CANNES 2022

Two films celebrating their world premieres in the Quinzaine de réalisateurs were made by Geneva producers Pauline Gygax and Max Karli (Bandita Films, Rita Productions): CONTINENTAL DRIFT (SOUTH) (LA DÉRIVE DES CONTINENTS (AU SUD)) by director Lionel Baier, is a Swiss-French coproduction by Bandita Films with Les films du Losange, Paris and RTS Radio Télévision Suisse.

The documentary film DE HUMANI CORPORIS FABRICA by Verena Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor is a French-Swiss-American coproduction by the French Norte Productions, together with Rita Productions and the Sensory Ethnography Lab in Cambridge. World sales for both films have been acquired by Les films du Losange, Paris.

Also celebrating its world premiere in the Quinzaine is Elena López Riera’s first feature-length film THE WATER (EL AGUA). The Swiss-Spanish-French coproduction was coproduced by Alina film in Geneva (Eugenia Mumenthaler, David Epiney) with SUICAfilms, Valencia, Les Films du Worso, Paris and RTS. World sales are with Elle Driver in Paris.

99 MOONS in the ACID Cannes

99 MOONS, Jan Gassmann’s third feature film, will be screened in the ACID Cannes section. The renowned Association for the Distribution of Independent Cinema selects only nine feature films each year to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

99 MOONS was produced by Zodiac Pictures (Reto Schaerli, Lukas Hobi), together with SRF Swiss Radio and Television and SRG SSR. World sales are with M-Appeal World Sales UG in Berlin.

In addition to the “official” Swiss productions, other films with Swiss participation will be screened in Cannes: the Tunisian-French-Swiss film UNDER THE FIG TREES by Tunisian-French director Erige Sehiri, coproduced by Akka Films in Geneva, will also be screened in the Quinzaine des réalisateurs. Swiss producer Dan Wechsler at Bord Cadre films in Geneva has also coproduced two films screened in this year’s Cannes Competition: TRIANGLE OF SADNESS by Ruben Ostlund and TCHAIKOVSKY’S WIFE by Kirill Serebrenikov.

Networking for Swiss producers

Upon the recommendation of SWISS FILMS, producer Stefan Eichenberger (Contrast Film) will take part in Producers on the Move, European Film Promotion’s networking programme. Director Flurin Giger will present his film project A YEAR WITHOUT SUMMER as one of 12 directors selected for the “Résidence du Festival” with a first or second feature film project. Filmmaker Ali Al-Fatlawi has been invited to “L’Atelier” with his project THE BLIND FERRYMAN to meet with potential production partners.

Thanks to support from SWISS FILMS, four Swiss producers will be able to take part again this year in the Producers Network events and workshops at the Marché du Film, where they have the opportunity to make contact with coproducers for developing and financing new projects: Véronique Vergari (Luna Films), Chantal Scheiner (Seeland Filmproduktion), Palmyre A. Badinier (Rita Productions) and Magdalena Welter (Lomotion AG Filmproduktion).

At the Film Market’s Animation Day, Nadasdy Film will present the Swiss-French animation film project WITH CLOSED FISTS (A POINGS FERMÉS) by Zoltan Horvath, Jean-Jacques Kahn and Franck van Leeuwen.

Short film projects at Cannes Courts Métrages

Several Swiss short film projects have been selected for the Short Films Corner - Rendez-vous Industry at Cannes Courts Métrages. With support from SWISS FILMS, the short documentary film BEEN THERE by Corina Schwingruber Ilic and the anidoc THE CAR, THAT CAME BACK FROM THE SEA by Jadwiga Kowalska will participate in the Focus Work in Progress. Producers Yan Decoppet (Golden Egg Production) and Nicole Boner-Ulrich (Dynamic Frame GmbH) will travel to Cannes at the suggestion of SWISS FILMS and the Federal Office of Culture to meet with European coproducers at the newly launched New Producers’ Room networking event.

With their project DE LA MAILLE OU RIEN (KNIT OR DIE), directors Lucie Goldryng and Mathilde Miserez are participating in Focus Script 2022, which provides a platform for projects by film students or film school graduates.

The 75th Cannes Film Festival takes place from May 17-28, 2022. SWISS FILMS, the promotion agency for Swiss film, is present at the Marché du Film with the Pavillon Suisse in the Village International on behalf of the Federal Office of Culture.