 2020 in Toronto. IN DEVELOPMENT 2021 TROPICAL MALAISE Fiction, 90 min. RELEASED 2018 THE JARARIJU SISTERS Fiction, 21 min. 2017 SONALI Expanded Cinema, 8 min. 2016 THE TALE OF ANTONIA Fiction, 30 min.
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Sheltering in a cafe from a downpour, a young woman chances upon a forgotten folder containing maths tests and a troubling love letter.
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FRANCE / SWITZERLAND Fiction, 86 min., 2021 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French CAST: Laetitia Dosch, Pierre Deladonchamps PRODUCTION: Blue Monday Productions, Paris / P.S. Productions, Châtel-St-Denis / RTS / Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma WORLD SALES: Be For Films, Brussels www.beforfilms.com
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PETITE LEÇON D’AMOUR written & directed by Eve Deboise
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A LITTLE LESSON IN LOVE
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SWITZERLAND / BELGIUM / ITALY Fiction, 88 min., 2021 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Italian SCREENPLAY: Niccolò Castelli, Stefano Pasetto CAST: Matilda De Angelis, Helmi Dridi, Nicola Perot, Irene Casagrande PRODUCTION: Imagofilm Lugano / Climax Films, Brussels / tempesta srl, Bologna / RSI / SRG SSR WORLD SALES: Vision Distribution, Rome www.visiondistribution.it WORLD PREMIERE: Solothurner Filmtage 2021
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directed by Niccolò Castelli
Allegra is a lively young woman with a passion for high mountain climbing. She decides to travel to Morocco to reach the top of the Atlas, but her trip ends abruptly when a man explodes a bomb in a coffee shop. Unable to overcome the trauma months later she returns to her city, where an encounter with Arad, young refugee from the Middle East forces her to confront her fears and heal her profound interior wounds.
directed by Gitta Gsell
Talented swimmer, motivated apprentice, cool buddy: Beyto is in the midst of life, with a bright future ahead of him. But when the only son of a Turkish migrant family falls in love with his coach Mike, an ideal world falls to pieces. His parents only see one way out: Beyto must marry in order to save face and tradition. They lure him to their home village and plan his wedding with Seher, his childhood friend. How can Beyto get back to Mike without destroying Seher’s future?
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SWITZERLAND Fiction, 98 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Swiss-German, Turkish SCREENPLAY: Gitta Gsell, Yusuf Yesilöz CAST: Burak Ates, Dimitri Stapfer, Ecem Aydin, Beren Tuna PRODUCTION: Lomotion AG Filmproduktion, Bern / Sulaco Film GmbH, Basel WORLD SALES: Salzgeber & Co. Medien GmbH, Berlin www.salzgeber.de WORLD PREMIERE: Zurich Film Festival 2020
Fiction
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BEYTO
HIVE written & directed by Blerta Basholli
KOSOVO / SWITZERLAND / NORTH MACEDONIA / ALBANIA Fiction, 84 min., 2021 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Albanian CAST: Yllka Gashi, Çun Lajçi PRODUCTION: Ikonë Studio, Pristina / Industria Film, Pristina / Alva Film, Geneva / Black Cat, Skopje / Albasky Film, Tirana / RTS WORLD SALES: LevelK ApS – Film & TV Distribution, Frederiksberg www.levelk.dk WORLD PREMIERE: Sundance 2021
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Fahrije’s husband has been missing since the war in Kosovo and her family is struggling financially. In order to provide for them she launches a small agricultural business, but in the traditional patriarchal village where she lives,her ambition and efforts to empower herself and other women are not seen as positive things. She struggles not only to keep her family afloat but also against a hostile community.
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NACHBARN written & directed by Mano Khalil
A small village on the Syrian-Turkish border in the early 1980s: The sixyear-old Kurdish boy Sero experiences his first school year in an Arab school and has to watch his small world being radically changed in the course of an absurd nationalism. Humorous yet serious, the film tells of a childhood that also finds its light moments between dictatorship and dark drama.
SWITZERLAND Fiction, 124 min., 2021 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Kurdish, Arabic, Hebrew CAST: Jay Abdo, Serhed Khalil, Jalal Altawil, Tuna Dwek, Heval Naif, Mazin Alnatour, Zîrek, Bangen Ali, Ismail Zagros, Derya Uygurlar, Jiyan Armanc, Ivan Anderson PRODUCTION: Frame Film GmbH, Bern / SRF / SRG SSR / ARTE WORLD RIGHTS: Frame Film GmbH, Bern www.framefilm.ch
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SWITZERLAND / PARAGUAY Documentary, 75 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Spanish, Ayoreo PRODUCTION: Cineworx Filmproduktion GmbH, Zurich / Arami Ullón Cine, Asunción WORLD SALES: Film Republic, London filmrepublic.biz MORE INFORMATION: www.apenaselsol.com WORLD PREMIERE: IDFA 2020 Opening film & Competition
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APENAS EL SOL written & directed by Arami Ullón
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In an attempt to preserve fragments of their disappearing culture, Mateo traverses the arid and desolate Paraguayan Chaco. He records on cassettes the experiences of other Ayoreo who, like him, were born in the forest, free and nomadic, without any contact with white civilization, until religious missionaries forced them to abandon their ancestral territory, their means of subsistence, their beliefs, and their home.
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SWITZERLAND Fiction, 87 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Swiss-German CAST: Sarah Spale, Matthias Britschgi, Lia Wagner, Sarah Hostettler, Julian Koechlin PRODUCTION: Dschoint Ventschr, Zurich / SRF WORLD RIGHTS: Dschoint Ventschr, Zurich www.dvfilm.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Chicago International Film Festival 2020
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Judith runs a small trout farm in a remote valley in the Swiss Jura mountains. The hard work demands the utmost of the single mother. Fortunately, reliable help has recently come her way in the form of Gabriel. A trusting relationship soon develops between the two, and Judith’s little daughter Milla also quickly warms to Gabriel. A sudden tragedy shatters the idyll. Her only support is her relationship with Gabriel.
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VON FISCHEN UND MENSCHEN written & directed by Stefanie Klemm
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OF FISH AND MEN
SAMI, JOE AND I
SWITZERLAND Fiction, 94 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Swiss-German, Spanish, Serbo-Croatian CAST: Anja Gada, Rabea Lüthi, Jana Sekulovska, PRODUCTION: Abrakadabra Films AG, Zurich / SRF
WORLD RIGHTS: Abrakadabra Films AG, Zurich www.abrakadabra.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Zurich Film Festival 2020
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Sami, Joe and Leyla are ready. Ready for a truly epic summer after finishing school and ready to get out and grab their slice of life. But what is to come, is diametrically opposed to their expectations and of a different magnitude then they anticipated. Determined to stand up for themselves, the three friends find out how right Leyla’s mom was when she told them: always keep more dreams in your soul than reality can destroy.
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SAMI, JOE UND ICH written & directed by Karin Heberlein
CINQ NOUVELLES DU CERVEAU written & directed by Jean-Stéphane Bron
Today, the race is on between human and artificial intelligence. While researchers are slowly uncovering the mysteries of the human brain, dramatic progress is being made in the field of AI.
SWITZERLAND / FRANCE Documentary, 100 min., 2021 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, French PRODUCTION: Bande à part Films, Lausanne / Les Films Pelléas, Paris / RTS / SRG SSR WORLD SALES: MK2 Films, Paris mk2films.com WORLD PREMIERE: Solothurner Filmtage 2021
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THE BRAIN
THE SAINT OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
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SWITZERLAND Fiction, 90 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, Spanish SCREENPLAY: Lani-Rain Feltham, Marc Wilkins CAST: Magaly Solier, Marcelo Durand, Adriano Durand, Tara Thaller, Simon Käser PRODUCTION: Dschoint Ventschr, Zurich / SRF / Teleclub WORLD SALES: Bendita Film Sales, Santa Cruz de Tenerife www.benditafilms.com WORLD PREMIERE: Mostra Sao Paulo 2020
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directed by Marc Wilkins
Two undocumented delivery boys in New York want to be loved by a mysterious Croatian girl while their mother is persuaded by a Swiss pulp fiction novelist to start a burrito empire from their Bronx kitchen. The American Dream becomes a trap when deportation looms.
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THE YEAR OF THE DISCOVERY
In 1992, the Barcelona Olympics and the Seville Expo presented Spain as a modern and dynamic country. However, in Cartagena, Spain, the protests due to the in dustrial crisis provoked an uprising which resulted in the burning down of the Parliament of the Auto nomous Community. In a café, neighbours, young and unemployed people share their dreams, worries and family stories.
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SPAIN / SWITZERLAND Documentary, 200 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Spanish SCREENPLAY: Luis López Carrasco, Raúl Liarte PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: LaCima Producciones, Madrid www.lacimaproducciones.com Alina film, Geneva www.alinafilm.com WORLD PREMIERE: IFFR 2020
Documentary
EL AÑO DEL DESCUBRIMIENTO directed by Luis López Carrasco
TRACES OF MADNESS directed by Michele Di Rienzo
SWITZERLAND Fiction, 108 min., 2021 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Italian SCREENPLAY: Simone Lo Buglio CAST: Daniele Marcheggiani, Simone Passero, Gloria Anselmi, Mauro Negri, Fabrizio Rocchi PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Independent Movie Productions, Lugano www.independent-movie.com
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Affected by bipolar disorder, James suffers from significant memory losses and his mind is clouded by some confused memories. In an effort to save his marriage with his wife Stephanie and with Dr. Bryant’s help, James will do everything in his power to make sense out of his troubled past.
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WHO’S AFRAID OF ALICE MILLER? written & directed by Daniel Howald
Martin was rejected and treated with coldness by his mother, and beaten and humiliated by his father: a childhood without love. The story sounds like a case study from the book “The Drama of the Gifted Child” by the world-famous Swiss child psychologist Alice Miller. But Martin is her son. After her death, he sets out to discover the drama behind everything.
SWITZERLAND Documentary, 101 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, English, French, Swiss-German, Polish PRODUCTION:
WORLD RIGHTS: SwissDok GmbH, Basel www.swissdok.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Solothurner Filmtage 2020
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SwissDok GmbH, Basel / SRF / SRG SSR
YOUTH TOPIA
Fiction
tellfilm GmbH, Zurich www.tellfilm.ch
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SWITZERLAND / GERMANY Fiction, 84 min., 2021 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German SCREENPLAY: Marisa Meier, Dennis Stormer CAST: Lia von Blarer, Jürg Plüss, Lou Haltinner, Elsa Langnäse, Saladin Dellers PRODUCTION:
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The perpetual underdog Wanja gets the unique chance to start a career as an architect and finally becomes an adult. Amongst new won privileges she starts missing the friends from her youth. The more successful she becomes the more lonely she feels. She begins to understand that the youngsters cherish something that the adults have lost: community.
SWITZERLAND / GERMANY Fiction, 117 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, Swiss-German CAST: Joel Basman, Marie Leuenberger PRODUCTION: Contrast Film, Zurich / Port au Prince, Berlin / Niama Film, Stuttgart / SRF / Teleclub / ARTE / BR / HR WORLD SALES: Arri Media Worldsales, Munich www.arriworldsales.de FESTIVALS (SELECTION): PÖFF Tallinn 2020 / Camerimage 2020
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Barbara Hug is a young radical lawyer fighting Switzerland’s antiquated prison system in the 1980s. Walter Stürm is a charmer and chancer. Taunting the establishment with his outrageous thefts and media savvy he’s in and often escaping out of jail and becomes known as the Jailbreak King. When the two meet an unlikely alliance is formed.
FESTIVAL FAVOURITES FEATURES
STÜRM: BIS WIR TOT SIND ODER FREI directed by Oliver Rihs
Fiction
CAGED BIRDS
MY LITTLE SISTER
Berlin-born twins Lisa and Sven have a lifelong shared passion for theatre. He’s a famous actor, while she has abandoned her writing to live with her husband and children in Switzerland. When Sven falls gravely ill, Lisa begins to dramatically re-evaluate her life.
SWITZERLAND Fiction, 99 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German CAST: Nina Hoss, Lars Eidinger, Marthe Keller, Jens Albinus PRODUCTION: Vega Film, Zurich / RTS / SRG SSR / ARTE WORLD SALES Beta Cinema, Oberhaching www.betacinema.com FESTIVALS (SELECTION): Berlinale 2020 / Sydney Film Festival 2020 / Los Angeles AFI Fest 2020 / Mostra Sao Paulo 2020 / Sevilla Festival de Cine Europeo 2020
Fiction
SCHWESTERLEIN written & directed by Stéphanie Chuat, Véronique Reymond
FESTIVAL FAVOURITES FEATURES
MY WONDERFUL WANDA WANDA, MEIN WUNDER directed by Bettina Oberli
The Polish woman Wanda, 35, looks after Joseph, 70, in his family villa by the lake. She is there for him around the clock and also helps his wife Elsa, 75. The youngest son Gregi, 28, likes her very much. The work is poorly paid, but Wanda needs the money for her own family in Poland. Since everyone lives under one roof, Wanda gets an intimate view of their family life. So intimate that Wanda unexpectedly becomes pregnant.
SWITZERLAND Fiction, 110 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German SCREENPLAY: Cooky Ziesche, Bettina Oberli CAST: Marthe Keller, André Jung PRODUCTION:
WORLD SALES: The Match Factory, Cologne www.the-match-factory.com FESTIVALS (SELECTION): Tribeca New York 2020 / Vancouver Int. Film Festival 2020 / Zurich Film Festival 2020 / Mostra Sao Paulo 2020
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Fiction
Zodiac Pictures Ltd, Zurich / SRF / SRG SSR / Teleclub
SPAGAT / ШПAГAТ
Fiction
FESTIVALS (SELECTION): San Sebastian 2020 / Zurich Film Festival 2020 / Mostra Sao Paulo 2020
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SWITZERLAND Fiction, 110 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Swiss-German, Russian SCREENPLAY: Christian Johannes Koch, Josa Sesink CAST: Rachel Braunschweig, Alexey Serebryakov, Masha Demiri, PRODUCTION:
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Marina, a teacher in her midforties, leads a quiet life with her husband and daughter. But appearances are deceptive; she is having an affair with Artem, the father of one of her students, Ulyana. Although both Artem and his daughter have lived in Switzerland for years, neither has a residence permit. When Ulyana is caught stealing it exposes their game and threatens the existences of everyone involved.
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SWITZERLAND Animation, 8 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Without dialogue PRODUCTION: YK Animation Studio GmbH, Bern / SRF WORLD SALES: Magnetfilm GmbH, Berlin www.magnetfilm.de FESTIVALS (SELECTION): Krakow Film Festival 2020 / Palm Springs ShortFest 2020 / Annecy 2020 / Fantoche 2020 / PÖFF Black Nights Tallinn 2020 / Bogota Short 2020 / Sundance Film Festival 2021
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Little Miss Fate lives in a world driven by fate. When the opportunity arises, she slips into the role of the world leader. Unintentionally she creates a monster, which greedily wants to suck up all the love of the world. Overwhelmed by the rapid development, she loses control.
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FESTIVAL FAVOURITES SHORTS
written & directed by Joder von Rotz
Animation
LITTLE MISS FATE
SWITZERLAND Animation, 4 min., 2020 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Without dialogue PRODUCTION: Schattenkabinett GmbH, Bern / SRF WORLD SALES: Magnetfilm GmbH, Berlin www.magnetfilm.de FESTIVALS (SELECTION): Berlinale 2020 / Oberhausen 2020 / SICAF Seoul 2020 / IndieLisboa 2020 / Fantoche 2020 / Uppsala Int. Short Film Festival 2020 / DOK Leipzig 2020 / Anima Brussels 2021
Animation
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High up in the maple tree, the little bird is happy about the buds growing on his tree. Everywhere around him there is a buzzing and humming sound and there is a lot to discover. The little bird curiously follows the funny bees and does not notice that the fiery red fox is on his heels.
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DER KLEINE VOGEL UND DIE BIENEN written & directed by Lena von Döhren
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LITTLE BIRD AND THE BEES
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A TEMPORARY STORY
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ROMED WYDER * 1967. Romed Wyder graduated with a degree from the cinema department of HEAD – Geneva (Haute école d’art et de design) in 1995. He is an active in several Swiss professional associations. He works as producer, director and screenwriter for fiction and documentary. His features NO COFFEE, NO TV, NO SEX (1999) and ABSOLUT (2004) premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and DAWN (2014) won several international awards.
SWITZERLAND / LUXEMBOURG WORLD RIGHTS: Paradigma Films SA, Geneva Fiction, 85 min. www.paradigmafilms.ch ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, French, Persian SCREENPLAY: Nasim Ahmadpour, Romed Wyder CAST: Felipe Castro, Pooneh Hajimohammadi, Elisabet Johannesdottir PRODUCTION: Paradigma Films SA, Geneva / Milan Film AG, Basel / Amour Fou Luxembourg sàrl, Ettelbruck / RTS SWISS PRODUCERS: Cyrill Gerber, Romed Wyder
Fiction
Grappling with a mid-life crisis, Sacha leaves his girlfriend and escapes to his sister’s Airbnb. There he is forced to share the apartment with Marjan, an Iranian woman, who is facing her own marital crisis. Both are annoyed, and rather than finding a peaceful retreat, tension builds. It is when Mina, a lively American, joins them that the atmosphere slowly changes from mutual prejudice to curiosity. What began as an involuntary encounter becomes a moment of new possibilities.
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(working title) directed by Romed Wyder
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written & directed by Lorenz Merz
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Young father Gabriel takes care alone of his son. When he falls in love with enigmatic Corey, life becomes utterly existential.
WORLD RIGHTS: Hesse Film GmbH, Zurich www.hessefilm.ch
Fiction
BEAST – SOUL OF YOUTH
SWITZERLAND Fiction, 100 min. ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: French, Swiss-German CAST: Ella Rumpf, Pablo Caprez, Art Bllaca, Luna Wedler, Tonatiuh Radzi, Lolita Chammah PRODUCTION: Simon Hesse, Zurich / Milan Film AG, Basel / SRG SSR / SRF / Teleclub PRODUCERS: Simon Hesse, Lorenz Merz, Cyrill Gerber
LORENZ MERZ * 1981. Formation in painting, music and photography. He studied Film at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and Universidad del Cine Buenos Aires. With films such as UN DIA Y NADA (Locarno/ Tel Aviv IFF 2008), CHERRY PIE (Rotterdam/Camerimage IFF 2014) and for his cinema tography for SUMMER GAMES (Venice/Toronto IFF 2011) and WAR (San Sebastian/Karlovy Vary IFF 2014) he won inter national awards and three times the Swiss Film Award. He is currently developing a new feature project WHO/MAN.
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FIONA ZIEGLER * 1983. Fiona Ziegler initially studied Contemporary History and German Studies at the University of Fribourg and Bologna. She graduated in 2009 with a Master in Inter national Relations from the Graduate Institute of Interna tional and Development Studies in Geneva. She attended the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts Prague (FAMU) and received her Bachelor in Film in 2015, followed by a Masters in 2020.
SWITZERLAND / CZECH REPUBLIC Fiction, 75 min. ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Swiss-German, Czech CAST: Dominique Jann, Hana Vagnerová, Ivan Pokorný, Heidi Maria Glössner PRODUCTION: CognitoFilms, Zurich / Cinémotif Films, Prague SWISS PRODUCERS: Rajko Jazbec, Dario Schoch
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Evžen is in his late thirties and has neither a family of his own nor a secure income. Instead, he has established an underground music club in Prague, the city his father originally came from. When the club burns down, he is forced to return to Switzerland to raise money for the renovation. His return confronts him with Karlchen the smuggled crocodile, his father’s lifelong lie and the grotesque charm of the bourgeoisie.
WORLD RIGHTS: Catpics AG, Zurich www.catpics.ch Cinémotif Films, Prague www.cinemotiffilms.cz FAMU, Prague www.famu.cz
Fiction
written & directed by Fiona Ziegler
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Based on Patricia Highsmith’s personal writings and accounts of her family and lovers, the film casts new light on the famous thriller writer’s life and oeuvre, permeated by themes of love and its defining influence on identity.
WORLD RIGHTS: Ensemble Film GmbH, Zurich www.ensemblefilm.ch
Documentary
LOVING HIGHSMITH
SWITZERLAND / GERMANY Documentary, 95 min. ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, French, German PRODUCTION: Ensemble Film GmbH, Zurich / Lichtblick Film- und Fernsehproduktion, Cologne / ZDF / ARTE / RSI / SRF SWISS PRODUCERS: Franziska Sonder, Maurizius Staerkle Drux
EVA VITIJA * 1973. Eva Vitija studied screenwriting at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB). She has written for cinema and television, including the screenplays of MEIER, MARILYN, MADLY IN LOVE and LITTLE PARADISE. Her first feature-length documentary MY LIFE AS A FILM (2015) was nominated for the Swiss Film Award and a prize of the International Documentary Association in Los Angeles. The film garnered various awards, among them the Prix de Soleure.
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directed by Stefan Jäger
SWITZERLAND / AUSTRIA / GERMANY Fiction, 110 min. ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German SCREENPLAY: Kornelija Naraks CAST: Maresi Riegner, Max Hubacher, Julia Jentsch, Hannah Herzsprung, Joel Basman, Philipp Hauß PRODUCTION: tellfilm GmbH, Zurich / KGP Filmproduktion, Vienna / COIN FILM, Cologne / RSI / ORF / MMC Movies, Cologne SWISS PRODUCER: Katrin Renz
WORLD RIGHTS: tellfilm GmbH, Zurich www.tellfilm.ch
Fiction
STEFAN JÄGER * 1970. Stefan Jäger is a director, screenwriter and lecturer. He graduated from the Film Academy BadenWürttemberg in 1997 and has since worked as a director. His films have screened at international festivals and have received numerous awards. Since 1998 he is owner of tellfilm GmbH in Zurich. He is a lecturer in Ludwigsburg and since 2018 head of the script department at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).
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1906. Hanna wants nothing more than to free herself from her bourgeois corset. When she flees to the notorious Monte Verità, leaving her daughters behind, she is initially reluctant to accept the free lifestyle of those seeking meaning. But when she begins to photograph the guests, she grows beyond herself. In her devotion to art, she has to ask herself: can she return to her family without giving up herself?
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written & directed by Fisnik Maxhuni
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For the past 20 years, Olivier, a Frenchman, has lived on his own on a small island belonging to First Nations people. He is there alone, 200 kilometres from Yellowknife, the only city of Northwest Territories in Canada. One day, three visitors land on the island and disrupt his peace.
PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Close Up Films, Geneva www.closeupfilms.ch
Documentary
NOSTROMO
SWITZERLAND Documentary, 82 min. ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: French, English PRODUCERS: Flavia Zanon, Joëlle Bertossa
FISNIK MAXHUNI * 1989 in Kosovo. Fisnik Maxhuni was a refugee in Switzerland until 2005. He studied film at ECAL / HEAD, completing his studies with a Master’s degree. His first film LOST EXILE (2016) premiered in Locarno and won a jury award. He wrote and directed THE VALLEY OF HAPPINESS (2017), ZVICRA (2018) and ENDGAME (2020). Shot in Canada, NOSTROMO is his first film shot in North America. He is currently working on two feature films, THE LAND WITHIN ME and THE DUST OF DAWN.
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ELIE GRAPPE * 1994 in France. Elie Grappe completed musical training at the National Conservatory in Lyon. After attending the preparatory course at École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (ECAL) he proceded to study Film, receiving his Bachelor in Film from ECAL in 2015. His short film REHEARSAL (2014), was selected for IDFA, Clermont-Ferrand and Krakow film festivals. His first feature- length fiction film OLGA was selected for The Films After Tomorrow section at the Locarno Film Festival 2020.
SWITZERLAND / FRANCE Fiction, 85 min. ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French SCREENPLAY: Elie Grappe, Raphaëlle Desplechin CAST: Nastya Budiashkina, Caterina Barloggio, Jérôme Martin PRODUCTION: Point Prod, Geneva / RTS / Cinéma Defacto, Paris SWISS PRODUCER: Jean-Marc Fröhle
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2013. Olga is a 15-year-old passionate Ukrainian gymnast. Exiled in Switzerland, she does her best to fit into the national team. But the Euromaidan revolt erupts in Kiev, suddenly involving everyone she cares about. As the young girl prepares for the European Championship, the revolution enters her life and shakes everything up on its way.
WORLD SALES: Pulsar Content, Paris www.pulsarcontent.com
Fiction
directed by Elie Grappe
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It is the year 1985: Josef is a 47-year old alcoholic who has given up on life. When his younger sister moves into the same house, an unexpected friendship develops between him and her 4-year old daughter, Nina. Thirtyfive years later the two meet again. Nina is in trouble and Josef, now 82 years old, sets out to help her.
Fiction
WORLD RIGHTS: Spotlight Media Productions, Zurich www.spotlight.ch
SWITZERLAND / UKRAINE Fiction, 101 min ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, English, Swiss-German, Russian CAST: Matthias Habich, Johanna Bantzer, Fabian Krüger, Lia Hahne, Anne Haug PRODUCTION: Spotlight Media Productions, Zurich / SRF / Teleclub / Directory Films, Kyiv SWISS PRODUCERS: David Luisi, Peter Luisi
PETER LUISI * 1975. Peter Luisi studied film at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His first feature VERFLIXT VERLIEBT (2004) won the Zurich Film Prize and was awarded at the MaxOphüls Film Festival. He cowrote VITUS (2006). The box office success was shortlisted for an Oscar. With THE SANDMAN (2011) and UNLIKELY HEROES (2014) he won numer ous prizes. His previous film STREAKER (2017) was a commercial success and was sold to over fifty territories.
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directed by Juan José Lozano, Zoltán Horváth
ZOLTÁN HORVÁTH * 1966. Zoltán Horváth has worked as producer, director, graphic designer and writer. In 2001 he founded Nadasdy Film. His shorts have screened at numerous international film festivals.
SWITZERLAND / FRANCE Animation, 85 min. ANIMATION TECHNIQUE: 2D/3D Computer animation, mixed technique, rotoscope ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Spanish SCREENPLAY: Juan José Lozano, Antoine Germa PRODUCTION: Intermezzo Films, Geneva / Dolce Vita Films, Paris / RTS / Nadasdy Film Sarl, Geneva / Tchack, Lille SWISS PRODUCERS: Anne Deluz, Luc Peter, Nicolas Burlet
WORLD SALES: Urban Distribution International, Paris www.urbangroup.biz
Animation
JUAN JOSÉ LOZANO * 1971 in Colombia. Juan José Lozano worked as director and television producer in Colombia. Since 1998 he works as independent filmmaker in Geneva and is an associate at Intermezzo Films.
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In 2008, FARC second-in-command Raul Reyes, was killed in a raid orchestrated by the CIA and the Colombian army. His computers were found: ten years of emails written by the man in charge of negotiating the release of 100 hostages – including Ingrid Betancourt. The film delves into the secrets of the oldest communist guerrilla, as the revolutionary utopia was slowly turning into a nightmare.
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THE BLACK SPIDER
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Fiction
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directed by Markus Fischer The courageous young midwife Christine makes a pact with the devil to save her village from the brutal terror of the Teutonic Knights. Punished by a spider plague, Christine goes from saviour to hunted, and the violence escalates. Christine faces the decisive battle against the diabolical power that wants to take away the highest good she is willing to die for: humanity. Based on the famous novella by Jeremias Gotthelf.
SWITZERLAND / HUNGARY WORLD SALES: Fiction, 100 min. Arri Media Worldsales, Munich ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: www.arriworldsales.de German SCREENPLAY: Plinio Bachmann, Barbara Sommer CAST: Lilith Stangenberg, Nurit Hirschfeld, Anatole Taubman, Marcus Signer, Ronald Zehrfeld, Marin Blülle, Andreas Matti, Ueli Jäggi, Fabian Krüger, Josef Ostendorf PRODUCTION: Snakefilm GmbH, Zurich / Laokoon Film, Budapest SWISS PRODUCER: Judith Lichtneckert
MARKUS FISCHER * 1953. Markus Fischer has been working as a director, screenwriter and producer since 1980. In 2005 he founded Snakefilm GmbH in Zurich. As a producer he was responsible for the successful series THE UNDERTAKER for SRF. Films such as FINSTERNIS (1979), DER NACHBAR (1986), ZIMMER 36 (1988), MARMORERA (2007) and the dance films PASSENGERS (2000) and ONE BULLET LEFT (2003) have won international awards.
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written & directed by Marion Neumann
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SWITZERLAND Documentary, 90 min. ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, English, Japanese PRODUCERS: Katia Monla, Luc Peter
PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Intermezzo Films, Geneva www.intermezzofilms.ch
Documentary
MARION NEUMANN * 1977 in Germany. Marion Neumann is a Geneva-based filmmaker. She has a Master in documentary film/camera from the HFF in Munich. Her first feature THIS MOMENT IS NOT THE SAME (2010) was the result of a community experiment, and premiered at Visions du Réel. Her work as a cinematographer screened in many festivals, with films such as WILD PLANTS (2016), by Nicolas Humbert, and NATURALES HISTORIAE (2019), by Pauline Julier. THE MUSHROOM SPEAKS is her second feature-length film.
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What if the fungus could help us cure and radically change our relation to this world? The film traces possible alliances with the fungal reign. As if in an uprising of spores, the encounters explore the theme of renewal, and question what connects us when the world seems to fall apart.
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WAX AND GOLD
WACHS UND GOLD (working title)
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(working title) written & directed by Heidi Specogna 32
Nardos, an Azmari singer from Addis Ababa, dreams of telling stories about the lives of ordinary people through her music. In her search of stories for her songs, she meets Gennet, a poet who lives on the streets with her children. As Nardos puts the lives of Ethiopian women, their visions and power at the centre of her creation, we dive deeper and deeper into a rapidly changing country.
Documentary
WORLD SALES: Deckert Distribution, Leipzig www.deckert-distribution.com
SWITZERLAND / GERMANY Documentary, 120 min ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Amharic PRODUCTION: FAMA FILM AG, Zurich / Ma.ja.de. Filmproduktions GmbH, Berlin / SRF / ZDF / 3sat SWISS PRODUCER: Rolf Schmid
HEIDI SPECOGNA * 1959. Heidi Specogna graduated from the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB) in 1988. She is known for her award-winning documentaries TANIA LA GUERRILLERA (1991), TUPAMAROS (1997), THE SHORT LIFE OF JOSÉ ANTONIO GUTIERREZ (2006) and CARTE BLANCHE (2011). Her last film CAHIER AFRICAN (2016) won Best Documentary at the Swiss Film Awards 2017 as well as at the German Film Awards. In 2019 she was honoured with the Konrad-Wolf-Prize of the Academy of Arts in Berlin.
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MARÍ ALESSANDRINI * 1979 in Argentina. Marí Alessandrini worked as a photographer, director and acrobat in a circus company. In 1985 she moved to Geneva and studied directing and visual arts at the Geneva University of Art & Design (HEAD – Genève). She directed several short films and participated at the Cinéfondation residence of the Cannes Film Festival to develop her first feature-length fiction film ZAHORÍ. In Locarno she received the Pardo 2020 – The Films After Tomorrow award.
SWITZERLAND / ARGENTINA / WORLD RIGHTS: Le Laboratoire Central, CHILE / FRANCE Lausanne Fiction, 105 min. www.lelaboratoirecentral.com ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: English, Italian, Araucanian, Spanish CAST: Lara Viaena Tortosa, Sabine Timoteo, Cirilo Wesley, Carol Jones, Francisca Castillo, Santos Curapil, Michael Silva PRODUCTION: Le Laboratoire Central, Lausanne / El Calefón, Cordoba / Cinestacion, Santiago / Norte Productions, Paris SWISS PRODUCER: Nadejda Magnenat
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The Patagonian steppe is battered by a grey wind. Mora is 13 years old and intends to become a “gaucho”. She questions the school and asserts her indentity towards her parents, two Swiss-Italian environmentalists whose dream of autonomy turns into a nightmare. Mora goes deep into the steppe to help the only friend she has, Nazareno, a Mapuche man who has lost his horse, Zahorí.
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99 MOONS by Jan Gassmann, director of OFF BEAT and EUROPE, SHE LOVES
AND TOMORROW YOU WILL BE DEAD by Michael Steiner, director of WOLKENBRUCH
SWITZERLAND / GERMANY Fiction CAST: Morgane Ferru, Sven Schelker PRODUCTION: Zodiac Pictures Ltd, Zurich / MMC Zodiac, Cologne / SRF / Blue WORLD SALES: Arri Media Worldsales, Munich www.arriworldsales.de
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SWITZERLAND Fiction CAST: Valentina Crisafulli, Dominik Fellmann PRODUCTION: Zodiac Pictures Ltd, Zurich / SRF WORLD RIGHTS: Zodiac Pictures Ltd, Zurich www.zodiacpictures.com
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SUMMER 2021
LAST DANCE
THUNDER
by Delphine Lehericey, director of PUPPYLOVE and BEYOND THE HORIZON
by Carmen Jaquier
SWITZERLAND / BELGIUM Fiction CAST: André Dussollier, Maria La Ribot, Jean-Benoît Ugeux, Astrid Whettnall, Luc Bruchez, Lisa Harder PRODUCTION: Box Productions sàrl, Lausanne / Need Productions, Brussels WORLD SALES: Be For Films, Brussels www.beforfilms.com
SWITZERLAND Fiction CAST: Lilith Grasmug, Lou Iff, Diana Gervalla, Benjamin Python, Noah Watzlawick, Sabine Timoteo, François Revaclier, Léa Gigon, Marco Calamandrei PRODUCTION: Close Up Films, Geneva / RTS WORLD SALES: WTFilms, Paris www.wtfilms.fr
Supporting the theatrical release and distribution via online platforms of Swiss films worldwide. Its aim is to strengthen the visibility and the distribution of Swiss films abroad. The subsidies are granted according to the “Guidelines Funding for the distribution of Swiss films and coproductions in foreign countries”.
SUPPORT MEASURES
DISTRIBUTION SUPPORT
Applications must be submitted by the distributor via the Swiss producer.
For more information please consult our website www.swissfilms.ch
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A support measure by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC), administrated by SWISS FILMS. www.bak.admin.ch Contact : support@swissfilms.ch
FILM SALES SUPPORT
A scheme by the European Film Promotion (EFP) for the promotion of European films outside of Europe. FSS OPEN CALL : Available to European and Swiss sales companies selling Swiss films at selected festivals and markets through digital promotion campaigns. READY-TO-USE DIGITAL PROMOTION CAMPAIGNS : This scheme encourages the creation of innovative universal digital promotion strategies (B2B / B2C) by European sales companies. Applications must be submitted online by the European sales company. Supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC), Media Desk Suisse and SWISS FILMS. Guidelines and application : www.efp-online.com/en/project_market/fss.php
SWISS FILMS SUPPORT DURING CORONA
METHOD OF PAYMENT FOR
FINANCIAL AID AND SUPPORT MEASURES DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS Contact : support@swissfilms.ch
DISTRIBUTION SUPPORT for applicants (distributors and rights holders) with European and non-European distribution support
IF THE THEATRICAL RELEASE IS POSTPONED: – International distributors who have received a funding agreement from the Federal Office of Culture and who had confirmed the theatrical release may request the first instalment against proof of the distribution costs planned or already incurred within the scope of their application.
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IF THE THEATRICAL RELEASE IS CANCELLED: – International distributors for whom the theatrical release had to be completed or terminated prematurely can request the second instalment upon receipt of an interim invoice for services already rendered.
FILM SALES SUPPORT (FSS) for applicants (sales)
IF THE MARKET IS POSTPONED OR CANCELLED: – Costs incurred will be paid out against receipt and within the scope of the funding agreed upon. FOR DIGITAL MARKETS: – Applications for support can be submitted within the scope of FSS. The share of costs is based on the regular FSS conditions. – Additional applications for digital online campaigning may be submitted. SWISS FILMS follows the recommendations and guidelines of the European Film Promotion EFP. SWISS FILMS would like to point out that VOD Support is an alternative distribution tool for promoting Swiss films on VOD platforms.
Please consult our website for up-to-date information on our festival attendance. www.swissfilms.ch
SWISS FILMS is supported by
“Are you ready to take off again, beautiful bird?” Lisa in THE GIRL AND THE SPIDER by Ramon and Silvan Zürcher