ROTTERDAM

The film WOLFGANG by Filmsaaz (Saazofilm) will celebrate its world premiere in the Bright Future section, which is dedicated to feature-film debuts by avant-garde filmmakers. This queer audiovisual opera reinterprets the life of the 22-year-old Mozart as a way of telling the contemporary story of an Iranian artist living in exile in Paris.

Three films will be screened in the Harbour section: the world premieres of FIRST DAYS, an audiovisual poem by Kim Allamand and Michael Karrer in which two souls in limbo between the earthly world and the afterlife wait to move on (Sabotage Filmkollektiv), and Roy Cohen’s autobiographical documentary film FAR FROM MAINE, a minority coproduction by Geneva-based Akka Films. Also screened in this section will be THE EXPOSURE, Thomas Imbach’s adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s novella Fräulein Else, featuring Deleila Piasko in the leading role (Okofilm Productions).

Yannick Mosimann’s experimental film WOUNDED EDGES will celebrate its international premiere in the section devoted to short and medium-length films. Algerian director Malek Bensmail will celebrate his feature-film debut with THE ARAB, coproduced by Imagofilm Lugano, in the Big Screen Competition.

Georgian director Ana Urushadze’s feature film SUPPORTING ROLE will premiere in the Tiger Competition. The film was coproduced by Cinetrain, based in the canton of Valais.

Swiss animation for young and old

Three short animation films from the ONE MINUTE MOVIES series by Stefan Holaus and Nicolas Mahler (Langfilm) will be screened in the Cinema Regained section, which is dedicated to film heritage. Four other Swiss animated films for young audiences have been selected for the education programmes.

In collaboration with Cinémathèque suisse, the 1979 documentary film JUGEND UND SEXUALITÄT will be screened in The Future Is NOW programme, which celebrates the 60th anniversary of NOW (National Organisation for Women). The film by the female Werkfilm Collective featured, among others, the recently deceased Swiss director Tula Roy.

IFFR Pro’s industry programme

Thanks to the partnership between SWISS FILMS and the Rotterdam Lab, two producers from Switzerland will be participating in the annual talent programme that spotlights producers at the beginning of their careers. This year, producer Julia Schubiger (Langfilm) as well as producer and director Damien Hauser (Hauserfilm GmbH), who presented his latest film MEMORY OF PRINCESS MUMBI in Toronto and Venice, were selected to participate.

Presented at CineMart, the IFFR Pro coproduction market, will be a selection of remarkable projects by international industry representatives looking for financial and creative partners. Two projects with Swiss participation have been selected: the Dutch-Swiss coproduction AFTER THE NIGHT, THE NIGHT by Naomi Pacifique (Swiss producer: GoldenEgg Production, Yan Decoppet); and the Canadian-Swiss coproduction WORSE TOGETHER by Luis De Filippis (Swiss producer: Cloud Fog Haze Pictures, Micheal Graf). The CineMart programme Darkroom, on the other hand, features the Italian-Swiss co-production Làstima by Mario Piredda (Swiss production: DOK MOBILE). In addition, the Swiss project HIATUS – VR by Camille de Dieu and Laurent Novac (production: Tell me a story SA, Hélène Faget) will be presented for the very first time in the CineMart Immersive Selection.

Together with German Films, SWISS FILMS is hosting a networking cocktail event for industry representatives attending the festival in Rotterdam.