Annick MahnertFestivals & Markets

amahnert@swissfilms.chT +33 6 37 12 81 36

T E A M TABLE OF CONTENTS

in Toronto 2015SWISS FILMS Desk in Toronto 2015

Visit us at booth # 5 in the Industry Office Location at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, King Ballroom, 370 King Street West

Swiss films in Toronto 2015

TIFF Discovery 03

TIFF Masters 04

TIFF Wavelengths 06

TIFF Special Presentations 07

Swiss films 2015

SWISS FILMS Line-Up Fiction 2015 08

SWISS FILMS Line-Up Documentaries 2015 12

SWISS FILMS Line-Up Shorts 2015 15

SWISS FILMS Festival Favourites 17

Upcoming Swiss films

SWISS FILMS Coming Soon 19

Catherine Ann BergerManaging Director

caberger@swissfilms.chT +41 76 368 02 65

3

Keeper

Belgium / Switzerland / FranceFiction, 2015, 90 min.

Original language: FrenchWorld premiere:

Festival del film Locarno 2015Cast:

Kacey Mottet Klein / Galatea BellugiCatherine Salée / Sam Louwyk / Laetitia Dosch

Production:Iota Production, La Hulpe

Louise Productions, LausanneOffshore, Paris

Savage Film, BrusselsRTS Radio Télévision Suisse

SRG SSRRTBF Be TV

World Sales:Be For Films, Brussels

T +32 4 89 80 21 23pamela@beforfilms.com

* 1978 in Belgium. After graduatingfrom INRACI (Institut National de

Radioélectricité et Cinématographie) in 2001, Guillaume Senez directs

three short films which have been rewarded in numerous festivals

worldwide: SQUARING THE CIRCLE (2006), IN OUR BLOOD (2009)

and U.H.T. (2012). KEEPER, starring Swiss shooting star Kacey

Mottet Klein (HOME, SISTER), is his first feature film.

Guillaume Senez

T I F F D I S C O V E R Y

Maxime and Mélanie are in love. They are both 15 years old and barely out of childhood. One day, Mélanie finds out she's pregnant. Maxime wants to keep the baby no matter what.

www.keeper-film.comSurprising and fascinating with its realist and aesthetically sublime approach and superb cinemato­graphy by Denis Jutzeler. Cineuropa

4

Italy / Switzerland / FranceFiction, 2015, 106 min.Original language: ItalianWorld premiere: Venice 2015 Cast:Roberto Herlitzka / Pier Giorgio Bellocchio /Lidiya Liberman / Fausto Russo Alesi / Alba RohrwacherProduction:Kavac Film, RomeRSI Radiotelevisione svizzeraRAI CinemaIBC Movie, BolognaAmka Films Productions SA, SavosaBarbary Films, ParisWorld Sales:The Match Factory GmbH, CologneT +49 221 539 70 90www.the­match­factory.com

* 1939 in Italy. From teenage rebellion to religious institutions to political subversion, the films of Marco Bellocchio have explored the social and political contradictions of his country. He is known for his early films FISTS IN THE POCKET (1965) or IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER (1971) and for his newer films VINCERE (2009) and BELLA ADDORMENTATA (2012). He was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice International Film Festival in 2011 and the Pardo d’onore in Locarno 2015.

Federico, a young priest, is summoned by the 17th Century Inquisition to a convent prison. His mission is to coerce Sister Benedetta to confess that she has seduced Federico's brother and driven him to death. Benedetta must under-go three trials – water, fire and tears – to prove her innocence if she does not confess. Federico, too, falls under the spell of the hypnotic Bene-detta … The present-day prison in Bobbio is run-down and abandoned. Tax investigator Federico is helping a Russian millionaire buy the old ruin. But a secretive old man has been living there for years. He is only occasionally seen out at night, and is referred to as "The Count".

Marco Bellocchio

Blood Of My BloodSangue del mio sangue

T I F F M A S T E R S

5

T I F F M A S T E R S

France / Switzerland2015, 73 min.

Original language: FrenchWorld premiere:

Cannes 2015Cast:

Clotilde Courau / Stanislas MerharLéna Paugam

Production:SBS Productions, ParisClose Up Films, Geneva

RTS Radio Télévision SuisseWorld Sales:

Wild Bunch, ParisT +33 1 53 10 42 50

www.wildbunch.biz

Pierre and Manon are poor. They make cheap documentaries and live on odd jobs, day by day. When Pierre meets Elisabeth, a young and beautiful intern, they quickly become lovers. But Pierre won’t leave Marion. He wants them both. Philippe Garrel’s new film is one of his most magnifi­cent: it goes straight to the heart. Cahiers du cinéma

A magnificently sculpted black and white film which plunges us into the twists and turns of life as a couple. Cineuropa

In The Shadow Of Women

L'ombre des femmes

* 1948 in Paris, France. Works as adirector, cinematographer, screenwriter,

film editor, actor and producer.Several of Garrel's films have screened

at the Venice Film Festival for exampleA BURNING HOT SUMMER (2011)

and REGULAR LOVERS (2005), awarded with the Silver Lion, as well as at the

Festival de Cannes such as LA FRONTIÈREDE L’AUBE (2008) and LIBERTÉ, LA NUIT

(1984), awarded with the Perspectives du Cinéma Award.

Philippe Garrel

6

Portugal / France / Germany / Switzerland2015, 380 min.(Vol 1: 124 min, Vol 2: 131 min, Vol 3: 125 min)Original languages: Portugese/French/GermanWorld premiere:Cannes 2015Cast:Crista Alfaiate / Dinarte Branco / et al.Production:O Som e a furia, LisbonShellac Films, MarseilleKomplizen Film GmbH, BerlinBox Productions, RenensARTE / ZDF / RTPRTS Radio Télévision Suisse, SSR SRGAgat Films & Cie, ParisMichel MerktWorld Sales:The Match Factory GmbH, CologneT +49 221 539 70 90www.the­match­factory.com

* 1972 in Lisbon, Portugal. Studied Film at Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema in Lisbon. 1996 – 2000 Works as a film critic. Gomes directed his first feature in 2004, THE FACE YOU DESERVE, and continued his successful international film career with OUR BELOVED MONTH OF AUGUST (2008). He won several awards for his latest film TABU (2012), such as The Alfred Bauer Award and the FIPRESCI prize at the Berlinale 2012. TABU has been sold to over 50 countries.

In Portugal, a country in crisis, a film director proposes to build fictional stories from the mis-erable reality he's immersed in. However, failing to find meaning in his work, he cowardly runs away and leaves the beautiful Scheherazade to stand in his shoes. She will require enthusiasm and courage so as not to bore the King with sad stories of this country! As nights go past, rest-lessness leads to desolation and in turn to en-chantment. Therefore she organises the stories she tells the King in three volumes. She begins like this: "It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that in a sad country …" An alternately playful and angry, hugely imaginative refracting of the titular folk tales through the prism of Portugal’s recent social and economic woes. Variety

Miguel Gomes

T I F F W A V E L E N G T H S

Arabian NightsAs mil e uma noitesVol 1: The Restless OneVol 2: The Desolate OneVol 3: The Enchanted One

7

Italy / Switzerland / France / United Kingdom2015, 120 min.

Original language: EnglishWorld premiere:

Cannes 2015Cast:

Michael Caine / Harvey KeitelRachel Weisz / Paul Dano / Jane Fonda

Production:Indigofilm, Rome

C­Films AG, ZurichMedusa Film spa, Rome

Barbary Films, ParisNumber 9 Films, London

RSI Radiotelevisione svizzeraFrance Télévisions / Teleclub AG

World Sales:Pathé International, Paris

T +33 1 71 72 33 05www.patheinternational.fr

* 1970 in Naples, Italy. Works as screen-writer and filmmaker, known for his

award-winning films THE GREAT BEAUTY (2013), THIS MUST BE THE PLACE (2011)

and IL DIVO (2008), all screened in the International Competition of past editions

of the Festival de Cannes. THE GREAT BEAUTY won Best Foreign Language Film

2014 at the 86th Academy Awards as well as at the Golden Globes Awards 2014,

the European Film Award 2014 and numerous further awards.

Fred and Mick, two old friends, are on vacation in an elegant hotel at the foot of the Alps. Fred, a composer and conductor, is now retired. Mick, a film director, is still working. With curiosity and tenderness they look on their children's con-fused lives, Mick's enthusiastic young writers, and the other hotel guests. While Mick struggles to finish the screenplay for what he imagines will be his last important film, Fred has no inten tion of resuming his musical career. But some-one wants to hear him conduct again – at all costs. Paolo Sorrentino, with "Youth," delivers his most ten­der film to date, an emotionally rich contemplation of life’s wisdom gained, lost and remembered. Variety

Paolo Sorrentino

Youth

La giovinezza

T I F F S P E C I A L P R E S E N T A T I O N S

8

SwitzerlandFiction, 100 min.Original languages: English/FrenchCast:Carl Barât / Audrey BastienThibault de Montalembert / Fanny ArdantProduction:Close Up Films, GenevaRTS Radio Télévision SuisseWorld Rights:Close Up Films, GenevaT +41 22 808 08 46www.closeupfilms.ch

Paule Muret is known for her film RIEN QUE DES MENSOGNES (1991), which was screened at the Berlinale in 1992, starring Fanny Ardant and Alain Bashung. In her new film FOR THIS IS MY BODY (2015) she will represent the poetry of Rock and Roll by uniting Carl Barât, Fanny Ardant and the young french shooting star Audrey Bastien.

A famous and exhausted rocker, at the height of his glory and of his disappointments, will draw new strengths, during one day, from the contact with a groupie who worships him. A confron-tation made of love and humiliation which can be fatal.

Paule Muret

L I N E - U P F I C T I O N

For This Is My Body

9

Switzerland / FranceFiction, 2015, 75 min.

Original language: FrenchWorld premiere:

Cannes 2015Cast:

Patrick Lapp / Carmen Maura / Ivan GeorgievProduction:

Bande à part Films, LausanneLes Films du Poisson, Paris

RTS Radio Télévision SuisseSRG SSR

World Sales:Wide, Paris

T +33 1 53 95 04 64www.widemanagement.com

* 1975 in Lausanne. Lionel Baier studied at the University of Lausanne and is the

Head of the Cinema department at the (École Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne) since

2002. In 2009 Baier cofounds Bandeà part Films together with Ursula Meier,

Jean-Stéphane Bron and Frédéric Mermoud.He is known for his films STUPID BOY

(2004), ANOTHER MAN (2008) and theaward-winning LONGWAVE (2013),

for which he received the Trophée Franco-phone for Best Director in 2014.

David Miller wants to end his life. This elderly ar-chitect, now ill, doesn’t want to leave anything to chance, so he contacts an assisted suicide or-ganization. However, Espe, the woman accom-panying him on his quest, doesn’t seem that familiar with the procedures. Meanwhile David tries everything he can to convince Tréplev, the Russian prostitute in the room next door, to act as witness to his final moments, as required un-der Swiss law. Over the course of one night, all three discover that a liking for others – perhaps even love – is a curiously tenacious feeling."Vanity" seems like a dance between pessimism and optimism, knit through by a contained humor. Variety

Lionel Baier

La vanité

L I N E - U P F I C T I O N

10

Rider Jack

SwitzerlandFiction, 90 min.Original language: Swiss­GermanWorld premiere: Montreal World Film Festival 2015Cast:Roeland Wiesnekker / Wolfram BergerRebecca IndermaurProduction:Langfilm, FreiensteinSRF Schweizer Radio und FernsehenRSI Radiotelevisione svizzeraWorld Rights:Langfilm, FreiensteinT +41 44 865 66 27www.langfilm.ch

* 1969 in Zurich. This Lüscher studied film at the NFTA (Nederlanse Film en Televisie Academie) in Amsterdam and is known for his latest documentaries HASSLERS UNIVERSUM (2011) and HOSELUPF (2011) as well as for his first feature FERIEN-FIEBER (2004). RIDER JACK will be screened in competition at the Montreal World Film Festival as well as at the International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg.

Jack, who has all but failed at life, dreams of a fresh beginning abroad. Instead, he unexpec-tedly has to take care of his hated father Paul, who he has not seen since childhood. Paul suf-fers from Alzheimer's and wants to make peace with his son while he still can. But Jack has very different plans for Paul. Two worlds collide, and a journey to Ticino, the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, turns into an odyssey back to a painfully suppressed past.

This Lüscher

L I N E - U P F I C T I O N

11

L I N E - U P F I C T I O N

Switzerland / GermanyFiction, 2015, 99 min.

Original languages: German/FrenchWorld premiere

Festival del film Locarno 2015Cast:

Peter Jecklin / Michèle Schaub­JacksonLiana Hangartner / Nicolas Bachmann Morgane Ferru / Viola von Scarpatetti

Dashmir Ristemi / Julia Glaus Florin Schmidig / Egon Betschart

Roberto Garieri / Issaka SawadogoProduction:

Contrast Film Bern GmbH, Bern2:1 Film GmbH, Zurich

Passanten Filmproduktion GbR, MunichWorld Sales:

Wide, ParisT +33 1 53 95 04 64

www.widemanagement.com

A hurricane of catastrophic proportions is brew-ing over Switzerland. The country is in a state of emergency. Ten directors from a new gene-ration of filmmakers imagine how the Swiss would deal with the worst possible disaster: the downfall of their country. www.heimatland-film.com

HEIMATLAND builds as a critical parable with a suspense pulse. Variety

A direct and refreshing blow to the stomach. Cineuropa

Michael KrummenacherJan Gassmann

Lisa BlatterGregor Frei

Benny JabergCarmen Jaquier

Jonas MeierTobias NölleLionel Rupp

Mike Scheiwiller

WonderlandHeimatland

Grozny Blues

12

Switzerland2015, 103 min.Original languages: Russian/ChechenWorld premiere:Visions du Réel Nyon 2015Production:Soap Factory GmbH, BaselSRF Schweizer Radio und FernsehenWorld Sales:Antipode Sales & Distribution, MoscowT +7 499 978 73 14antipode­sales.biz

* 1963 in Arezzo, Italy. Studies Philosophy, Literature and Film at the Università degli Studi in Florence. 1988 receives diploma from the Istituto di scienze cine-matografiche in Florence. 1992 – 96 works as filmmaker and cameraman in Italy. 1996 moves to Switzerland, where he works as cameraman and sound engineer. Bellucci’s award-winning feature film IN THE GARDEN OF SOUNDS was screened at numerous festivals worldwide.

"Grozny Blues" follows the daily lives of a hand-ful of people living in the capital of war-torn Chechnya. The film’s protagonists – human rights activists, a group of young musicians, the owner of a Blues club – are all trying to find their way through a surreal cityscape and a divided society shaped by repression, archaic customs,increasing Islamification and the failure to come to terms with recent history. … a journey as passionate as it is dramatic (…) a deep and sensitive piece, which deserves our undivided attention. Cineuropa

Nicola Bellucci

L I N E - U P D O C U M E N TA R I E S

Switzerland / Germany2015, 86 min.

Original language: EnglishWorld premiere:

Visions du Réel Nyon 2015Production:

maximage GmbH, ZurichFlying Moon Filmproduktion, Berlin

SRF Schweizer Radio und FernsehenSRG SSR

WDRWorld Rights:

maximage GmbH, ZurichT +41 44 274 88 66

www.maximage.ch

* 1961 in Germany. Grew up in Switzerland. Works as producer

and director in Switzerland and Berlin.His award-winning documentariessuch as BALKAN MELODIE (2012),

ECHOES OF HOME (2007), ACCORDIONTRIBE (2004) and THE DEVIL’S

ACCORDION (2000) mostly focuson musical topics and are being

screened at prestigious internationalfilm festivals.

Imagine waking up tomorrow morning and all music has disappeared. What will remain when it is all gone: CD’s, iPods, instruments? When we don’t know anymore what it was: music? Bill Drummond, the man who with The KLF once conquered the world of pop shows it to us. An anarchic spirit, an eternal punk who now leads the largest choir of the world: The17, an ever changing ensemble of amateurs with no sheets of music and no rehearsals. The film accompa-nies him as he finds new voices for his choir. It is a journey to point zero of music. So we can inno-cently invent it again. Together, in this moment.www.imaginewakinguptomorrowandallmusichasdisappeared.com

The sounds are intense and the images move in an unexpected way with the music of the everyday as if they were trying to fuse together to create an entirely new symphony. Cineuropa

Stefan Schwietert

L I N E - U P D O C U M E N TA R I E S

13

Imagine Waking Up TomorrowAnd All Music

Has Disappeared

14

SwitzerlandDocumentary, 2015, 78 min.Original languages: German/JapaneseWorld premiere:Festival del film Locarno 2015Production:ican films gmbh, ZurichSRF Schweizer Radio und FernsehenWorld Rights:ican films gmbh, ZurichT +41 44 252 33 59www.ican­films.com

* 1972 in Japan. Joint Swiss and Japanesecitizenship. Aya Domenig studied Social Anthropology, Film Studies and Japanology at Zurich University and graduated in Film Directing from the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). THE DAY THE SUN FELL is her first feature length documentary.

While tracing the story of her grandfather, who worked as a young doctor at the Hiroshma Red Cross Hospital after the detonation of the atomic bomb, filmmaker Aya Domenig meets a former doctor and a nurse who lived a similar experience. Throughout his life, her grandfather never spoke about what he had went through. But talking to her protagonists brings her clo-ser to him. When the nuclear disaster occurs in Fukushima on March 11, 2011, her quest takes a new turn. www.alsdiesonnevomhimmelfiel.com

Beautifully intimate and personal, yet it reaches out across the world in terms of the issues that are at hand. Anne Thompson, Indiewire

Aya Domenig

L I N E - U P D O C U M E N TA R I E S

The Day The Sun FellAls die Sonne vom Himmel fiel

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L I N E - U P S H O R T S

Destiny

Wendy Pillonel

Switzerland, Fiction, 2015, 15 min.Original language: Swiss­German

Production:Zürcher Hochschule der Künste ZHdK, ZurichSRF Schweizer Radio und FernsehenWorld Rights:Zürcher Hochschule der Künste ZHdK, ZurichT +41 43 446 31 14film.info@zhdk.ch

Hanna, a young mother, is struggling with the problems her three children have at school, with her husband Silvan’s game addiction as well as the lack of space in their tiny apartment. As the authorities threaten to take their oldest son away, Hanna needs to find a way to get Silvain out of his fictional game world.

Of Shadows And WingsD'ombres et d'ailesElice Meng, Eleonora Marinoni

Switzerland / France, Animation, 2015, 13 min, original language: French

World premiere:Festival del film Locarno 2015(awarded Pardino d'argento)Production and World Rights:Nadasdy Film Sarl, GenevaT +41 22 300 20 54, www.nadasdyfilm.chVivement Lundi!, RennesT +33 299 65 00 74www.vivement­lundi.com

Amid a population of "birdmen", Moann is shamed when her wings disappear and a strange cracking sets in beneath her feet. In a society where all that matters is the size of one’s wings and ambition, Ciobeck, the nihilist, would like to protect her. But how can they survive in a barren land, per-vaded by "caved in" spirits?

Watch online: SHORT FILM LIBRARYwww.swissfilms.ch/shortfilmlibrary

Air-MailMessages dans l’airIsabelle Favez

Switzerland / France, Animation, 2015, 6 min, without dialogue

World premiere:Berlinale 2015 Production:Nadasdy Film Sarl, GenevaFolimage, Bourg­Les­ValencesRTS Radio Télévision SuisseWorld Sales:Autour de Minuit, Paris (Theatrical rights)autourdeminuit.com Magnetfilm, Berlin (TV rights)www.magnetfilm.de

A young woman lives alone with her cat in a small town. The two are complete op posites: whereas the woman is good-hearted and benevolent, the cat is a hun-ter-killer type. The young woman has a secret: she is in love with her neighbour, a boxer. Thanks to her cat’s adventures, she will have closer contact to him.

Watch online: SHORT FILM LIBRARYwww.swissfilms.ch/shortfilmlibrary

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L I N E - U P S H O R T S

The Big Dam Le barrageSamuel Grandchamp

Switzerland / USA, Fiction, 2015, 14 min.Original language: French

World premiere:Festival del film Locarno 2015 (awarded Pardino d'oro) Production:ViceVersal, GenevaTisch School of the Arts, New YorkWorld Rights:ViceVersal, GenevaT +41 78 748 29 22viceversalproduction@gmail.com

A 10-year-old boy sets off on a long-pro-mised adventure with his father to dis-cover Europe’s biggest dam. But as they progress, harbored feelings surface and their relationship is put to a test. The dam they eventually face is not the one initial-ly dreamed of.

Watch online: SHORT FILM LIBRARYwww.swissfilms.ch/shortfilmlibrary

Tišina Mujo

Ursula Meier

Switzerland / France / Bosnia and Herzegovna, Portugal / Germany / Italy, Fiction, 2014, 11 min.

World premiere:Intl. Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2014(awarded Best Swiss Film)Production: Bande à part Films, Lausanne / Cinétévé, Paris / Obala Art Center, Sarajevo / Ukbar filmes, Evora / Unafilm GmbH, CologneMIR Cinematografica Srl, MilanWorld Sales:Indie Sales, ParisT +33 1 44 83 02 27, www.indiesales.eu

It’s training time at the Zetra stadium in Sarajevo. Ten-year-old Mujo misses his penalty kick. The ball flies over the goal and disappears among the tombstones of the graveyard that replaced the sports grounds during the war. "Go search among the Christians!" some of his playmates yell. "Seek among the Muslims!" others snicker. Searching for the ball, Mujo wanders in the kingdom of the dead.

Watch online: SHORT FILM LIBRARYwww.swissfilms.ch/shortfilmlibrary

Subotika – Land of Wonders

Peter Volkart

Switzerland, Fiction, 2015, 14 min.Original language: German

World premiere:NIFFF 2015 Production:Reck Filmproduktion GmbH, ZurichWorld Sales:Magnetfilm, BerlinT +49 163 801 07 53georg.gruber@magnetfilm.dewww.magnetfilm.de

Subotika, a little-known island on the ot-her side of the globe. Endeavouring to step up tourism in the Republic, the Foreign Minister commissions an advertising mo- vie. An enchanting country with extra-ordinary sights, grand visions and a couple of minor problems. www.subotika.ch

Watch online: SHORT FILM LIBRARYwww.swissfilms.ch/shortfilmlibrary

F E S T I V A L F A V O U R I T E S

Chrieg

Simon Jaquemet

Switzerland, Fiction, 2014, 110 min.Original language: Swiss­German

Festivals (selection): Festival Internacional de cine de San Sebastian 2014, Zurich Film Festival 2014, Torino Film Festival 2014, Max Ophüls Preis Saarbrücken 2015 (Awards Best Film & Best Actor), Montreal World Film Festival 2015Production: Hugofilm Productions GmbH, ZurichSRF Schweizer Radio und FernsehenWorld Sales:Picture Tree International GmbH, BerlinT +49 30 42 08 24 80www.picturetree­international.com

15-year-old Matteo feels like the world is against him. He has no friends and his pa-rents seem to live in a different universe. One night two men carry him off: his fa-ther sends him to a "youth camp" on a re-mote alp, where he is forced to spend the summer. When Matteo arrives, a surprise awaits him. www.chrieg.com

Horizontes

Eileen Hofer

Switzerland, Documentary, 2015, 70 min., Original language: Spanish

Festivals (selection):Visions du Réel Nyon 2015, KVIFF 2015, Fe­stival del film Locarno 2015, New Horizons, Wroclaw 2015, Raindance 2015, Montreal World Film Festival 2015Production:Intermezzo Films SA, GenevaWorld Sales:Taskovski Films Ltd, LondonT +44 387 65 65 20 46www.taskovskifilms.com

Run-down rehearsal rooms along the halls of the Grand Theatre of Havana, Amanda and Viengsay dedicate themselves whole-heartedly to the demanding routine their discipline requires of them: that of clas-sical ballet. Their every step and aspira-tion echo the great achievements of their predecessor, Alicia Alonso, the prima bal-lerina assoluta, still invincible even at the grand age of 90. www.horizontes-film.ch

Above and Below

Nicolas Steiner

Switzerland / Germany, Documentary, 2015, 118 min., Original language: English

Festivals (selection): International Film Festival Rotterdam 2015, Visions du Réel Nyon 2015, Hot Docs Toronto 2015, DOK.fest Munich 2015, Edinburgh 2015, KVIFF 2015Production:maximage GmbH, ZurichFlying Moon Filmproduktion, BerlinSRF Schweizer Radio und FernsehenZDF / 3satWorld Rights:maximage GmbH, ZurichT +41 44 274 88 66, www.maximage.ch

Far, far away and out of sight, that’s where April, Dave, Cindy, Rick and the Godfather are creating life on their own terms. From the depths of the flood channels under Sin City, to a reclaimed military bunker in the middle of the dusty, heated Californian nowhere land, to beyond the stratosphere where Mars now lives on earth. www.aboveandbelowfilm.com

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F E S T I V A L F A V O U R I T E S

Spartans SpartiatesNicolas Wadimoff

Switzerland / France, Documentary, 2014, 80 min., Original language: French

Festivals (selection): RIDM Montreal 2014, BAFICI 2015, Visions du Réel Nyon 2015, DocsBarcelona 2015Production:Akka Films, GenevaAlegria Productions, ParisSRG SSRWorld Sales:Doc & Film International, ParisT +33 1 42 77 56 87, www.docandfilm.com

Yvan Sorel runs a Mixed Martial Arts club in Marseille’s "Quartier nord", a district known in the media for its drug trafficking and gang shootings. Day after day with no support from the state, he fights to keep the children and teenagers on the "right" path. A powerful film about violence, edu-cation, moral values, faith and dignity.

Sworn Virgin Vergine giurataLaura Bispuri

Italy / Switzerland / Germany / Albania / Kosovo, Fiction, 2015, 87 min.Original languages: Italian/Albanian

Festivals (selection): Berlinale 2015 , Hong Kong International Film Festival 2015, BAFICI 2015, Tribeca Film Festival New York 2015 Production: Vivo Film, Rome / Colorado Film Production, Rome / Bord Cadre films Sàrl, Geneva / The Match Factory GmbH, Cologne / Erafilm Productions, Tirana / RSI Radiotelevisione svizzera / RAI CinemaWorld Sales:The Match Factory GmbH, CologneT +49 221 539 70 90www.the­match­factory.com

The story of a woman who sacrifices her femininity for freedom, and then decides to wipe out her honour to become a woman again. A film about being stuck in invisible prisons and then finally learning how to breathe – a journey inside femininity, told in its thousand fold and contradictory forms.

Iraqi Odyssey

Samir

Switzerland / Germany / UAE / Iraq, Fiction, 2014, 162 min., 3D, Original lan­guages: German/English/French/Arabic

Festivals (selection): TIFF 2014, Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2014, Berlinale 2015, BAFICI 2015, Beldocs 2015 Intl. Documentary Film Festival, New Zea­land Intl. Film Festival 2015Production:Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion AG, ZurichCoin Film, CologneFurat al Jamil, BaghdadWorld Sales:Autlook Filmsales GmbH, ViennaT +43 720 34 69 34www.autlookfilms.com

Tracing the emigrations of his family over more than half a century, this epic from ac-claimed expatriate Iraqi filmmaker Samir pays homage to the frustrated democratic dreams of a people successively plagued by dictatorship, war and occupation. www.iraqiodyssey.com

C O M I N G S O O N

19

Tobias Nölle

Switzerland / FranceFiction, 90 min.

Original languages: German/Swiss­GermanCast:

Georg Friedrich / Tilde von OverbeckProduction:

Hugofilm Productions GmbH, ZurichPetit Film, Paris

SRF Schweizer Radio und FernsehenARTE

World Rights:Hugofilm Productions GmbH, Zurich

T +41 44 44 240 40 77www.hugofilm.ch

* 1976 Zürich. Tobias Nölle studied film at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

His short film RENÉ (2008) was screened at numerous festivals worldwide and

won several awards such as the Golden Leopard in Locarno for the best Swiss short.

Nölle is one of the directors of WONDER-LAND, which premiered at the Festival

del film Locarno 2015. ALOYS is his first feature, which he wrote, directed and

edited. It participated at the Torino Film Lab, Cinemart, the Berlinale Co-Production Market as well as at the "Work in Progress"

section at Les Arcs.

A lonely private investigator falls in love with a mysterious woman who left a disturbing mes-sage on his camera. A gloomy yet magical jour-ney begins on which he must find the courage to break out of his isolation.

EXPECTEDSPRING

2016

Aloys

20

Switzerland / Germany / FranceAnimation, 60 min.Original language: FrenchBased on "Autobiography of a Zucchini" by Gilles Paris, published by Librairie PlonProduction:Rita Productions, GenevaBlue Spirit Productions, ParisGebeka Films, LyonKNM, GenevaRTS Radio Télévision SuisseRhône Alpes CinémaCanal plusFrance 3Helium Films LausanneWorld Sales:Indie Sales, ParisT +33 1 44 83 02 27www.indiesales.eu

* 1973 in Sierre, Switzerland. Claude Barras studied illustration and infography at École Emile Cohl in Lyon and at the ECAL (École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne). He directed several award-winning short animation films, such as BANQUISE (2005), screened in competition in Cannes and LE GÉNIE DE LA BOÎTE DE RAVIOLIS (2006) which turned into a huge international festival hit. COURGETTE (working title) is his first feature film.

Zucchini is an unusual nickname for a 9-year-old boy and his unique story is surprisingly univer-sal. After his mother’s sudden death, Zucchini is befriended by a kind police officer Raymond, who accompanies Zucchini to his new foster home filled with other orphans his age. At first Zucchini struggles to find his place in this strange, at times, hostile environment. Yet with Raymond’s help and his new found friends, he eventually learns to trust, finds true love and at last a new family of his own.

Claude Barras

C O M I N G S O O N

Courgette(working title)

EXPECTEDFALL 2016

* 1976 in Zurich. Joint Swiss and German citizenship. 1996 – 97 Attends Schule

für Gestaltung Bern. 1997 – 2002 Attends Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in

Ludwigsburg, Directing department. Alain Gsponer has recently directed the

award-winning films THE LITTLE GHOST (2013) and AKTE GRÜNINGER (2014).

Gsponer lives and works in Berlin.

This is the story of Heidi, the internationally fa-mous young mountain-girl, who lives with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. Her happiness ends when her aunt takes Heidi to Frankfurt.

Alain Gsponer

C O M I N G S O O N

Switzerland / GermanyFiction, 105 min.

Original languages: German/Swiss­GermanCast:

Bruno Ganz / Anuk Steffen / Quirin Agrippi /Peter Lohmeyer / Hannelore Hoger /

Katharina SchüttlerProduction:

Zodiac Pictures Ltd, ZurichClaussen+Putz Filmproduktion GmbH, Munich

Studiocanal GmbH, BerlinSRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen

TeleclubWorld Sales:

Studiocanal / International SalesIssy­Les­Moulineaux, France

T +33 (0)1 71 35 35 35www.studiocanal.com

EXPECTEDDECEMBER

2015

21

Heidi

Documentary, 90 min.Original languages: Khmer/BunongProduction and World Rights:Cinéma Copain, ZurichT +41 79 231 75 81www.cinemacopain.com

* 1963 in Iran. Mehdi Sahebi studied Ethno-logy, History and International Law at the University of Zurich, where he received his PhD in Visual Anthropology in 2006. Sahebis impressive documentary TIME OF CLOSURE (2006) was screened at many festivals worldwide and won several awards, such as the Grand Prix of the Semaine de la critique at the Festival del film Locarno and the Grand Jury Prize as well as the Audience Award at the international film festival Entrevues in Belfort.

Binchey, a traditional peasant farmer from Mon- dulkiri, was expelled from his land – like hun-dreds of thousands of farmers in Cambodia. He feels powerless in the face of foreign rubber tree plantations spreading across more and more parts of the country. Together with Bin-chey and other villagers, film director Mehdi Sahebi stages the story of this confiscation of the land and its ramifications.

Mehdi Sahebi

Mirr – The Field

C O M I N G S O O N

22

EXPECTEDSPRING

2016

Switzerland / Germany / SwedenAnimation, 70 min.

Production:Little Monster GmbH, Zurich

Alexandra Schatz Filmproduktion, HannoverTrickstudio Lutterbeck GmbH, Cologne

Slugger Film AB, MalmöSenator Film München GmbH, Munich

Peacock Film, ZurichWorld Sales:

Global Screen GmbH, MunichT +49 89 24 41 29 55 00

www.globalscreen.de

Ted Sieger * 1958 in Chile. He is an inde-pendent director, animator and designer

of animation films and series, comics and picture books. His latest short THE

SMORTLYBACKS (2013) was screened and awarded at many festivals world-

wide including Stuttgart, Villa do Conde, Baden, Clermont-Ferrand and Leipzig.

Michael Ekblad * 1960 in Sweden. Attended Sheridan College in Oakville.

Since 1985 works as animator, designer and director for animations. Co-owner

of Sluggerfilm in Malmö.

Matthias Bruhn * 1962 in Germany. Studied Graphic Design at FHD (Fachhoch-

schule Düsseldorf). Since 1998 co-owner, co-manager and art director of Trickstudio

Lutterbeck. Bruh lectured at the HSLU (Hochschule Luzern, Design & Kunst) and

now works as lecturer at the school of animation La Poudrière in Valence.

Molly Monster is no longer the centre of atten-tion in her family. The focus has now become the egg, which Mommy has laid and Daddy is incubating. Little Molly’s parents have abso-lutely no time left for her. In Monsterland par-ents bring the eggs to the island to incubate them. Molly, however, must stay at home in her uncle’s care. What’s more, Molly has knitted a lovely hat for the new Monster baby and now her parents have forgotten it at home. Molly thus sets out on the long and difficult journey to the egg island.

Ted SiegerMichael EkbladMatthias Bruhn

Molly Monster

EXPECTEDSPRING

2016

23

C O M I N G S O O N

SWISS FILMS SWISS FILMS in Toronto 2015 Neugasse 6 | Postfach | CH-8031 Zurich Visit us at our booth #5 in the Industry Office LocationT +41 43 211 40 50 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel,info @ swissfilms.ch King Ballroom, 370 King Street Westwww.swissfilms.ch

+++ Visit us at our stands at the EFM during Berlinale, Cannes Village International and the Festival del film Locarno +++