Deluge of prizes for Swiss films
With 43 films selected at the major international film festivals in 2007 (11 narrative features, 12 documentaries and 20 shorts) and more than one hundred awards garnered in Switzerland and abroad amounting to a total of €193,000, Swiss cinema is enjoying the same sweeping success as it did in 2004 and 2005 following the soaring triumph of 2006 (55 films).
Even though nine of the twelve competitive festivals (former category A status) recognised by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) hosted the national productions, their presence at the more prestigious events remains nonetheless low-key.
Two shorts saved the day at Cannes and Venice, but the Berlin International Film Festival and the Locarno Film Festival brought exceptional success.
This year the Berlinale screened Thomas Imbach’s I Was A Swiss Banker [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Jeanne Waltz’s A Parting Shot [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jeanne Waltz
interview: Pierre-Alain Meier
film profile], Stefan Schwietert’s Echoes of Home [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (which scooped two awards); as well as Chrigu [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Jan Gassmann and Christian Ziörjen.
The Locarno Festival screened Fulvio Bernasconi’s Fuori dalle corde (“Out of the Ring”, which picked up Best Actor for Michele Venitucci) and Jacob Berger’s That Day [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Best Director Award at the Montreal World Film Festival).
Finally, the animated feature Max & Co [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Samuel and Frédéric Guillaume was unveiled at Annecy, where it won the Audience Award.
(Translated from French)
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