Swiss short films in Clermont-Ferrand
Six Swiss short film productions and coproductions will be screened in competition in Clermont-Ferrand at the world’s largest short film festival, which has its own film market.
30.01.2013
Three short films from Switzerland will be screened in the International Competition at the 35th International Short Film Festival in Clermont-Ferrand (February 1-9, 2013): the fiction films “L’amour bègue” by Jan Czarlewski and “Os vivos tambem choram” by Basil Da Cunha as well as the animation film “La nuit de l’ours” by the brothers Frédéric and Samuel Guillaume. Together with 76 other works, these films are in the running for the Grand Prix in the International Competition. Michael Frei’s new film “Plug & Play” will be screened in the “Labo” Competition. Two animation films coproduced in French-speaking Switzerland will be presented in the National Competition: “Kali, le petit vampire” by the Portuguese director Regina Pessoa (coproduced by Studio GDS, Carouge) and “Le banquet de la concubine” by the Chinese director Hefang Wei (coproduced by Nadasdy Film, Geneva).
From Cannes, Locarno and Baden to Clermont
The 30-minute fiction film “Os vivos tambem choram” already attracted a great deal of attention in the Directors’ Fortnight section in Cannes in May 2012 and has since been screened at twelve major festivals and won a number of awards. The 20-minute fiction film “L’amour bègue,” a graduation film produced at the University of Art and Design Lausanne (ECAL), was honoured with the Pardino d’argento last year at the festival in Locarno, among others. The animation documentary film “La nuit de l’ours” garnered two awards at the Fantoche Film Festival in Baden last year.
“Labo” Competition
Michael Frei’s most recent animation film “Plug & Play” will celebrate its world premiere in Clermont-Ferrand. The film will be screened in the “Labo” Competition, the festival’s most fascinating section devoted to 30 works of highly discerning aesthetics. The film follows up on the director’s musings initiated in his previous animation film “Not About Us.”
ECAL as guest in Clermont-Ferrand
This year’s guest at the short film festival is the University of Art and Design Lausanne (ECAL). It will present its activities in Clermont-Ferrand as well as a selection of twelve films dating from 1996 to 2012 in two retrospective programmes. In addition, a workshop on the topic of directing actors in film has been organised.
Over 144,000 visitors
The directors of the selected works will present their films personally in Clermont-Ferrand, thanks to support from SWISS FILMS, the promotion agency, which is also present with an information stand at the short film market attended by some 3,000 accredited film professionals. The festival in Clermont-Ferrand attracted over 144,000 visitors last year and is thus the second largest film festival in France, following Cannes.
Geneva, January 29, 2013