Swiss Showcase at the International Film Festival São Paulo

The Swiss programme at the 41^st International Film Festival São Paulo (October 19-November 1), includes more than 40 films, of which fourteen are first features. Sixteen films are running in the New Directors Competition, which is dedicated exclusively to first and second features. Out of the approximately 100 films in the competition, the audience will choose its favourites, which will be judged by an international jury.

Taking part in the competition are, among others, I AM GENTRIFICATON. CONFESSIONS OF A SCOUNDREL by Thomas Haemmerli, BLUE MY MIND by Lisa Brühlmann, OF SHEEP AND MEN by Karim Sayad, SARAH PLAYS A WEREWOLF by Katharina Wyss, GOLIATH by Dominik Locher, THOSE WHO ARE FINE by Cyril Schäublin, BEFORE SUMMER ENDS by Maryam Goormaghtigh, which all premiered this year at the international festivals in Cannes, Locarno, Venice, Toronto, San Sebastian and, most recently,at Zurich Film Festival. The debuts from French-speaking Switzerland AROUND LUISA by Olga Baillif and HOTEL JUGOSLAVIJA by Nicolas Wagnières will celebrate their world premieres in São Paulo, while the official Swiss entry for the Academy Awards, THE DIVINE ORDER by Petra Volpe, will screen as a Latin American premiere.
The International Perspective presents fourteen Swiss films, among them A JEW MUST DIE by Jacob Berger, which has been preselected for the European Film Award, EUROPE, SHE LOVES by Jan Gassmann, ANIMALS by Greg Zglinski and WELCOME TO SWITZERLAND by Sabine Gisiger.
The interactive thriller LATE SHIFT by Tobias Weber is being shown as a Special Screening and will be discussed during a panel on innovative storytelling and new film formats.

The Mostra Honours Alain Tanner
Homages to important filmmakers are a tradition at the Mostra and are held in high esteem. As a part of the Swiss Showcase, the Mostra is honouring the Swiss filmmaker Alain Tanner this year. The retrospective includes seven of his films and offers the opportunity to rediscover some films by the director of the “nouveau cinéma suisse”: JONAS QUI AURA 25 ANS EN L’AN 2000 (1976), LA SALAMANDRE (1971), DANS LA VILLE BLANCHE (1983), LE MILIEU DU MONDE (1974), JONAS ET LILA, À DEMAIN (1999), LIGHT YEARS AWAY (1981) and MESSIDOR (1979).

This year, SWISS FILMS already initiated an Alain Tanner retrospective in New York at the Metrograph cinema, which garnered much media attention. Further programmes with the master director are planned in Portugal and Spain.

Match-Making for Swiss Film Professionals
Twenty Swiss filmmakers have been invited to São Paulo by the festival. Among others, Samuel Chalard (FAVELA OLIMPICA), Alice Schmid (THE GIRL DOWN LOCH ÄNZI), Thomas Haemmerli (I AM GENTRIFICATION), Karim Sayad (OF SHEEP AND MEN) and Dominik Locher (GOLIATH) will present their films.

In cooperation with the festival and with the support of the Swiss diplomatic and consular missions in Brazil, SWISS FILMS is offering Swiss and Brazilian filmmakers the opportunity for exchange at various networking and industry events. The Swiss Showcase is supported by Lindt & Sprüngli Brazil as well as the online portals LatAm cinema and Filme B.

Strengthening Swiss Cinema in Latin America
After the prominent guest appearance at the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG) 2016, the cooperation with the festival in São Paulo marks a further showcase for Swiss films in the Latin American region. Mexico and Brazil are among the most important export markets for European cinema. In August 2017, Switzerland and Mexico were able to sign a coproduction agreement, that now needs to be ratified.

In addition, SWISS FILMS aims to strengthen the visibility and distribution of Swiss films in Latin America. In cooperation with the Federal Office of Culture support measures such as the “non-European distribution support programme” and the “VOD support programme” for international VOD providers have been implemented.

The showcase at the Mostra is followed by a Swiss Short Film Focus at Curta Cinema Rio de Janeiro (November 1-8). Subsequent programmes are also planned for Anima Mundi (Rio de Janeiro / São Paulo) and the São Paulo International Short Film Festival 2018.

Programme: Swiss Showcase in São Paulo

e-booklet SWISS FILMS in São Paulo 2017

Zürich, October 7, 2017