First works screened in competition in Angers

One Swiss fiction film and five Swiss short film productions will be screened at the 25^th Premiers Plans Film Festival in Angers (January 18-27, 2013). The fiction film “L'intervallo” by Italian director Leonardo Di Costanzo, an Italian-Swiss coproduction (coproduced by Amka Films, Savosa), will be screened in the European First Feature Films Competition. The film celebrated its world premiere last September at the Mostra in Venice, where it garnered seven Collateral Awards. Film director Lionel Baier, from Vaud, will participate in the five-member jury for feature films, presided over by the French director, screenwriter and actress Noémie Lvovsky.

Short films in the running for the Grand Jury Prize
The short fiction film “On The Beach” by Marie-Elsa Sgualdo, from Neuchâtel, will be screened in the European First Short Films Competition. The film, which won an award in Namur, will be screened together with eight further works in competition and is thus in the running for the Grand Jury Prize for Best European First Short Film, endowed with EUR 1,500. Jan Czarlewski’s graduation film “L’amour bègue” produced at the ECAL in Lausanne will be screened in the European Student Films Competition. The young director, who was honoured with the European Film Award in Angers last year with his short documentary film “L’ambassadeur & moi,” returns to the festival this year with his fiction film, which had already created a sensation in Locarno last year.

An eye on animation films
The European First Film Festival in Angers also focuses on animation film productions. Two Swiss productions will be screened in the “Plans animés” Competition: “Effort” by Eleonora Berra and “Frühzug” by Delia Hess. In addition, Anja Sidler’s film “Julia und der Schrecken” will be presented in the Children and Youth Programme.

Geneva, January 17, 2013