Academy Awards 2025

For the first time, the Swiss Oscar® submission will be decided in a two-step process. After an initial meeting, a seven-member selection committee made up of representatives from various sectors of the Swiss film industry has selected REINAS and LE PROCÈS DU CHIEN for the final round from the five eligible films submitted. On 25th September, the same jury will decide which of the two films will represent Switzerland in the Oscar® race for the International Feature Film category.

An original, philosophical comedy

LE PROCÈS DU CHIEN (international title: DOG ON TRIAL) is the directorial debut by the well-known Swiss and French actress Laetitia Dosch. In the leading role of this courtroom comedy, she plays a lawyer who specialises in hopeless cases, standing up in court for a dog.

The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the “Un Certain Regard” Competition. DOG ON TRIAL opened the Brussels International Film Festival last June and will be shown tomorrow, Saturday 17th August, as the closing film of the Locarno Film Festival on the Piazza Grande.

The Swiss-French coproduction was produced by the renowned Lausanne production company Bande à part Films (Lionel Baier, Agnieska Ramu) with Atelier de Production, RTS Radio Télévision Suisse, France 2 Cinéma and SRG SSR. The world sales are handled by MK2 Films. In Switzerland, DOG ON TRIAL is being distributed by Pathé Films, in France by The Jokers Films. The deal with a distributor in the USA is being finalised.

An incredibly charming cast

REINAS is Klaudia Reynicke's third feature film. The Swiss-Spanish-Peruvian coproduction is set in 1992 amid social and political turmoil in Lima. Elena plans to leave the country with her daughters Lucía and Aurora. As the girls grow closer to their father, who has been absent most of the time, the imminent departure from home and family draws ever closer.

After studying both anthropology and sociology, the Swiss-Peruvian director Klaudia Reynicke went on to study film in Lausanne and Geneva. With her first two films IL NIDO (2016) and LOVE ME TENDER (2019), she enjoyed a remarkable international festival career following their premieres at the Locarno Film Festival. REINAS was the first Swiss feature film to celebrate its world premiere in January 2024 in competition at the high-calibre Sundance Film Festival in the USA and shortly afterwards enjoyed success in the Generation Kplus competition at the Berlinale, where the film was awarded the Grand Prix of the International Jury. On 8th August, the film had its Swiss premiere at the Piazza Grande of the Locarno Film Festival and will then be presented at both the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Sarajevo Film Festival.

The Geneva-based production company Alva Film coproduced the film with the Peruvian Maretazo Cine, the Spanish Inicia Films and RTS Radio Télévision Suisse. The Yellow Affair is handling worldwide sales of the film. REINAS has so far been sold to over 10 territories worldwide, including Germany, Brazil, Peru, Canada and the USA, where the film is being distributed by Outsider Pictures Distribution.

SWISS FILMS supports the Oscar campaign

On behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC), the promotion agency SWISS FILMS coordinates the selection process for the official Swiss entry in the “International Feature Film” category of the Academy Awards and provides financial and communications support for the promotion campaign for the Swiss selection.

The new two-step selection process is intended to give the films a career boost in view of the upcoming autumn festivals and the awards season. The second meeting of the selection committee for the final decision will take place on September 25, 2024.

The shortlist of 15 films from the various countries that have submitted for the ‘International Feature Film’ category will be published by AMPAS on December 17, 2024. The nominees will be announced on January 17, 2025. The 97th Academy Awards (Oscars®) ceremony will take place on March 2, 2025 in Los Angeles.

Contact SWISS FILMS:
Andreas Bühlmann, Head of Festivals & Markets
abuehlmann@swissfilms.ch

Statements of the selection committee

DOG ON TRIAL (LE PROCÈS DU CHIEN)
Laetitia Dosch dedicates her playful and satirical directorial debut LE PROCÈS DU CHIEN to the lawyer Avril who defends Cosmos, a dog put on trial for biting people. The film skilfully challenges views on animal rights and attitudes towards women in modern society as it uncovers the convictions, questions and longings of those taking part in the court proceedings. While Cosmos tries to win hearts and minds, Dosch surprises with an original and philosophical comedy and reminds audiences that some battles need to be fought even if the odds are stacked against a favorable outcome.

REINAS
Set during the political and economic crisis of the 90s in Lima and inspired by her own emigration from Peru to Switzerland and the USA, Klaudia Reynicke’s coming-of-age drama REINAS seduces with an incredibly charming cast. Reynecke’s third feature delicately portrays two young sisters who meet their mostly absent father, who appears out of nowhere. As the father tries to stretch his remaining time with his daughters, the former family is challenged in its intentions, wishes and loyalties. REINAS is a tender and subtly told story by a Swiss director which has already proven to touch the hearts of a world-wide audience.

Press reviews DOG ON TRIAL

• The Hollywood Reporter “Cannes Hidden Gem” / “a bittersweet comedy” / “a composite tale that explores the legal and philosophical question of animal personhood”
• Cineuropa “highly masterful in its quirky singularity”
• Cineuropa Cannes interview with Laetitia Dosch
• Variety interview with Laetitia Dosch

Press reviews REINAS

• Screen International: “A touching account of the ties that bind and the challenges of change” / “An accessible, tenderly observed heartwarmer”
• Cineuropa: “masterfully directed”
• The Hollywood Reporter: “a quietly sad portrait of an unexpected effort to make a family feel whole”
• Variety “a cleverly written family story embedded into a larger historical context.”
• Locarno interview with Klaudia Reynicke