“Vol spécial” and “Messies …” in competition in Munich

There are also ten film productions screened in the German Competition, where Swiss director Ulrich Grossenbacher will present his award-winning film “Messies, ein schönes Chaos.” David Wegmüller from the Solothurn Film Festival is a member of the jury for the German Competition.

The Panorama section in Munich is devoted to films “that everyone should see.” Among the 19 international film productions selected for this section is the Swiss documentary film “Hiver nomade” by Manuel von Stürler, who will also attend the festival. “Hiver nomade” celebrated its premiere this year at the Berlinale.

The film “Rouge parole” by Tunisian director Elyes Baccar (Best Documentary Film, Milan) and coproduced by Akka Films in Geneva will be screened in the Arab World programme. Following the upheaval in Tunisia leading to the overthrow of President Ben Ali, the film gives a voice to those involved in the grassroots movement who were forced to remain silent for 20 years.

The multi-award-winning coproduction “Silberwald” by Christine Repond will be screened in the festival’s new section DOKfiction, which explores the blurred borders between fictional and documentary film.

Switzerland is also present in the Filmschool Forum: in the 64-minute documentary film “Zwischen Inseln” by Maurizius Staerkle-Drux, different generations of musicians with a diversity of temperaments converge for a tour throughout Italy.

The DOK.fest in Munich is a “festival of the festivals” for the Munich audience, with an emphasis on the promotion of creative documentary films. Together with the Leipzig Festival and the “Duisburger Filmwoche,” it ranks among the most important festivals in German-speaking countries for international documentary film productions. Over the years, film productions from Switzerland have become a fixture at this festival.

Zurich, April 30, 2012