Eleven Swiss films in Saarbrücken

Five Swiss film productions – two fiction films and three documentary films – are in the running for an award in either the Fiction Film Competition or Documentary Film Competition at the 35^th Max Ophuels Prize Film Festival in Saarbrücken (January 20-26, 2014). Three short film productions from Switzerland will compete for the Short Film Prize. In addition, three fiction films from Switzerland will be screened out of competition: “Lovely Louise” by Bettina Oberli; “Rosie” by Marcel Gisler; and “Traumland” by Petra Volpe.

Eight films screened in competition
Screened in the Fiction Film Competition are the films “Sitting Next To Zoe” by Ivana Lalovic and “Viktoria – A Tale Of Grace And Greed” by Men Lareida, which will celebrate its world premiere in Saarbrücken. The two films will compete against 14 other productions for the Max Ophuels Prize, endowed with EUR 36,000. Ivana Lalovic and Men Lareida will present their works personally to the festival audience in Saarbrücken. The Swiss casting expert Corinna Glaus is a member of the jury awarding the Max Ophuels Prize.

Three Swiss productions will be screened in the Documentary Film Competition: “Journey To Jah” by Noël Dernesch and Moritz Springer; “Ma Na Sapna” by Valerie Gudenus; and “Neuland” by Anna Thommen. Thanks to support from SWISS FILMS, film directors Valerie Gudenus and Anna Thommen will travel to Germany to present their films personally to the festival audience. The Swiss film director and screenwriter Martin Witz is member of the jury appointed to select the winner from the 13 works screened in the Documentary Film Competition.

Three short fiction films from Switzerland are among the 27 productions screened in the Short Film Competition: “Lothar” by Luca Zuberbühler; “Roter Schnee” by Luka Popadić; and “Tauchä” by Dominik Locher. The three filmmakers will attend the festival in Saarbrücken to present their works personally.

Geneva, January 15, 2014