ELDORADO is Switzerland’s official entry for the 91st Academy Awards
Switzerland sends the documentary film ELDORADO by Oscar nominee Markus Imhoof into the race for a nomination in the category of Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. The film about the current refugee crisis celebrated its world premiere at the Berlinale 2018. In addition, four short films from Switzerland are eligible for an Oscar in the short film categories as a result of winning festival awards.
03.08.2018
Drawing inspiration from his personal encounter with Giovanna, the refugee child who was taken in by his family during World War II, Markus Imhoof tracks today’s refugees on their dangerous journey to Europe. ELDORADO was screened out of competition at the Berlinale 2018 and received a Special Mention from the jury of the Amnesty International Film Prize. According to Screen International, ELDORADO is “one of the most moving statements to have been made thus far on the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean.”
The film was coproduced by Thelma Film in Switzerland (Pierre-Alain Meier), zero one film in Berlin (Thomas Kufus), Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) and Bavarian Broadcasting (BR). Peter Indergand, the multi-award-winning and Emmy nominee Swiss cinematographer, was behind the camera; the soundtrack was composed by Peter Scherer, also a winner of multiple awards, including the Swiss Film Award for Best Film Score for MORE THAN HONEY (2012).
World sales for ELDORADO have been acquired by Films Boutique, Berlin. The film has been screened in cinemas in Switzerland (Frenetic Films), Germany (Majestic Filmverleih) and Austria (Filmladen). Jour2Fête has acquired the distribution rights in France; Imhoof's film was also sold to Hungary and Poland.
THE BOAT IS FULL: an Oscar nominee and Swiss film classic
Markus Imhoof received a Silver Bear at the Berlinale in 1981 and an Oscar nomination in the category of Foreign Language Film for his fiction film THE BOAT IS FULL (1981). The film addressed the situation for refugees who sought shelter in Switzerland during World War II. It was a milestone in critically reappraising Switzerland’s role during the war.
Imhoof’s last film MORE THAN HONEY was honoured with the Swiss, Austrian and German Film Award for Best Documentary Film, among others, and ranks as Switzerland’s internationally most successful documentary film to date.
Four short films from Switzerland eligible for an Oscar nomination
Thus far, four short film productions from Switzerland are eligible for a nomination at the 91st Academy Awards in the categories of Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film or Documentary Short Subject as a result of winning awards at Oscar-qualifying festivals: COYOTE by Lorenz Wunderle; INTIMITY by Elodie Dermange; BLACKJACK by Lora Mure-Ravaud; and ANTHONY, THE INVISIBLE ONE by Maya Kosa and Sergio Da Costa.
On behalf of the Federal Office of Culture, the promotion agency SWISS FILMS has been assigned the task of coordinating and carrying out the selection process of the official Swiss entry for the Academy Awards in the category of Foreign Language Film. Furthermore, SWISS FILMS facilitates the campaign of the Swiss entry with promotional and financial support. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the short list in December, and the Oscar nominations on January 22, 2019. The 91st Academy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on February 24, 2019.
SWISS FILMS, Locarno, August 3, 2018
Jury statement
"Markus Imhoof has created a passionate work that addresses the current global humanitarian crisis, linking it to his own personal narrative. Beyond the images that are disseminated globally every day, ELDORADO is a devastating drama that we cannot escape."
Jury 2018
The jury of the selection of Switzerland's official submission for the 91st Academy Awards consists of jury-president Pauline Gygax (producer), Christian Frei (director and producer), Joëlle Bertossa (producer), Corinna Glaus (casting director), Reto Schaerli (producer).