Locarno Film Festival 2010: Swiss film productions at the Piazza Grande and in competitions

The theme of Swiss cycling is taken up by Daniel von Aarburg in his fictional documentary "Hugo Koblet - Pédaleur de charme", This theme also traverses Jacqueline Veuve's social chronicle "C'était hier". The film by the 80-year-old doyen of Swiss cineastes will be screened out of competition in the Official Programme. The fiction film "Sommervögel" by Paul Riniker, formerly responsible for documentary films at Swiss Broadcasting Service (SF), features in the leading roles actors Sabine Timoteo and Roeland Wiesnekker, both of whom have won the Swiss Film Prize. Director Lionel Baier will present his new fiction film "Low Cost (Claude Jutra)", which he shot with a mobile telephone. The film will be screened out of competition. In addition, Lionel Baier is a member of the international jury. For this reason, his documentary film "La Parade (Notre Histoire)" from 2002 will be screened in Locarno this year. French actress Nina Meurisse, well known for her roles in films by Frédéric Mermoud, is a jury member of the Leopards of Tomorrow - Short Film Competition. Mermoud's fiction film debut "Complices", which featured the young actress in a leading role and was screened last year in competition, will be presented again in Locarno this year. Journalist Christian Jungen, from "NZZ am Sonntag", is member of the jury for Best Newcomer Award.

Fourteen new short film productions encompassing all genres will be screened in the Leopards of Tomorrow - Swiss Competition, including the film "Reduit" by Carmen Stadler, who won the "Pardino d'oro" in 2006 and the new animation film "Schlaf" by the internationally award-winning duo Claudius Gentinetta and Frank Braun ("Die Seilbahn"). In conjunction with the retrospective commemorating the 20th anniversary of the "Leopards of Tomorrow", short film productions by the following Swiss directors will be presented: Ursula Meier, Andrea Staka, Mihaly Györik and Frédéric Mermoud. Screened in the 21st "Critic's Week will be "Das Schiff des Torjägers", the new documentary film by Heidi Specogna who won the Swiss Film Prize in 2007.

SWISS FILMS, the national film promotion agency, will present five fiction films, five documentary films and two short animation films in the Appellations Suisse series. Among the highlights of this selection are Séverine Cornamusaz's fiction film "Coeur Animal", which won the Quartz Swiss Film Prize 2010, and Christian Frei's documentary film "Space Tourists", which was honoured with the World Cinema Directing Award in Sundance. In conjunction with a special screening, Appellations Suisse will also present Jean-Luc Godard's "Film Socialisme" at the festival. This Swiss film production has attracted a great deal of attention since its premiere in Cannes. Moreover, with a special screening of "Romans d'ados", Appellations Suisse enables the audience to experience an extraordinary work on large screen: Béatrice Bakhti took more than seven years to complete this seven-hour chronicle on growing up.

Locarno / Zurich, July 14, 2010