CPH:DOX FORUM

In keeping with the festival motto for the 20th anniversary of CPH:DOX “Predicting the Past, Rewriting the Future”, a Swiss delegation selected by  SWISS FILMS will not only gain valuable information about coproductions, but also take part in moderated networking roundtables and present their current projects.

On Monday morning, ten international delegations will meet to exchange ideas. In addition to input presentations, they will participate in the coproduction networking roundtable discussion. The Swiss delegation will present their ideas and share their insights and needs. The producers will also have the opportunity to learn more about the innovative Scandinavian coproduction market, to make new contacts and to intensify the exchange: i.e., tackling the next steps for coproductions, presales and world sales.  

The Swiss producers’ film topics range from the struggle for gender equality in the Ivory Coast (Nadine Lüchinger) to the fulfilment of the dream of becoming an astronaut (Franziska Sonder) and the ode to intimate melodies that accompany us from the cradle to the grave (Franziska Reck). The projects are either in the early stages of financing and searching for potential coproducers or already in post-production.

The delegation includes producers Franziska Reck (Reck Filmproduktion), Franziska Sonder (Ensemble Film), Kaleo La Belle (La Belle Film), Nadine Lüchinger (Filmgerberei), Susanne Regina Meures (Kiosk International) and Yan Decoppet (GoldenEggProduction).

Impressive ideas and scenery

Yan Decoppet’s Swiss-French-Japanese coproduction KEIGEI KAKOCHO focuses on one of the last whaling communities in southwestern Japan. Due to the dwindling whaling tradition, the village of Wadauras is gradually experiencing a discrepancy between its traditional identity and contemporary values. Caught between resistance and resilience, the village prepares for one of the greatest upheavals in its history. The essayistic documentary by director Sophie Dascal alternates between traditions and social hierarchies, economic realities and collective ritual, and illustrates the relationships between humans, animals and nature.

Nadine Lüchinger’s project at the Filmgerberei portrays the Ivorian artist Laetittia Ky and her mission for gender equality and the struggle for social justice. In the process, she is faced with patriarchal resistance both on and offline. Swiss director Rolf Hellat has brought Siam Marley on board as the Ivorian co-director in order to provide a different perspective to the situation. Aware of his position as a white, male European, it is important to him that the film, the team and all production processes counter possible postcolonial structures and cultural appropriation.

Franziska Sonder, cofounder of the production company Ensemble Film, will celebrate the world premiere of THE HEARING by Lisa Gerig in the International Competition in Copenhagen. Prior to the premiere, she will present her film BECOMING AN ASTRONAUT, planned for 2028, as producer. The documentary film project by director Roman Hodel follows the four-year odyssey for the five candidates selected from 22,500 for the upcoming flight into space. Thanks to exclusive access, the project is able to look behind the scenes of the European Space Agency (ESA) and charts the emotional journey shaped just as much by demanding challenges as it is by friendship.

The project CHESS BEHIND BARS by producer Kaleo la Belle and director Ivo Zen is devoted to chess matches in various prisons around the globe. From Norway to Armenia, Mongolia, the USA and Brazil, the audience discovers chess-playing prisoners who compete against each other on a national and international level. Training for the chess matches is meant to promote good behaviour among the inmates and enable reintegration. With each move, they look for strategies to overcome their past and rebuild their future.

And lastly, Franziska Reck’s film with the working title MELODIE – VON DER WIEGE BIS INS GRAB, focuses on people who experience intimacy and community through their singing. To sensitise listening, the sound takes over for the blurred image. The sound experience created by the singers thus transpires subjectively for the cinema audience. The film revolves around the question of how singing can be used as a strategy to gain strength for facing one’s own challenges. The director is Anka Schmid, who is the ideal choice for producer Franziska Reck for this essayistic, artistically ambitious film project.

You can find further information about CPH:DOX and the festival line-up on the SWISS FILMS website. The festival takes place from March 15 to 26, 2023.