Innsbruck – IFFI celebrates 20th anniversary with Swiss participation

The documentary film "Bouton" by Res Balzli will be screened in the festival's special programme, while "Sebrenica, 360°" by Conny Kipfer and Renate Metzger-Breitenfeller as well as the Austrian coproduction "Crossing Cultures" by Carola Mair will be presented in other festival sections. The following films will be screened again in the "20 Years IFFI" retrospective, representing the 40 Swiss film productions and coproductions screened during the past 20 years: "Kebab & Rosoli" by Karl Saurer and Elena M. Fischli (1992), "Luna Papa" by Bakhtiar Khoudoinazarov (1999) - a coproduction by Thomas Koerfer - and the film "Memoria del Saqueo" by Argentine director Fernando E. Solanas (2004) and produced by Pierre-Alain Meier from Switzerland.
The festival is featuring film producer Franziska Reck on its Website, honouring the close relationship which has evolved over the years: "Both stand for the interest in the human being, in lifestyles and forms of expression, as well as for curiosity with reference to images - documentary, staged and experimental images. The focus of their quest is on images of human encounters, images of diverse cultural spheres as they come together." The close ties between the Innsbruck festival and the Zurich production firm began in 2005 with the screening of "Namibia Crossings" by Peter Liechti. In 2006 the film "Zwischen den Welten" by Yusuf Yesilöz was honoured with the Documentary Film Prize. In 2007 the festival opened with the Reck film "Rajas Reise" by Karl Saurer. In the same year the festival also screened "Sweeping Addis" by Corinne Künzli. In 2008 another film by Yusuf Yesilöz, "Musikliebe," was screened. In 2009 Franziska Reck was a member of the international jury. As the festival's Special Guest, the film "Federica de Cesco" portraying the literary icon was screened with director Nino Jacusso in attendance. The anniversary edition will screen "Sira - Wenn der Halbmond spricht" by Sandra Gysi and Ahmed Abdel Mohsen in the Documentary Film competition. As the Special Guest, the film "Isa Hesse Rabinovitch" by Anka Schmid will celebrate its Austrian premiere. Anka Schmid is also a member of this year's feature film jury.

Zurich, May 30, 2011