Switzerland is guest country at Busan International Short Film Festival

Fourteen Swiss short films will be screened in four programme sections: Swiss Panorama showcases current award-winning films such as ALL INCLUSIVE by Corina Schwingruber Ilic, ALMOST EVERYTHING by Lisa Gertsch and BLACK LINE by Francesca Scalisi and Mark Olexa; Swiss Mosaic will feature a short film from each of Switzerland’s four language regions: AGE 17 by Filippo Demarchi, Homer, A HUNTER’S FATE by Zahra Vargas, SUBOTIKA. LAND OF WONDERS by Peter Volkart and FALLING STAR by Pascal Bergamin. The Swiss Rainbow programme highlights migrant narratives, with screenings of, among others, VERSUS by Philbert Aimé Mbabazi Sharangabo, PARVANEH by Talkhon Hamzavi, which was nominated for an Oscar in the category of Live Action Short Film, and INTERCONTINENTAL by Louis Hans-Moëvi.

Two Swiss short films were selected for screening in the International Competition: QUIET LAND GOOD PEOPLE by Johannes Bachmann, which was honoured with the Audience Award at the Film Festival Max Ophuels Prize, and THOSE WHO DESIRE by Elena López Riera, which has been screened at numerous renowned festivals, for example, in Toronto (TIFF Wavelengths) or San Sebastian (Zabaltegi Tabakalera) and was honoured with an award for Best Swiss Short Film at the Locarno Film Festival. INTIMITY by Elodie Dermange will be screened in the Curtain Call section, which presents internationally multi-award-winning films. Dermange’s film celebrated its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and was honoured with the Grand Prix in Tampere.

Focus Peter Volkart

Swiss filmmaker Peter Volkart is present at the festival with two films: SUBOTIKA. LAND OF WONDERS will be screened at the festival opening. The film won an award in Sapporo and has been screened at numerous international festivals, most recently at the China International New Media Short Film Festival in Shenzhen. His multi-award-winning festival hit ROOM 606 has also been selected for the programme in Busan. Furthermore, Volkart will participate in the BISFF Talk: Duet Switzerland Belgium.

Attending the festival in Busan, apart from Peter Volkart, are Johannes Bachmann, director of QUIET LAND GOOD PEOPLE, as well as Mark Olexa, filmmaker and producer (DOK Mobile) of BLACK LINE, and Delphine Jeanneret (programmer for Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur and lecturer at HEAD – Genève), the latter two as jury members of the International and National Competitions, respectively.

The Swiss Focus was created in collaboration with the Busan International Short Film Festival and the Embassy of Switzerland in the Republic of Korea. Together with the “Hong Kong: The Tectonics of Humanity - Christian Frei Documentary Retrospective”, which was held in the Hong Kong Arts Centre in February 2019, this programme marks the start of further film programmes in Asia 2019-2021 launched by SWISS FILMS in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

SWISS FILMS, April 16, 2019