Swiss presence in Locarno: strong representation of documentary films
12.07.2005
The presence of Swiss film productions will be broadly diversified at the 58th Locarno International Film Festival (August 3 – 13, 2005), with films being presented in almost all sections of this year’s festival. The fiction film “Snow White” by Samir (Dschoint Ventschr, Zurich), which portrays the story of a 20-year old woman from upper class Zurich, will run in the International Competition, and Edo Bertoglio’s “Face Addict” will screen in the “Sélection Officielle Hors Compétition”. In the Filmmakers of the Present section, Swiss documentary films are strongly represented with the most recent works by Dominique de Rivaz, Christian Frei, Daniel Schweizer, Fernand Melgar, Nicolas Wadimoff and Béatrice Guelpa. Film prize-winners Sabine Gisiger and Norbert Wiedmer will present their latest works in the Critic’s Week section. In addition, two Swiss productions will be running in the video competition, with 19 short films competing in the Swiss section of the Leopards of Tomorrow as well. The film promotion organisation SWISS FILMS will be presenting the films screened in the Appellations Suisse series, while also providing a meeting point for those affiliated with the film industry with its pavilion located in front of the La Sala cinema.
Competing in the video competition, which is geared to experimental and innovative works, will be “Rollow” by Emmanuelle Antille, a fiction film about a young man, “Raccionepeccui” by Giuseppe Bertolucci (CISA Service, Lugano), a fictional monologue of a woman from Southern Italy and “Revival Paradise” by Frédéric Moser and Philippe Schwinger. Christian Frei is a member of the video competition jury. Two films which deal with fanaticism, terror and ignorance will be screened in the Filmmakers of the Present series: “The Giant Buddhas” by Christian Frei, which traces Buddha statues in Afghanistan, and “White Terror” by Daniel Schweizer (Dschoint Ventschr, Zurich), which deals with the interlinking of the neo-nazi scene on an international level. Rituals are elucidated by Edo Bertoglio with “Face Addict” (Amka Films, Savosa; see photo exhibition in Locarno as well), which looks back on life in downtown New York in the 70s, while Alina Marazzi’s “Per sempre” deals with the decision to lead a monastic life. Nicolas Wadimoff and Béatrice Guelpa’s “L’accord” (Akka Films, Geneva), which portrays the individuals behind the Geneva Accord and their great efforts for peace in the Middle East, will also be competing for the Human Rights Award. Dominique de Rivaz’s “Chère Jacqueline” is a one-hour portrait film dedicated to Jacqueline Veuve, the “doyenne of Swiss cinema”, whereas Fernand Melgar’s 30-minute “La vallée de la jeunesse” portraits the choreographes Philippe Saire. Both films will premiere in the Filmmakers of the Present video section. One program of the Leopards of Tomorrow section will be include films from the “Kunsthochschule” in Geneva, and Fulvio Bernasconi’s “Powerful Men” (Ventura Films, Meride) will be screened in the Human Rights program.
In the Critic’s Week section, which is traditionally dedicated to documentary films, Sabine Gisiger’s new film “Gambit” (Dschoint Ventschr) about the dioxin catastrophe in Seveso, Italy - will make its premiere, as well as “Blau” by Stefan Kälin and Norbert Wiedmer, a musical road movie about singer Thomas Hösli from Lucerne and jazz pianist Ricardo Regidor who produce German pop songs together. The sixth edition of the Appellations Suisse section offers an overview of Swiss film production from the previous year with a selection of ten Swiss films produced for the cinema: five fiction films and five documentary films. The music film “Maria Bethânia, música é perfume” by Georges Gachot presented in this series will be screened within the framework of a local preview on the Piazza Grande on August 2nd prior to the official opening of the festival.
Zurich, July 12, 2005
Further information about the films and the festival can be found at
In the Critic’s Week section, which is traditionally dedicated to documentary films, Sabine Gisiger’s new film “Gambit” (Dschoint Ventschr) about the dioxin catastrophe in Seveso, Italy - will make its premiere, as well as “Blau” by Stefan Kälin and Norbert Wiedmer, a musical road movie about singer Thomas Hösli from Lucerne and jazz pianist Ricardo Regidor who produce German pop songs together. The sixth edition of the Appellations Suisse section offers an overview of Swiss film production from the previous year with a selection of ten Swiss films produced for the cinema: five fiction films and five documentary films. The music film “Maria Bethânia, música é perfume” by Georges Gachot presented in this series will be screened within the framework of a local preview on the Piazza Grande on August 2nd prior to the official opening of the festival.
Zurich, July 12, 2005
Further information about the films and the festival can be found at