Berlinale 2020 sees a strong line-up of Swiss female filmmakers
With three Swiss productions being screened in the Competition, one in the Panorama, three in the Generation section, one short film competing in the Berlinale Shorts, along with Switzerland’s Shooting Star Ella Rumpf and numerous “Berlinale Talents”, Swiss cinema is set to celebrate a grand appearance at the Berlinale 2020 (February 20 – March 1).
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MY LITTLE SISTER by Stéphanie Chuat and Véronique Reymond, produced by Ruth Waldburger’s Vega Film, was selected for the prestigious Competition, the centrepiece of the Berlinale. The film features a star-studded cast with the German stars Nina Hoss and Lars Eidinger as siblings in the leading roles as well as the Swiss acting legend Marthe Keller. Chuat and Reymond received two Swiss Film Awards in 2011 for their fiction film THE LITTLE BEDROOM. Moreover, their documentary film LADIES was screened with great success in cinemas in 2018. MY LITTLE SISTER is the third film in eight years representing Switzerland in the International Competition of the Berlinale, after ELDORADO (2018) and SISTER (2012). Ursula Meier was honoured with the Silver Bear for her film SISTER in 2012.
Two Swiss coproductions will also be screened in competition in 2020: BAD TALES by Fabio and Damiano D'Innocenzo, an Italian-Swiss coproduction by Ticinese producers Michela Pini, Gabriella de Gara and recently deceased Tiziana Soudani and their respective production companies Cinédokké and Amka Films. Philippe Garrel’s French-Swiss fiction film THE SALT OF TEARS was coproduced by Close Up Films (Joëlle Bertossa, Flavia Zanon) in Geneva.
Andrea Štaka’s new film in Panorama
Director Andrea Štaka’s latest fiction film MARE, which was shot in Croatia, will compete in the Panorama. Like in Štaka’s previous award-winning films CURE (2014) and DAS FRAULEIN (2006), the focus is also on a strong female protagonist. MARE was produced by Okofilm Productions (Thomas Imbach, Andrea Štaka), together with the Croatian company Dinaridi Film.
Films by and about women in the Generation and Berlinale Shorts Competitions
Two Swiss coproductions about young women searching for justice will be screened in the Generation 14plus Competition: the Italian-Swiss fiction film ORDINARY JUSTICE by Chiara Bellosi (coproduced by Cinédokké); as well as YALDA, A NIGHT FOR FORGIVENESS by Massoud Bakhshi, a film about two women in present-day Iran that has just celebrated its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. It was coproduced by Close Up Films.
THE LITTLE BIRD AND THE BEES by Lena von Döhren (production: Schattenkabinett) will be screened in the Generation Kplus section. This is her fourth animation film about the little bird; until now all of her much-loved short films have been screened in the Generation programme at the Berlinale.
Laurence Bonvin’s experimental animated documentary ALETSCH NEGATIVE about the largest glacier in the Alps has been selected for screening in the Berlinale Shorts Competition.
In addition, four films coproduced by Dan Wechsler at Bord Cadre films in Geneva are on the Berlinale programme: TODOS OS MORTOS by Caetano Gotardo and Marco Dutra (Competition); MALMKROG by Cristi Puiu (Encounters), as well as PARI by Siamak Etemadi and UN CRIMEN EN COMUN by Francisco Márquez (both in Panorama). Screened during the Critics’ Week will be for THE TIME BEING by Salka Tiziana, coproduced by Anchois Films in Zurich.
Numerous Swiss talents and a Shooting Star
Seven filmmakers and projects from Switzerland have been selected to participate in Berlinale Talents, the international networking platform for emerging talents in the industry: directors Fisnik Maxhuni and Tommaso Donati; screenwriter and director Mbabazi Philbert Aimé; as well as art director Isabelle Siegrist and cinematographer Yunus Roy Imer (SYSTEM CRASHER), both of whom work in Germany. Ensemble Film (Franziska Sonder) has been invited to participate in the Doc Station with Ian Purnell’s film project ARCTIC LINK and Cocoon Productions (Rhea Plangg, Simone Späni) with SALTWATER HEART in the Short Film Station.
Swiss actress Ella Rumpf will be honoured as a European Shooting Star at the Berlinale Palast. She attracted a great deal of attention with her intensive performance in CHRIEG in 2014 and starred in THE DIVINE ORDER. Equally impressive were her performances in such European productions as GRAVE by Julia Ducournau and TIGER GIRL by Jakob Lass. Every ear at the Berlinale, the European Film Promotion EFP presents the Shooting Stars Awards to Europe’s ten most talented young actresses and actors.
Swiss productions at Berlinale Co-Production Market and EFM
Projects by producers seeking coproduction partners are the focus at the Berlinale Co-Production Market (February 22-26). Participating from Switzerland are Simon Jaquemet with ELECTRIC CHILD and Christine Repond with ANTONIAS GARTEN.
In addition, eight films with Swiss participation will be presented at the European Film Market EFM in Berlin. SWISS FILMS is present at the European Film Market EFM with a stand (#125) from February 20-27.
The promotion agency is assigned by the Federal Office of Culture to implement measures, provide consultations and carry out promotional activities aimed at strengthening the market potential and visibility of Swiss film productions abroad.
SWISS FILMS, January 29, 2020