Sundance reopens door for Swiss documentary films
29.11.2005
After an absence of six years, the Sundance Film Festival features three Swiss productions and one co-production. The renowned festival, which was founded by Hollywood actor Robert Redford in 1981, takes place in Park City (Utah) from January 19-29, 2006. In the international competition (with 16 films from 9 countries), “The Giant Buddhas” by Christian Frei, “Angry Monk” by Luc Schaedler, and Heidi Specogna’s “Das kurze Leben des José Antonio Gutierrez” (The short live of José Antonio Gutierrez) (Production: PS Film, Zurich) will be screened. Further, “Das kurze Leben des José Antonio Gutierrez” will celebrate its international premiere in Park City. Also part of the competition is “Die grosse Stille” (The great silence) by German director Philip Gröning, co-produced by Ventura Film. Sundance provides a forum for independent movies and European productions, and it is one of the most important international film festivals along with Cannes, Berlin, and Venice.
“Das kurze Leben des José Antonio Gutierrez” tells the moving story of Antonio Gutierrez. After growing up in the streets of Guatemala, he was one of 300,000 soldiers sent to the war in Iraq by the US army in March of 2003. He was the first dead soldier, an American hero. Gutierrez followed the call to war since it held the promise of a US citizenship for his services.
Switzerland was last represented at Sundance Film Festival with Ulrike Koch’s documentary film “” (1998) and with two short films “Hotel Belgrad” by Andrea Staka, and “Hell for Leather” by Dominik Scherrer (1999). Philip Gröning had already been invited to the festval in 2001 with “L'amour, l'argent, l'amour”, also a German-Swiss co-production.
Zurich, November 29, 2005
Switzerland was last represented at Sundance Film Festival with Ulrike Koch’s documentary film “” (1998) and with two short films “Hotel Belgrad” by Andrea Staka, and “Hell for Leather” by Dominik Scherrer (1999). Philip Gröning had already been invited to the festval in 2001 with “L'amour, l'argent, l'amour”, also a German-Swiss co-production.
Zurich, November 29, 2005