Swiss films gain international laurels

Ursula Meier’s fiction film “Sister” (“L’enfant d’en haut”) added yet another award to its successful international career, this time the Golden Athena Award from the five-member student jury at the 18^th Athens International Film Festival (September 19-30, 2012). This is now the eighth award for the film “Sister,” which celebrated its premiere at the Berlinale in February. The film is Switzerland’s candidate for an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film and is also in the running for the European Film Awards nominations.

Silver Dolphin for Max Hubacher at Festroia Film Festival
The 18-year-old Bernese actor Max Hubacher starring in the leading role in Markus Imboden’s “Der Verdingbub” was honoured with the Silver Dolphin for Best Actor at the 28^th Festroia International Film Festival in Setúbal, Portugal on September 30. The festival is accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). With ticket sales approaching nearly a quarter of a million, the film “Der Verdingbub” currently ranks as the most successful film in Swiss cinemas for the past five years.

“Dur d’être Dieu” and “À quoi tu joues” attract attention in St. Petersburg
The feature-length documentary film “Dur d’être dieu” (“Playback”) by Antoine Cattin and Pavel Kostomarov, which premiered last April at the Festival Visons du Réel in Nyon, won two special prizes at the 22^nd Festival “Message to Man” in St. Petersburg (September 22-29): the Elephant Prize from the Guild of Film Critics and the Pavel Kogan Prize for the best Russian Documentary Film. The Swiss-Russian coproduction portrays the Russian cineaste and his ongoing struggle to complete his most recent work. The Swiss-French actor Swann Arlaud, who starred in the leading role in the short film “À quoi tu joues” by Jean Guillaume Sonnier, was honoured with the award for Best Actor at the 11^th Open St. Petersburg Student Film Festival (September 21-27).

Geneva, October 1, 2012