MY LITTLE SISTER is Switzerland’s official submission for the 93rd Academy Awards

MY LITTLE SISTER (SCHWESTERLEIN) is the second feature film by the Swiss directing duo Chuat and Reymond. This is the first time that Nina Hoss and Lars Eidinger appear together on screen. They play the twins Lisa, once a playwright, and Sven, a famous stage actor who is seriously ill. Lisa refuses to accept this stroke of fate, moving heaven and earth to get Sven back on stage and even putting her marriage on the line.

International festival career and illustrious nominations

Following its premiere in the Berlinale Competition, at which the film was honoured with standing ovations, MY LITTLE SISTER was screened in the online editions of the festivals in Istanbul and Sydney, as well as at the New Zealand International Film Festival, among others. MY LITTLE SISTER was included in the EFA Feature Film Selection of the European Film Awards, and both Nina Hoss and Marthe Keller are nominated for the German Screen Actors Award.

A well-established directing duo with renowned producer

Stéphanie Chuat and Véronique Reymond, both trained as actresses, have known each other since their school days and have been working together for theatre and film for many years. Their first feature film THE LITTLE BEDROOM (2010) was also produced by Vega Film. It received two Swiss Film Awards and was Switzerland’s entry for an Oscar. In 2018 their documentary film LADIES was very successful in Swiss cinemas.

Swiss producer Ruth Waldburger and her internationally active company Vega Film is responsible for the production of MY LITTLE SISTER, in coproduction with RTS, SRG SSR and ARTE G.E.I.E.

To date, Waldburger has produced over 100 films and worked with renowned directors such as Alain Resnais, Jean-Luc Godard, Robert Frank, Silvio Soldini, Béla Tarr and Ursula Meier, as well as with celebrated actors such as Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil, Catherine Deneuve and Alba Rohrwacher. In 1991 she paved the way for Brad Pitt’s international career with the leading role in JOHNNY SUEDE. 

Worldwide sales rights for MY LITTLE SISTER have been acquired by Beta Cinema, and the film has already been sold to more than 10 countries. The film is distributed by Film Movement in North America. The release date for cinemas in Switzerland (Praesens-Film / Vega Distribution) is scheduled for the beginning of September, as well as in Germany and Austria (Weltkino) in October.

Jury statement

“With sensitivity and yet without sentimentality, the two directors Stéphanie Chuat and Véronique Reymond consolidate the story of an unusual sibling relationship into a universal drama about family, dying and responsibility, as well as about the existential power of art. Intensified by superb acting, the authentic production conveys hope despite all the vulnerability, and thus moves an international audience.”

Six short films from Switzerland with prospects for an Oscar

No less than six short films from Switzerland can enter the race in the short film categories of the Academy Awards thanks to their awards at Oscar-qualifying festivals. They include the animation films KIDS by Michael Frei, THE LONELY ORBIT by Benjamin Morard and Frederic Siegel, and WHY SLUGS HAVE NO LEGS by Aline Höchli; as well as the short documentary film ALL CATS ARE GREY IN THE DARK by Lasse Linder, and the short fiction films 22:47 LINE 34 by Michael Karrer and PEOPLE ON SATURDAY by Jonas Ulrich. Furthermore, the dance film OUT OF ORDINARY, produced by the Zurich University of the Arts, is one of the four finalists in the running for the Student Academy Awards in the Alternative/Experimental category.

SWISS FILMS, the promotion agency, has been assigned by the Federal Office of Culture the task of coordinating and carrying out the selection process for the official Swiss entry in the category of International Feature Film (formerly, Foreign Language Film) of the Academy Awards. SWISS FILMS accompanies and supports the promotion campaign of Switzerland’s entry with financial and communication resources. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the short list on February 9, 2021, followed by the Oscar nominations on March 15. The award ceremony of the 93^rd Academy Awards will take place on April 25, 2021.

Press

“Superb performances by Nina Hoss and Lars Eidinger ground this moving, unfussy Swiss drama.” Variety

“My Little Sister is an affecting, emotionally truthful experience.” Screen International

“A graceful drama that twists the tear-soaked conventions of the cancer drama into something raw and satisfying.” Indiewire

“Two magnificent actors as symbiotic twins: In this subtle Berlinale film My Little Sister, Lars Eidinger and Nina Hoss are united in front of the camera for the first time. (…) Chuat and Reymond have landed a successful coup here.” Die Zeit

Jury 2020 Swiss entry for International Feature Film

Jury president Christoph Schaub (director), Joëlle Bertossa (producer), Max Karli (producer), Petra Volpe (director & screenwriter) and Nicolas Wadimoff (director & producer)

SWISS FILMS, August 28, 2020

Production
Vega Film, Zurich
www.vegafilm.com

World Sales
Beta Cinema, Oberhaching/Munich
www.betacinema.com

Trailer >>

Festivals (selection)
70th Berlin International Film Festival 2020 (world premiere in competition)
67th Sydney Film Festival 2020 (online)

Awards
European Film Awards - EFA Feature Film Selection
German Screen Actors Award - Nomination for Best Actress (Nina Hoss)
German Screen Actors Award - Nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Marthe Keller)