Two Swiss directors at the Mostra

Three Swiss film productions and coproductions will be screened in the official programme at the 69^th Mostra International Film Festival in Venice (August 29 - September 8, 2012). “Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction” (Hugofilm Productions, Zurich) is the first feature-length film by Bernese director Sophie Huber, who has established herself in Los Angeles. The fiction film “L’intervallo” by Italian director Leonardo Di Costanzo (coproduction: Amka Films, Savosa) will be screened in competition the “Orizzonti” section, and screened out of competition will be “Lullaby To My Father” (coproduction: Elefant Films, Geneva), a film that alternates between fiction and documentation. It is the latest opus by French-Israeli director Amos Gitai.

A multifaceted artist
The documentary film “Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction” explores the incredible career of the American actor Harry Dean Stanton, who was born in 1926 and has appeared in 250 films and worked with such directors as David Lynch, Wim Wenders and Sam Shepard. Moreover, it reveals his unexploited talents as a musician and folksinger. The film is among the nine works screened in the “Venezia Classici – Documentaries” section devoted to films for the cinema. Following her acting studies at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles, Sophie Huber cofounded a film collective in Berlin, where she participates in writing and shooting of films. As a musician she also composes soundtracks.

Ursula Meier in the international jury
Ursula Meier has been in the limelight since winning a Silver Bear in Berlin for her second fiction film “Sister.” She will be in Venice as part of the festival’s nine-member jury which awards the coveted Golden Lion. “Sister” will be screened in the “Appellations Suisse” section at the Film Festival Locarno in August.

Geneva/Zurich, July 26, 2012