Baier and Meier – two Swiss filmmakers capture the hearts of Linz
16.04.2009
With a tribute to filmmakers Lionel Baier and Ursula Meier – both of whom are from the French-speaking region of Switzerland – the 6th Crossing Europe Film Festival Linz has placed the most creative highlights of current Swiss filmmaking in the limelight. The fact that Linz has been named the European Capital of Culture City 2009 lends this year’s festival (April 20-26, 2009) an extraordinary glamour. It will open with Ursula Meier’s successful film “Home”. Screened in the international competition will be “Du bruit dans la tête” by Vincent Pluss, another promising filmmaker from the same region of Switzerland. This strong Swiss presence in Linz, which was organized by the festival in collaboration with the film promotion agency SWISS FILMS and supported by Pro Helvetia, comprises yet another element: a showcase of Swiss animation films selected by the Fantoche International Animation Film Festival in Baden.
The tribute to Ursula Meier and Lionel Baier will feature their earlier short and documentary film productions as well as their first fiction films. For Ursula Meier this means that together with her film “Home”, which won three Quartz awards of the Swiss Film Prize 2009, her debut film *Des épaules solides” (202), a film for television, will also be screened. For Lionel Baier it means the following films will be screened: “Garçon stupide” (2004); “Comme des voleurs” (2006); and “Un autre homme” (2008). The two filmmakers will attend the Crossing Europe Festival personally. In addition, Celine Bolomey, who starred in the leading role of “Du bruit dans la tête” and was the Swiss Shooting Star and award-winner of the Swiss Film Prize 2009 for “Best Actress” – will be present in Linz, thus reinforcing the strong upward trend of filmmaking from the French-speaking region of Switzerland as well.
The “Fantoche@home” programme, compiled by Duscha Kistler and Andrea Freund of the Fantoche Animation Film Festival, is comprised of ten animation films from the past five years, including Jadwiga Kowalska’s film “Tôt ou tard”, which was awarded the Quartz 2009 for “Best Animation Film”.
Zurich, April 16, 2009
The “Fantoche@home” programme, compiled by Duscha Kistler and Andrea Freund of the Fantoche Animation Film Festival, is comprised of ten animation films from the past five years, including Jadwiga Kowalska’s film “Tôt ou tard”, which was awarded the Quartz 2009 for “Best Animation Film”.
Zurich, April 16, 2009