27/01/2017 - The Solothurn Film Festival has given the prestigious Solothurn Award to Petra Volpe’s film, while the Audience Award went to the moving piece by Benoît Lange and Pierre-Antoine Hiroz

Petra Volpe (centre) with the team behind The Divine Order

The 52^nd edition of the Solothurn Film Festival has drawn to a close with a couple of unexpected winners. Indeed, The Divine Order [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Petra Volpe
film profile] by Petra Volpe is the first fiction title to go home with the gathering’s holy grail, the Solothurn Award. The latest oeuvre by Volpe (following the multi-award-winning Dreamland) is a courageous film about a period that was both dark and successful for Swiss women, when they went to great lengths to win the right to vote. The jury, comprising director Sabine Gisiger, Zurich-born actor Anatole Taubman, and Swiss legal expert and diplomat Cornelio Sommaruga, was impressed by the approach of the Italian-Swiss director, who was able to bravely tackle a dramatic chapter in the history of her country via this refreshing comedy. The jury also particularly appreciated the excellent screenplay and the tremendous acting. The Divine Order was produced by Zodiac Pictures, SRF and Teleclub, and is being sold overseas by TrustNordisk. The movie will be out in theatres in German-speaking Switzerland on 9 March 2017, distributed by Filmcoopi.

Another courageous film brimming with hope was crowned with the Audience Award: Doctor Jack [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Benoît Lange and Pierre-Antoine Hiroz. Their documentary, a co-production between Switzerland (PointProd, Dr Jack Production [Fondation Calcutta Espoir] and RTS) and France (Episode 4), depicts the humanitarian commitment of 84-year-old doctor Jack Preger, who is willing to make any sacrifice necessary to save lives in Calcutta. Doctor Jack is distributed by Swiss company Adok Films.

(Translated from Italian)