Large presence from Swiss Romandie at Namur
Thirteen Swiss productions can be seen at the francophone film festival in Namur, the biggest event of its kind in the world.
26.09.2013
The 28th annual Festival International du Film Francophone (FIFF) in Namur (27 September–4 October 2013) is showing 13 Swiss films in its official programme. Seven of these will be screened in competition sections. Many well-known Swiss figures will be travelling to the Belgian city for the event.
Films from Baier and Bakhtiari in the running for a Bayard d’Or
The latest feature film of director Lionel Baier, Les grandes ondes (à l’ouest), which is currently showing in cinemas in western Switzerland and was shown at the Piazza Grande in Locarno, and the long documentary film L’escale by director Kaveh Bakhtiari, which premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes, are competing with 13 other films for this year’s Bayard d’Or for best film at the festival, which is entirely devoted to francophone cinema. The director Lionel Baier and L’escale producer Elisabeth Garbar (Louise Productions Lausanne) will be at the screenings in Namur.
Three films in the competition for best first feature film
Debut films from three Swiss directors are in the running, along with 13 other films, for the Bayard d’Or for best first film: Germinal Roaux’s Left Foot Right Foot , which had its premiere last August at the Festival des Films du Monde in Montreal; Puppylove by director Delphine Lehericey, currently showing at the festival in San Sebastian; and L'Armée du salut by Moroccan director Abdellah Taïa, which was co-produced by Rita Productions of Geneva and premiered at the Film Critics’ Week in Venice. The three filmmakers, accompanied by their producers, will be making the trip to Namur to present their work to the audience in person.
Short films in the spotlight
Graubünden-born director Kaspar Schiltknecht, a graduate of Lausanne’s ECAL, will represent Switzerland in the international short-film competition with his fictional short Bonne espérance. The film, produced by Box Productions and ECAL, Lausanne, premiered at the festival in Locarno last August. Kaspar Schiltknecht will be travelling to Namur with the support of SWISS FILMS.
Four other short films will be shown out of competition at the festival: L'amour bègue by director Jan Czarlewski, Myriam Rachmuth’s Dérobée, La nuit de l'ours by directors Frédéric and Samuel Guillaume and Man kann nicht alles auf einmal tun, aber man kann alles auf einmal lassen from director Marie-Elsa Sgualdo. Neuchâtel-based Marie-Elsa Sgualdo, who won the Bayard d’Or for Best Short Film last year with On the Beach, is also serving on the jury for the short film competition.
The animated films La fenêtre (The Window) by director Camille Müller and Chamane Bazar, directed by Zoltán Horváth, will be shown in the children’s programme and a clip co-directed by Steven Blatter and Mirko Eremita will be shown in the video clip competition.
Geneva, 25 September 2013