Prestigious award for Swiss documentary film “La forteresse” in Shanghai
Fernand Melgar’s film “La Forteresse“ (2008) was honoured with the Silver Magnolia Award for Best Social Documentary Film. The Swiss director, from Lausanne, was present at the festival to receive the award in the world expo metropolis on June 10. Twenty films participated in the competition of Asia’s important MIDA Festival.
11.06.2010
"La forteresse" takes a close look at life as an asylum seeker in one of the reception centers in the French-speaking region of Switzerland. The film won the Golden Leopard of the "Filmmakers of the Present" competition at the Locarno International Film Festival in 2008. It triggered lengthy discussions in Switzerland about migration and how refugees struggle to obtain official status in Switzerland. The film was also well received at international festivals and honoured with awards in Buenos Aires, Florence, Montreal, Teheran and Yamagata, among others. The award in Shanghai is the eleventh international award for the film.
The Magnolia Documentary Award (MIDA), which is presented in Gold and Silver, is one of the most prestigious awards in all of Asia. The festival is devoted to documentary filmmaking which focuses on today's profound changes in human history and the most imminent social topics. The festival organisers' goal is to reach out to ordinary people, to those who are not prominent celebrities or politicians, but rather to those who have had the courage to express their opinions.
Zurich, June 11, 2010