“Mais im Bundeshuus” on the Path of Success
01.03.2004
The documentary film “Mais im Bundeshuus” by Jean-Stéphane Bron, which was awarded the 2004 Swiss Film Prize, has crossed the magic threshold of 100,000 movie tickets sold. This film about the Swiss parliamentary debate considering a law on genetic engineering is also receiving international attention. With the director present, “Mais im Bundeshuus” will be shown in Graz, Austria, on March 4 as part of the “Diagonale”, and on March 7 and 10th, it will be screened in Paris, France, at the “Cinéma du réel” festival competition.
Constructed like a fiction movie, “Mais im Bundeshuus” (Production: Ciné Manufacture, Lausanne) is the successful cinematic experiment of closely looking at the process of forming opinions and making decisions in a parliamentary democracy. At the center of the film are the five members of the parliamentary commission preparing a law on genetic engineering. Philosophical convictions and political party strategies soon give way to behind-the-scenes compromises and political intrigues. Jean-Stéphane Bron combined his months-long observations at the Swiss parliament, the Bundeshaus, into a suspenseful political thriller that transports politics to a humane level. Since its premiere at the Locarno Film Festival in August 2003, 100,000 moviegoers have seen “Mais im Bundeshuus” in the German and French speaking parts of Switzerland.
Zurich, March 1, 2004
Zurich, March 1, 2004