Significant Swiss presence at the Berlinale 2018

Three films with Swiss participation are screening in competition at the 68th Berlinale: the Swiss coproduction DAUGHTER OF MINE by Italian director Laura Bispuri (Bord Cadre films), MEIN BRUDER HEISST ROBERT UND IST EIN IDIOT by Philipp Gröning, coproduced by Ventura Film, and ELDORADO by Markus Imhoof, produced by Thelma Film. Already Laura Bispuri’s award-winning debut film SWORN VIRGIN (2015), also coproduced with Dan Wechsler at Bord Cadre films, was selected for the Berlinale Competition. The Swiss actress Sabine Timoteo co-authored MEIN BRUDER HEISST ROBERT UND IST EIN IDIOT, Urs Jucker is one of the leading actor.

The highly anticipated documentary film ELDORADO by Markus Imhoof, who directed MORE THAN HONEY (2012) and THE BOAT IS FULL (1981), will also celebrate its world premiere in the Berlinale Competition, out of competition. The film tells a personal story about the fates of today’s refugees and migrants and takes Imhoof back to encounters and experiences of his own childhood.

Strong presence from French-speaking Switzerland
A total of eight films (co)produced in French-speaking Switzerland will screen in the renowned Panorama and Generation 14plus sections. Ursula Meier, winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlinale 2012, and Lionel Baier will present their films SHOCK WAVES – DIARY OF MY MIND starring Kacey Mottet Klein and SHOCK WAVES – FIRST NAME: MATHIEU in the Panorama. The films are part of a four-part series from Bande à part Films based on true events and were inspired by Swiss criminal cases from the past 20 years.

The documentary film HOTEL JUGOSLAVIJA by Nicolas Wagnières, produced by C-Side Productions in Geneva, will celebrate its European Premiere in the Panorama. Wagnières’ debut film premiered at the Mostra São Paulo. KINSHASA MAKAMBO, coproduced by Alva Film, and LA OMISIÓN, coproduced by Bord Cadre films, will also screen in the Panorama.

FORTUNA, the second feature-length fiction film by Germinal Roaux, produced by VEGA Production, will celebrate its world premiere in the Generation 14plus section. Roaux works as photographer and director exclusively in black and white. His first feature LEFT FOOT RIGHT FOOT (2013) won three Swiss Film Awards and a Bayard d’or.

Successful short films from Switzerland
No less than three films from the Geneva School of Art and Design - HEAD Genève, will be screened at the Berlinale: both DRESSED FOR PLEASURE by Marie de Maricourt and FIRST LOVE by Jules Carrin were selected for the Generation 14plus section. IMFURA by the Rwandan filmmaker Samuel Ishimwe will be presented in the prestigious Berlinale Shorts Competition. Furthermore, the animation film COYOTE by Lorenz Wunderle will screen in the Berlinale Shorts. Wunderle studied Animation at the Lucerne School of Art and Design. Swiss director Sophia Bösch will present her short film RÅ, a Swedish-German coproduction, within the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section.

Top talents: Luna Wedler and Ella Rumpf
Luna Wedler will represent Switzerland at the Shooting Stars Event of European Film Promotion EFP and is the youngest participant among a total of ten European Shooting Stars. Wedler recently attracted a great deal of attention for the leading role in BLUE MY MIND (2017) by Lisa Brühlmann. Last week the film was nominated for the Swiss Film Award in seven categories, including Luna Wedler as Best Actress. In the near future, she will star together with Heike Makatsch and Anke Engelke in the German film DAS SCHÖNSTE MÄDCHEN DER WELT by Aaron Lehmann.
During the Berlinale, the young talents have the opportunity to meet with international film professionals and European casting agencies, as well as participate in networking events.

The Swiss actress Ella Rumpf, who had a major appearance at the Berlinale last year with TIGER GIRL by Jakob Lass in the Panorama section, will be introduced as one of Variety’s “10 Europeans to watch in 2018” to an international audience at the Berlinale in conjunction with the Berlin-Brandenburg Medienboard reception. Ella Rumpf and Luna Wedler will soon be featured together in Lorenz Merz’s upcoming BEAST.

Five Swiss among the Berlinale Talents
In conjunction with Berlinale Talents, the networking platform for outstanding European emerging talents in the film industry, film director Matthias Huser, producer Aline Schmid, sound designer Gina Keller, editor Gabriel Gonzalez and actress Anne Haug will all have the opportunity to present their latest projects to international experts. Matthias Huser was selected as one of the ten scriptwriters for the prestigious programme Script Station 2018 of the Berlinale Talents with his project DER DSCHUNGEL. His debut film THEY CHASED ME THROUGH ARIZONA (2014), produced by Ventura Film, celebrated its premiere at the Locarno Festival in the Cineasti del presente section.

GENESIS 2.0 and THE GUARDIANS at EFM
About ten Swiss film productions will be presented at the European Film Market EFM in Berlin, including GENESIS 2.0 by Christian Frei and Maxim Arbugaev, which only just celebrated its premiere and was honoured with an award at the Sundance Film Festival, the Swiss coproduction THE GUARDIANS by Xavier Beauvois, coproduced by Rita Productions, which has recently received four César nominations, as well as THE LITTLE WITCH by Michael Schaerer, a box-office hit in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

ABDULLAH AND HIS SONS, the new project by Esen Isik and Maximage, who had already worked successfully together with KÖPEK, was selected for the Berlinale Co-Production Market 2018. Two of the films in this year’s competition – DAUGHTER OF MINE and MEIN BRUDER HEISST ROBERT UND IST EIN IDIOT – were also presented earlier as projects in the Co-Production Market of EFM.

The promotion agency SWISS FILMS is present with its own booth (#114) at the European Film Market EFM from February 15-21. SWISS FILMS facilitates the international presence of Swiss films with support measures, professional consulting and promotional activities on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Culture FOC.

SWISS FILMS, February 6, 2018