Berlinale 2022

The International Jury of the Competition has recognized Michael Koch's A PIECE OF SKY with a Special Mention. The love story set in the Swiss mountains was shot with amateur actors and was the first film spoken in Swiss-German dialect in the Berlinale Competition in decades. The film was produced by Hugofilm (Christof Neracher) with German Pandora Film Produktion. World Sales is New Europe Film Sales.

In the Encounters competition, Cyril Schäublin received the award for Best Director for UNREST. The film is set in the watch factory and anarchist milieu in the Jura at the end of the 19th century. The film was produced by Seeland Filmproduktion (Linda Vogel) and Michela Pini, World Sales is Alpha Violet.

The jury commented its choice as follows: "With a strange and unsettling calm, the film immerses the viewer in a moment where ideals of collectivity and anarchism confront the encroaching powers of capitalism and the erosion of worker's time. As exacting in its cinematographic decisions, as the watches we see being assembled."

Last year, Swiss directors Ramon and Silvan Zürcher had already won the Best Director award in the Encounters section with THE GIRL AND THE SPIDER.

Also in the Encounters section, SEE YOU FRIDAY, ROBINSON by Mitra Farahani was awarded the Special Jury Prize. The production between France, Switzerland, Lebanon and Iran was coproduced by Swiss Casa Azul Films (Fabrice Aragno).

"The encounter of two poets in the autumn of their lives, orchestrated by the director with mischief and a loving yet discerning regard. A playful battle of egos, that doubles as an intimate and moving meditation on language, communication and artistic creation." stated the jury.

A total of 11 Swiss films and coproductions screened at this year’s Berlinale.

Photos: Piero Chiussi, Alexander Janetzko