SWISS FILMS Shorts 2023

SWISS FILMS SHORTS

2023

FICTION CYRIL & LOUISE DRIFTING EPIDERMAL FAIRPLAY FLORES DEL OTRO PATIO HEART FRUIT INCIDENCES LAST NIGHT SISTER STONES DON’T FLY THE LEFT BEHIND THE NEWT CONGRESS THE PARADE THE SILENT ONES WAKING UP IN VEGAS

ANIMATION ARMAT BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN? GREYLANDS KILL YOUR DARLINGS LIMITS MAREA

PIPES POND THINK SOMETHING NICE

DOCUMENTARY ALBA BEEN THERE BETWEEN TIDES BITTER SEPTEMBER DUST AWAY EVER SINCE, I HAVE BEEN FLYING GHOST FAIR TRADE IN BETWEEN RAMBOY RAMON AND THE RIVER SERAFINA TAKING FLIGHT ON A CARRIAGE WITH WINGS THE DECEASED

EXPERIMENTAL CAPRICORN SUNSET LES GRANDS PRÉS

CYRIL & LOUISE

written & directed by Alexandre Schild

Cyril and Louise love each other dearly. Today they celebrate the fourth anniversary of their wild love. Tonight there will be a forest party. Louise and Cyril are planning to go. They don’t know it yet, but it will be their last evening together, their last kiss, their last first love.

ALEXANDRE SCHILD

* 1999. Alexandre Schild is a self-taught filmmaker. He directed his first short in 2018 and went on to direct music videos for various artists. His previous short LETTRES EN TON NOM (2021) screened at several festivals and was broadcast on Swiss national television RTS. CYRIL & LOUISE premiered at the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur in 2022.

À LA DÉRIVE

DRIFTING

directed by Marion Reymond

A young caregiver reverts to a fantasy world to cope with the grief of losing her mother and to escape from the drudgery of the care home where she works.

MARION REYMOND

* 2000. Marion Reymond graduated with a Bachelor in Cinema from École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL) in 2022 with her diploma film DRIFTING. She has a strong interest in film set decoration, which she has done several times on location, as well as acting experience in several short films.

SWITZERLAND Fiction, 13 min. ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French SCREENPLAY: Yan Ciszewski, Marion Reymond CAST: Elsa Thebault, La Castou, Claude Thébert, Yan Ciszewski, Loris Gashi, Dimitri Perrenoud, Eva Pessina, Giulia Pessina, Basile Saillant PRODUCERS: Jean-Guillaume Sonnier, Pauline Gygax, Eric Bouduban

PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS:

École cantonale d’art de Lausanne ECAL

jean_guillaume.sonnier@ecal.ch www.ecal.ch

Imajack Films, Lausanne www.imajack.ch

FANTASTIC CITSATNAF

EPIDERMAL

Victoire and Alizée got to know each other in the water, and it is in that same water that the two teenagers’ friendship starts drifting apart. As they evolve through the competitive world of artistic swimming, Victoire notices that her friend’s body is transforming. Alizée, sublimated by a new aura, bewitching and intangible, moves away from Victoire. Jealousy sets in, devouring and destructive.

SWITZERLAND

Fiction, 25 min., 2022

written & directed by Océane Wannaz PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Imajack Films, Lausanne www.imajack.ch WORLD PREMIERE: Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2022

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French CAST: Marion Reymond, Arianna Camilli, Isabelle Caillat, Frank Semelet

PRODUCER: Eric Bouduban

OCÉANE WANNAZ

* 1993. Océane Wannaz graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in art history, history and aesthetics of cinema in 2016. She went on to complete her Master in Cinema at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) in 2019. She works as a film critic for podcasts and newspapers, and as assistant director. She is a self-taught screenwriter, director and editor.

FAIRPLAY

directed by Zoel Aeschbacher

A teenager in search of recognition, a worker ready to do anything to hit the jackpot and a senior executive at the end of his career who wants to prove to himself that he is still alive. Three characters who are losing their way on the competition highway.

COMEDY YDEMOC

ZOEL AESCHBACHER

* 1993 in France. Zoel Aeschbacher is of Swiss and Vietnamese origin. Marked by the Kourtrajmé collective, he began experimenting with a DV camera. He has a Bachelor in Film from École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL).

His graduation film BONOBO (2017) premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival, won the audience award and went on to win the Student Academy Award for Best Student Film in 2019. FAIRPLAY (2022) won the Pardi di Domani Junior Jury Award at the Locarno Film Festival.

SWITZERLAND / FRANCE

Fiction, 17 min., 2022

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French

SCREENPLAY: Zoel Aeschbacher, Gania Latroche CAST: Dorin Dragos, Pascal Tagnati, Pierre Gommé SWISS PRODUCER: Elena Tatti

PRODUCTION: Box Productions sàrl, Lausanne / Yukunkun Productions, Paris / Canal +, Issy-les-Moulineaux / RTS

WORLD SALES: Salaud Morisset, Berlin www.salaudmorisset.com

NATIONAL PREMIERE: Locarno Film Festival 2022

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE: Festival international du film francophone Namur 2022

QUEER AMENIC

FLORES

largest coal mine.

JORGE CADENA

* 1985 in Colombia. Jorge Cadena studied Photography in Buenos Aires. THE TALE OF ANTONIA (2016) won a Tiger Award for Short Films at IFFR 2017. He graduated with a Master in Cinema from Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève) with THE JARARIJU SISTERS (2018), which was awarded at the Berlinale. An alumnus of EFP Future Frame, TIFF Lab, and Berlinale Talents, he is currently working on his first feature film. FLORES DEL OTRO PATIO won Best Swiss Short in Winterthur.

HEART FRUIT

written & directed by Kim Allamand

City people set off into a warm late summer night. Glances meet in a library. Discussions about where to buy love. Intimate kisses, she bites him. No sooner has he finished a match than a better offer calls. She chews her egg so loud that he freezes in disgust. Those looks in the library lose their power. Only the dance makes them forget who they are and what will happen tomorrow.

STUDENT TNEDUTS

KIM ALLAMAND

* 1988. Kim Allamand graduated with a Master in Film from Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in 2022. His short films have been screened and won awards at numerous festivals worldwide including San Sebastian, Locarno, Zinebi Bilbao, and premiered online on platforms such as Vimeo Staff Pick, Shortsoftheweek, FilmatiqueTalents. During his studies he attended directing workshops given by Maren Ade and Luca Guadagnino. He is currently writing the screenplay for his first featurelength fiction film.

SWITZERLAND

Fiction, 20 min., 2022

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, Swiss-German CAST: Sofia Elena Borsani, Lotti Happle, Maximilian Kraus, Milian Zerzawy, Severin Hallauer, Jumana Issa, Flavio Luca Marano

PRODUCERS: Maya Galluzzi, Filippo Bonacci

PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK www.zhdk.ch

WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno Film Festival 2022

FÄLLE

INCIDENCES

directed by Mischa Hedinger, Michela Flück

A nameless man no longer manages to count further than six. A sequence of tragic-comic moments and strange encounters takes its course. Is the world slipping away from him? Loosely adapted from the famous work of the avant-garde poet Daniil Kharms (1905–1942), the film tells of the search for solidarity in a strictly regulated world and translates Kharms’ absurd poetry into contemporary, ambiguous images.

PRODUCTION

NATIONAL PREMIERE: Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2022 INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE: IFFR 2023

SWITZERLAND

Experimental / Fiction, 14 min., 2022

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German SCREENPLAY: Mischa Hedinger CAST: Felix Utting, Johannes Dullin, Alina Vimbai Strähler

PRODUCER: Mischa Hedinger

MISCHA HEDINGER

* 1984. Mischa Hedinger is a filmmaker and editor. In 2019 his first feature documentary AFRICAN MIRROR premiered at the Berlinale.

MICHELA FLÜCK

* 1983. Michela Flück has a Master in stage design from Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). She works as a freelance stage and costume designer for drama, dance, musical theatre and film. INCIDENCES (2022) is her first film as a director.

LETZTE NACHT LAST NIGHT

written & directed by Lea Bloch

After partying together for a night, four female friends and four male friends meet among themselves. The previous evening is reconstructed simultaneously in both groups and gradually takes shape. The mood is boisterous until it becomes clear that a line was crossed last night. In both groups, questions arise around guilt, responsibility and credibility.

LEA BLOCH

* 1995. Lea Bloch has a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Religious Studies from the University of Zurich. She works as a producer at Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen SRF Impact and directs her own film projects.

SWITZERLAND

Fiction, 15 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Swiss-German

CAST: Pablo Caprez, Timon Kiefer, Ali Kandas, Benjamin Dangel, Mina Geisseler, Julie Rüfli, Alex Gut, Benie Loudie Matumona

PRODUCER: Sarah Baumeler

PRODUCTION: Sarah Baumeler, Zurich

WORLD RIGHTS: Lea Bloch, Zurich leabloch@hotmail.com

STUDENT TNEDUTS

MOTËR

SISTER

written & directed by Dorentina Imeri

An Albanian family struggles to stay afloat and integrate in Switzerland. In the process, the learning difficulties of the youngest family member put the family to an additional test. The parents lack the time and money to support her in school. To prevent the thread from breaking, the older sister of the immigrant family takes on all the responsibility and puts her needs in the background.

SWITZERLAND Fiction, 14 min., 2022 ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, Swiss-German, Albanian CAST: Leonitta Berisha, Violeta Berisha, Arben Biba PRODUCER: Filippo Bonacci

DORENTINA IMERI

* 1993. Dorentina Imeri completed an exchange semester at the School of Visual Theatre (SVT) in Jerusalem in 2019. She graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor in Film from Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), specializing in screenwriting. She is currently doing an internship in Film Science at ZHdK’s Institute of Performing Arts and Film. Her first featurelength documentary MJEGULL is in post production.

LE PIETRE NON VOLANO

STONES DON’T FLY

written & directed by Nikita Merlini

In a desert landscape, some children play hide-and-seek. The remains of dry stone walls and a few abandoned objects seem to bear witness to a long evaporated civilization. Five-year-old Francesca’s fantasies mingle with the harshness of her environment.

FANTASTIC CITSATNAF

NIKITA MERLINI

* 1992. Nikita Merlini graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor in English Literature and Film Aesthetics from University of Zurich. He graduated with a Bachelor in Film from École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL) in 2020. His diploma film RONDINELLA (2021) screened in the Nest competition in San Sebastian. In 2020 he cofounded the Lausannebased Mercuriales collective.

SWITZERLAND

Docufiction, 20 min., 2022

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Italian CAST: Francesca Vanzini, Giacomo Vanzini, Edoardo Vanzini, Elian Jakob Moro, Elia Vanetti, Marco Rossi, Moreno Wildhaber, Amos Laloli, Romilda Capella

PRODUCERS: Rodrigo Muñoz, Théodora Menthonnex, Nikita Merlini

PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Mercuriales, Lausanne www.mercuriales.ch

WORLD PREMIERE: Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2022

THE LEFT BEHIND

WORLD SALES:

AS SACRIFICADAS

written & directed by Aurélie Oliveira Pernet

In summer, the Portuguese countryside is ravaged by fires. Otilia struggles between her job as a pool cleaner and the need to take care of her mother alone. Stunned by this suffocating daily life, the flames awaken in her solitude, despair and the desire to escape.

Agencia da Curta Metragem, Vila do Conde www.curtas.pt

WORLD PREMIERE:

IFFR 2022

SWITZERLAND / PORTUGAL Fiction, 21 min., 2022

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Portuguese

CAST: Tânia Alves, Valerie Braddell, Adriano Luz, Francisco Nascimento, Maria João Vaz

PRODUCTION: GoldenEggProduction, Carouge GE / Primeira Idade, Lisboa

SWISS PRODUCERS: Yan Decoppet, Gabriela Bussmann

AURÉLIE OLIVEIRA PERNET

* 1990 in France. Aurélie Oliveira Pernet graduated with a Bachelor in Cinema from Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève) in 2014 with her short film

MECCARILLOS, which went on to screen at several international festivals. In 2019 she completed a Master in Film History from University of Lausanne (UNIL). THE LEFT BEHIND premiered at IFFR in 2022 and a year later is still on the festival circuit. She is currently writing her first feature-length film.

FANTASTIC CITSATNAF

DER MOLCHKONGRESS THE NEWT CONGRESS

written & directed by Matthias Sahli, Immanuel Esser

For years now, giant talking newts have been used both for their labour and as laboratory animals. The Newt Congress takes place at a conference building surrounded by nature where participants have come together to optimize the exploitation of the animals. The short film is a free adaptation of Karel Čapek’s “War with the Newts”.

STUDENT TNEDUTS

MATTHIAS SAHLI

* 1988. Matthias Sahli has a Bachelor and a Master degree in directing, both from Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).

IMMANUEL ESSER

* 1990 in Germany. Immanuel Esser studied Philosophy at Humboldt University in Berlin before turning to film. He studies film at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne.

THE NEWT CONGRESS (2022) premiered at the Locarno Film Festival where it won the Pardino d’argento.

SWITZERLAND

Fiction, 16 min., 2022

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German CAST:

Ursula Bienz, Tobias Bienz, Wiebke Mollenhauer, Linda Gunst, Urs-Peter Wolters, Peter Hottinger

PRODUCER: Filippo Bonacci

PRODUCTION: Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK

WORLD SALES: Ouat Media, Toronto www.ouatmedia.com

WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno Film Festival 2022

QUEER AMENIC STUDENT TNEDUTS

THE PARADE

written & directed by Michail Galanopoulos

A group of high school students meet to participate in the national parade with their school. A student is bullied by the teacher because of her nationality. The students react, defend their classmate and the conflict becomes intense. To avoid the consequences, they run away to a nearby hill and spend the rest of the day there. Up there, they seem to have forgotten their anxieties and problems, as if they were in another world.

SWITZERLAND Fiction, 23 min., 2022

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Greek CAST: Semeli Mitropoulou, Margarita Tasi, Ioannis Giannis, Elvis Allarai, Danae Tsiopli, Makis Papadimitriou, Dimitris Imellos

PRODUCERS: Lionel Baier, Nicolas Wadimoff

MICHAIL GALANOPOULOS

* 1992 in Greece. Michail Galanopoulos graduated with a Bachelor in Media, Culture and Cinema from University of Roehampton in 2014. He studied directing at the European Film College in 2015. THE PARADE (2022) is his Master in Cinema graduation film from École cantonale d’art de Lausanne and Geneva University of Art and Design (ECAL / HEAD – Genève). He lives between Athens and Lausanne.

LES

SILENCIEUX

THE SILENT ONES

directed by Basile Vuillemin

Jorick is one of five crew members of a small fishing trawler. After four days of unsuccessful fishing, he finds himself faced with a difficult dilemma: return with the holds empty or to decide, against the advice of part of the crew, to go poaching in the prohibited zone.

BASILE VUILLEMIN

* 1990 in France. Basile Vuillemin is a dual Swiss and French citizen. In 2016 he graduated with a Master in directing from Institut des arts de diffusion (IAD) in Brussels. His shorts have screened in numerous festivals and show an attraction for graphic composition and his passion for working with actors. THE SILENT ONES (2022) received the Prix Marion Hänsel, Prix Be TV and a Special Mention all at the Festival International du Film de Namur and the Prix de la Production at the Festival du Court de Villeurbanne.

BELGIUM / FRANCE / SWITZERLAND

Fiction, 20 min., 2022 ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French SCREENPLAY: Blandine Jet, Basile Vuillemin CAST: Arieh Worthalter, Thierry Barbet, Arnaud Duléry, Hugo Simon, François Gillerot

SWISS PRODUCER: Arnaud Gantenbein

PRODUCTION:

Magellan Films, Brussels / Blue Hour Films, Rennes / Imaginastudio Sàrl, Lausanne

WORLD SALES: Origine Films, Paris www.originefilms.fr:

WORLD PREMIERE: Vancouver International Film Festival 2022

QUEER AMENIC

WAKING UP IN VEGAS

DETCEPXE

WORLD RIGHTS:

Milan Film, Basel www.milan-film.ch

written & directed by Michèle Flury

Yael is at the beginning of puberty and is searching for his own identity between his virile big brother and his queer best friend Aaron. In the process, he not only questions himself, but also endangers his friendship with Aaron.

SWITZERLAND

Fiction, 15 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: German CAST: Finnigan Inan, Fritz Aumüller, Ayhan Eranil, PRODUCTION: Milan Film, Basel / Kona Film, Zurich PRODUCERS: Lea Dettli, Manuela Rüegg

MICHÈLE FLURY

* 1990. Michèle Flury is a director, writer and editor. After studying psychology, she graduated with a Bachelor in Film from the Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU) in 2018. Her most personal short autofiction THE SOUND OF BIRDS STOPS THE NOISE IN MY MIND (2019) screened at festivals and won Best Documentary at the Beirut Women Film Festival. She also edited the award-winning film ALL CATS ARE GREY IN THE DARK (2019).

ARMAT

written & directed by Élodie Dermange

Élodie tries to find out more about her family’s Armenian origins. She interviews her father, her uncle, her great aunt, and discovers a harsh history where violence and the inability to express love are passed down from generation to generation.

ANIDOC CODINA

ÉLODIE DERMANGE

* 1992. Élodie Dermange has a degree in illustration from Geneva School of Applied Arts. Her first short INTIMITY (2017) was awarded the Grand Prize in Tampere. In 2019 she completed her training at La Poudrière in Bourg-lèsValence, where she directed her graduation film INÈS. ARMAT premiered in competition at DOK Leipzig in 2022

SWITZERLAND

Anidoc, 11 min., 2022

ANIMATION TECHNIQUE: Drawn animation

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French PRODUCTION: Nadasdy Film, Geneva / RTS

PRODUCER: Nicolas Burlet

WORLD RIGHTS: Nadasdy Film, Geneva www.nadasdyfilm.ch

WORLD PREMIERE: DOK Leipzig 2022

STUDENT TNEDUTS

COMEDY YDEMOC ULTRA TROHS

BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

written & directed by Julie Ecoffey

A young woman receives a mysterious letter attached to a brick through her window. Intrigued and with one less tooth, she asks one of her good friend to translate the content of the letter to learn more about its author.

JULIE ECOFFEY

* 1998. Julie Ecoffey trained as an interactive media designer at eikon in Fribourg. She graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor in Animation from Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU) with her diploma film BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?. She now works in the field of animation with a focus on screenwriting and sound design.

DIE GRAUE MARCH

GREYLANDS

directed by Charlotte Waltert, Alvaro Schoeck

An autumn day and the first winter night in the high mountains: it is hunting season. The paths of animals and humans cross and fade away. Swathes of mist blur the boundaries between dream, imagination and reality.

CHARLOTTE WALTERT

* 1977. Charlotte Waltert has a Bachelor in Animation from the Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU). Her graduation film LITTLE BROTHER WINTER (2011) screened at numerous international festivals. She works as an independent animation filmmaker.

ALVARO SCHOECK

* 1975. Alvaro Schoeck has a degree in Music Theatre Directing from the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin. Since 2010 he is a freelance director at various theatres, currently at the Dortmund Opera.

SWITZERLAND

Animation, 12 min. ANIMATION TECHNIQUE: Paint on glass, analogue cut-out

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Swiss German SCREENPLAY: Alvaro Schoeck

PRODUCTION: Virage Film / Virage Productions GmbH, Zurich / SRF / SRG SSR

PRODUCERS: Saskia von Virág

WORLD SALES: Interfilm Berlin Sales & Distribution, Berlin www.interfilm.de/en/sales

FESTIVAL DISTRIBUTION: Square Eyes, Vienna www.squareeyesfilm.com

FANTASTIC CITSATNAF EXPECTED SPRING

2023

KILL YOUR DARLINGS

written & directed by Thirza Ingold

YDEMOC

WORLD RIGHTS:

Asako Film GmbH, Zurich www.asakofilm.ch

If there’s one thing farmer Olga loves more than her pet pigs, it’s a pork chop. When the pigs she butchers find that they can still influence events on the farm after their deaths, a vicious circle begins.

SWITZERLAND Animation, 6 min.

ANIMATION TECHNIQUE: Stop motion

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Without dialogue

PRODUCTION:

Asako Film GmbH, Zurich / Lucerne School of Art and Design HSLU MA Film Animation Department / SRF

PRODUCERS:

Anja Kofmel, Gerd Gockell, Jochen Ehmann

THIRZA INGOLD

* 1981. Thirza Ingold studied at the Berne University of Teacher Education and teaches still today. She graduated with a Bachelor in Animation from the Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU), commencing her Master’s in Animation in 2018. Her short LES SOEURS DE COEUR (2012) screened at numerous festivals, including Lisbon, Trieste and Fantoche in Baden.

LIMITES

LIMITS

written & directed by Simon de Diesbach

In a forest he digitised, Simon runs. Within an autobiographical narrative where the images were entirely captured in the forest of Chaney in Switzerland, running embodies the intimate link between the protagonist and the forest, a forest that is now being destroyed by a gravel pit. Immersed in a fragmented world, the filmmaker questions the reasons that pushed him to 3D scan his forest.

SIMON DE DIESBACH

* 1987. Simon de Diesbach has a Bachelor in Media & Interactive Design from École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL). In 2014 he cofounded the studio fragmentin.com with which he developed various interactive innovation projects. In 2018, he left to undertake a Master in Film at Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU) where he directed LIMITS (2022). Alongside his artistic practice, he teaches and works at HSLU as an artistic collaborator on a VR research project supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

SWITZERLAND

Anidoc / Experimental, 7 min., 2022

ANIMATION TECHNIQUE: 3D Computer animation, Mixed techniques

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French PRODUCER: Fred Truniger

ANIDOC CODINA

STUDENT TNEDUTS

PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS:

Lucerne School of Art and Design HSLU MA Film Animation Department www.hslu.ch/master-film

WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno Film Festival 2022

MAREA

written & directed by Giulia Martinelli

special family of moon guardians lives on a tiny island and deals with the ups and downs of their everyday life and of the tide. The film depicts the delicate balance between the characters and the environment in which they live.

GIULIA MARTINELLI

* 1990 in Italy. Giulia Martinelli graduated with a degree in Animation from Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (CSC) in Torino, with her multiaward-winning short film MERLOT (2016). She attended workshops in Animation Sans Frontière, Animation development Lab at Filmakademie Ludwigsburg, MOME Budapest, The Animation Workshop in Viborg and Les Gobelins Paris. She is a Zurich-based independent creative director, animator and illustrator.

PIPES

written & directed by Jessica Meier, Kilian Feusi, Sujanth Ravichandran

Bob the plumber is hired to fix a broken pipe and, to his surprise, ends up in a gay fetish club.

CHILDREN NERDLIHC

TÜMPEL

POND

written & directed by Lena von Döhren, Eva Rust

A shoal of herrings, adopting fantastic formations, roams the vast ocean. When seagulls suddenly attack, one small herring finds itself stranded in a tidal pool. As it searches desperately for a way out, it discovers many other sea creatures here. And now there is no time for fear: only by joining forces can they hope to defend themselves against the hungry seagull.

LENA VON DÖHREN

* 1981 in Germany. Lena von Döhren has a Bachelor in Visual Communications from Gerrit Rietveld Akademie. In 2011 she received her Master in Design from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU). THE LITTLE BIRD AND THE LEAF (2012) premiered at the Berlinale.

EVA RUST

* 1986. Eva Rust graduated with a Bachelor in Visual Communication, focus Illustration Nonfiction from HSLU in 2010. Her picture books have been published internationally.

THINK SOMETHING NICE

written & directed by Claudius Gentinetta

At the mercy of the dentist’s chair, the protagonist cannot escape the confrontation with pain and the dregs of the miserable human condition. To distract himself, he takes refuge in a fantasised story of fishermen and the sea.

CLAUDIUS GENTINETTA

* 1968. Claudius Gentinetta studied at the Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU) and is one of the most acclaimed animation filmmakers in Switzerland. He is especially known for his award-winning short films SELFIES (2018), ISLANDER’S REST (2015), SLEEP (2010) and CABLE CAR (2008), which all became huge international festival hits.

SWITZERLAND

Animation, 6 min., 2022

ANIMATION TECHNIQUE: 2D Computer animation, Stop Motion

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: English

PRODUCTION: Gentinettafilm GmbH, Zurich / SRF

PRODUCER: Claudius Gentinetta

WORLD SALES: Ouat Media, Toronto www.ouatmedia.com

NATIONAL PREMIERE: Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2022

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE: ZINEBI Bilbao 2022

ALBA AU MATIN

ALBA

directed by Noémie Guibal, Elisa Gómez Alvarez

The voice of a young woman with an Italian accent is heard over a patchwork of archival footage. Texts inspired by the memories of Maria Demontis, a former worker, tell the story of her adolescence at the age of fifteen in an intimate way. When she left Italy, Maria left behind the world of her childhood. In Switzerland, she discovered adult life, the life of a foreigner.

WORLD RIGHTS:

Elisa Gómez Alvarez, Lausanne gomezalvelisa@gmail.com Noémie Guibal, Grenoble noemie.guibal@yahoo.fr

SWITZERLAND

Documentary, 12 min., 2022

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French

SCREENPLAY: Noémie Guibal

PRODUCTION: Médiathèque Valais-Martigny, Martigny / Fondazione Margherita, Sion

PRODUCERS:

Elisa Gómez Alvarez, Noémie Guibal

NOÉMIE GUIBAL

* 1993 in France. Noémie Guibal has a Bachelor’s degree in Cinema from Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève). She worked as a production assistant at Alva Film in Geneva prior to pursing a Master in Film from ECAL / HEAD.

ELISA GÓMEZ ALVAREZ

* 1989 in Germany. Elisa Gómez Alvarez graduated in 2020 with a Master in Cinema from ECAL/HEAD. Her films have been selected in several international festivals. She lives and works in Lausanne.

BEEN THERE

written & directed by Corina Schwingruber Ilić

Weekend trips, city breaks, a detour into nature or once around the world. Barely a few days off, you’re already gone. Never before has the desire to travel been so widespread and visited places so overloaded. What do we get out of it, other than the picture proof that we have been there?

CORINA

SCHWINGRUBER ILIĆ

* 1981. Corina Schwingruber Ilić studied at the University of Arts in Basel, in Belgrade, and at the Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU). She shot a number of award-winning short docs together with Nikola Ilić, among them KOD ĆOŠKA (2013) and JUST ANOTHER DAY IN EGYPT (2015). Her previous short ALL INCLUSIVE (2018) screened at over 200 festivals including Venice, Toronto and Sundance and was honoured with the Golden Dove of DOK Leipzig among many other awards.

SWITZERLAND

Documentary, 10 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Without dialogue

PRODUCTION: freihändler Filmproduktion GmbH, Basel / SRF

PRODUCER: Stella Händler

WORLD RIGHTS: freihändler Filmproduktion GmbH, Basel www.freihaendler.ch

BETWEEN TIDES

SWITZERLAND

MIRJAM LANDOLT

ORIGINAL

* 1983. Mirjam Landolt has a degree in photography from the Centre d’enseignement professionnel de Vevey (CEPV). In 2012 she graduated with a Bachelor in Film from Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD-Genève). She works as an independent filmmaker and artist with still and moving images, sounds and words. Her themes revolve around nature, communities, habits, rituals and the fusion of the real and the imaginary.

BITTER SEPTEMBER

written & directed by Sophia Farantatou

After the murder of the Greek-American LGBTQ activist Zak Kostopoulos, his childhood friend Sophia Farantatou returns to Greece. The video of the assassination, filmed by a passer-by, is replayed on all the national TV channels. Between the media narrative and her own archive footage of her friend, Sophia has no choice but to isolate herself and reflect on the meaning of memory. Only time can give her room to mourn and face the absence of her friend.

SOPHIA FARANTATOU

* 1987 in Greece. Sophia Farantatou studied at the Sorbonne before entering the Beaux-Arts de Marseille in 2019. She has a Bachelor in Cinema from Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD –Genève). Her graduation film BITTER SEPTEMBER (2022) premiered in International Competition of the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur.

SWITZERLAND

Documentary, 26 min., 2022

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Greek PRODUCER: Nicolas Wadimoff

QUEER AMENIC

STUDENT TNEDUTS

PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Geneva University of Art and Design HEAD – Genève head.hesge.ch/cinema

WORLD PREMIERE: Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2022

ANIDOC

CODINA

DUST AWAY

directed by Tanita Rahmani, Dea Gjinovci

After working a cleaning job that upended their lives, voices of immigrants in the United States traverse dreamscapes, pondering upon visions of their American dream, the realities of cleaning in New York City, being undocumented and the dust that still lingers in their chests decades later.

PRODUCTION AND

WORLD RIGHTS: Astrae Productions, Geneva www.astraeprod.com

Tanita Rahmani, Brooklyn tanitadhiyaan@gmail.com

WORLD PREMIERE: Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2022

SWITZERLAND / UNITED STATES Documentary, Animation, 11 min., 2022

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: Spanish SCREENPLAY: Tanita Rahmani SWISS PRODUCER: Dea Gjinovci

TANITA RAHMANI

* 1993 in Indonesia. Tanita Rahmani is radio producer and documentarian, with an interdisciplinary background of research and teaching. Her work revolves around producing long-form narrative stories. She holds a Master in International Law from the University of Cambridge.

DEA GJINOVCI

* 1993. Dea Gjinovci has a Master in Ethnographic and Documentary film from University College London. DUST AWAY (2022) screened in competition at IDFA.

O

GÜN

BU GÜNDÜR, UÇUYORUM EVER SINCE, I HAVE BEEN FLYING

written & directed by Aylin Gökmen

A sixty-year-old Kurdish man, who grew up in a nomadic tribe in the mountains of south-eastern Turkey, recalls moments from his youth that shaped his life. He takes us back to his idyllic childhood with his mother, his first love found in a cotton field and lost in the woods, and the mistreatment suffered at the hands of the police, in a cold and dark place.

AYLIN GÖKMEN

* 1990. Aylin Gökmen is a Swiss-Turkish director, editor and producer. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and a Master from the DOC NOMADS programme. Her graduation film SPIRITS AND ROCKS: AN AZOREAN MYTH (2020) had its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival and went on to screen internationally in over sixty festivals, including Sundance and Telluride. She is currently developing two feature films.

SWITZERLAND

Documentary, 18 min.

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: Kurdish, Turkish

PRODUCERS: Aylin Gökmen, Séverine Tibi

PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: À Vol d’Oiseau, Sion www.avdofilms.com

FESTIVAL DISTRIBUTION: Square Eyes, Vienna www.squareeyesfilm.com

GHOST FAIR TRADE

directed by Laurence Bonvin PRODUCTION

On the site of the International Centre for Foreign Trade of Senegal (CICES), the Dakar International Fair has been held annually since 1974. The film introduces us to a masterpiece of modernist architecture through this flagship event and all the other commercial, cultural and political activities that punctuate the life of the site. A narrative emerges, with invisible presences that evoke the complex history of the place, where animism, modernism, independence and post-colonial heritage are intertwined.

SWITZERLAND

LAURENCE BONVIN

* 1967. Laurence Bonvin received her degree from École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie in Arles. Her work has been in numerous national and international exhibits. Her previous films, BEFORE THE FLIGHT (2016) and ALETSCH NEGATIVE (2019) both premiered at the Berlinale and received several prizes. GHOST FAIR TRADE is her latest film and premiered at Visions du Réel in Nyon 2022.

CHILDREN NERDLIHC

DAZWISCHEN IN BETWEEN

written & directed by Anaïs Bourgogne

Sonja, Angeles and Kaajal are twelve years old. Sometimes childlike, other times astoundingly grown-up, they are going through a turbulent time full of changes. With impressive candor they question how they are perceived as girls. Between self-reflection and expectations from others, they’re courageously trying to find their own paths.

STUDENT TNEDUTS

ANAÏS BOURGOGNE

* 1995. Anaïs Bourgogne has a Bachelor in Video, focus directing from Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU). Her graduation film IN BETWEEN premiered at the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur in 2022 where it received a Special Mention in the Swiss School Day section.

SWITZERLAND

Documentary, 18 min., 2022

ORIGINAL LANGUAGES: German, Swiss-German

PRODUCTION:

Lucerne School of Art and Design HSLU BA Video / SRF PRODUCER: Volko Kamensky

WORLD RIGHTS: Lucerne School of Art and Design HSLU BA Video www.hslu.ch/video

WORLD PREMIERE: Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2022

STUDENT TNEDUTS

RAMBOY

written & directed by Matthias Joulaud, Lucien Roux

Achill is an island populated mainly by sheep. Cian, a young teenager, hopes to spend the summer holidays with his friends. But for Martin, his grandfather, it’s time to introduce him to farm work.

WORLD RIGHTS:

Akka Films, Geneva www.akkafilms.ch

NATIONAL PREMIERE: Visions du Réel Nyon 2022

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE: DOK Leipzig 2022

SWITZERLAND

Documentary, 30 min., 2022

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: English

PRODUCTION:

Akka Films, Geneva / Master in Film ECAL / HEAD – Genève (École cantonale d’art de Lausanne / Geneva University of Art and Design)

PRODUCER: Jaber Debzi

MATTHIAS JOULAUD

* 1997 in France. Matthias Joulaud studied photography and film at the Beaux Arts of Paris.

LUCIEN ROUX

* 1997 in France. Lucien Roux studied painting at the Beaux Arts of Marseille.

They now direct documentary films together. Both native of the Alps, they share a common fascination for the mountainous universe and rural tales.

RAMON AND THE RIVER

written & directed by Pablo Briones

Navigating the Amazon rainforest, Ramon begins the final stage of his wife’s long mourning.

PABLO BRIONES

* 1983 in Argentina. Pablo Briones received his Bachelor in Film Production from Universidad Nacional de Córdoba in 2005. He proceeded to study Film Directing and in 2014 graduated with a Master from ECAL / HEAD – Genève. His first feature film BARACOA, premiered in the Generation Kplus section of the Berlinale 2019 and was a Best Doc Award nominee. It won the audience award at the Málaga Film Festival and the Youth Jury award at Sheffield Doc/Fest.

PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Pablo Briones, Coldrerio www. pablobriones.ch Playlab Films, Barcelona www.playlabfilms.com

STUDENT TNEDUTS

SERAFINA

written & directed by Anna Simonetti, Noa Epars

An orthodox heroine astride a motorbike. Young people breaking the monotony of a country life through stunt riding. A meeting against a Western backdrop between two universes that are at odds with each other except for their very reason for being: passion.

ANNA SIMONETTI

* 1997. Anna Simonetti graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor in Social Sciences from the University of Geneva. She currently studies filmmaking at the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève).

NOA EPARS

* 1998. Noa Epars has a Bachelor in French Literature and History from University of Lausanne (UNIL). Since 2021 he studies filmmaking and editing at the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève).

NOUS ENFUIR SUR UN CHAR AILÉ

TAKING FLIGHT ON A CARRIAGE WITH WINGS

directed by Noa Roquet

In the 1970s, a working woman in Geneva tries to cope with her double days, her double life. In addition to her work in the factory, she has domestic duties: time spent with her children and housework.

STUDENT TNEDUTS

NOA ROQUET

* 2000 in France. Noa Roquet is a Bachelor of Cinema student at the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève), specializing in editing. She has worked as an editor, exploring the borders between documentary and fiction, considering reality as a shaping force.

SWITZERLAND

Docufiction, 17 min., 2022

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: French

SCREENPLAY: Laure Federiconi, Noa Roquet

PRODUCTION: Geneva University of Art and Design HEAD – Genève / RTS

PRODUCER: Nicolas Wadimoff

WORLD RIGHTS: Noa Roquet, Geneva www.noaroquet.wixsite.com/ my-site

WORLD PREMIERE: Festival de cinéma Douarnenez 2022

written & directed by Philipp Veiga Amaro

He is known as the deceased, “O falecido”. Even though he is in no way dead. Philipp, the filmmaker, lived with his father until the age of sixteen. But he has no memory of him. What exactly happened? He comes across a diary and tries to find answers – he confronts the women in his family and finds his own perspective.

PHILIPP VEIGA AMARO

* 1996. Philipp Veiga Amaro has a Bachelor in Video, with a focus on directing from the Lucerne School of Art and Design (HSLU). His graduation film THE DECEASED (2022) premiered at the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur where it received the prize for Best Swiss School Film. He likes to explore themes such as heritage, relationships and identity.

CAPRICORN SUNSET

written & directed by Johannes Binotto

What happens when we scale things? Increasing or reducing size may seem a simple practice which only changes the measurements of an object. But in fact, scaling provokes brutal breaks and uncanny tipping points where things become radically and irrevocably different.

JOHANNES BINOTTO

* 1977. Johannes Binotto is a cultural and media scientist, video essayist and experimental filmmaker. He studied German, English and Philosophy at the University of Zurich and received is PhD in 2010 with a study on the spatiality of the uncanny in theory, fine arts, literature and film. He also heads the Swiss National Science Foundation’s video essay research project. His video essays regularly screen in international festivals and have been listed in the British Film Institute’s “Best Video Essays” surveys.

SWITZERLAND

Experimental, 5 min., 2022

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: English PRODUCER: Johannes Binotto

PRODUCTION AND WORLD RIGHTS: Johannes Binotto, Winterthur www.medienkulturtechnik.org

WORLD PREMIERE: Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2022

LES GRANDS PRÉS

SOPHIA REMER

* 1991 in Germany. Sophia Remer studied photography at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. She has a Master in Fine Arts from Institut Kunst in Basel.

MICHAEL KARRER

* 1992. Michael Karrer has a Bachelor and Master from Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).

LES GRANDS PRÉS (2022) received a Special Mention in the Swiss Competition of the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur.

VISIT US AT OUR STANDS AT:

Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market

Berlinale European Film Market

Cannes Village International

Annecy Mifa

Locarno Film Festival

Toronto International Film Festival

SWISS FILMS is supported by

a love letter!”

Red in BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

by Julie Ecoffey

“It’s