Strong presence for Swiss films in Hof, Germany

Walter Feistle’s comedy film “Dead Fucking Last” – featuring such prominent stars as Michael Neuenschwander, Mike Müller, Markus Merz, Oriana Schrage, Regula Imboden and Roeland Wiesnekker – will celebrate its world premiere at the 46^th Hof International Film Festival (October 23-28, 2012). The German-Swiss coproduction “Aladin – Weg ins Paradies” by Simon Bischoff will also celebrate its premiere: the film is shot in documentary-fiction style and tells the story of how a homeless Moroccan shoeshine boy climbs up the social ladder and his life in the “paradise of the West.”

Fiction films from Switzerland
Apart from “Dead Fucking Last,” the festival will screen five further fiction films: Antej Farac’s “Annelie” and Peter Luisi’s “Boys Are Us,” both of which recently celebrated their premieres in North America; Sascha Weibel’s “Hard Stop” and Sebastian Kutzli’s “Puppe,” both of which were discovered at the festival in Solothurn; and Niccolò Castelli’s “Tutti Giù,” starring Lara Gut and Andrea Zogg, among many others, which made its debut in Locarno.

A better life and virgins
Rolando Colla, who presented the drama “Summer Games” in Hof last year, will return this year with a documentary film: “Das bessere Leben ist anderswo” portrays three people from three different countries. Virgins are the focus of the documentary film “Virgin Tales” by Mirjam von Arx. Both of these films celebrated their premieres in Nyon (April 2012). Sophie Haller’s 6-minute animation film “History Of Virginity” is also about virginity. The short animation film “Look” by Justine Klaiber and Jane Mumford will also be screened in Hof.

Heinz Badewitz, founder of the festival, has developed “his” festival into one of the most important meeting points for professionals in the industry of German-speaking film and a favoured platform for launching films in Germany. Numerous Swiss filmmakers will be present at the festival in Hof.

Zurich, October 22, 2012