Swiss Focus 1
Historically Switzerland’s cinema has captured a sentimentality for its majestic mountains and great natural beauty. This era was followed by a period of experimental French New Wave influence. Today this modern and prosperous European country’s screen industry is diverse, reflecting a rich intersection of cultures and its four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansch. In this collection of new Swiss films we explore richly imaginative and moving worldviews, from top creatives.
There are eight short films:
1. PHLEGM
Science fiction, 6 mins, Switzerland
Dir/Writ: Jan-David Bolt
Prod: Filippo Bonacci
Oscar's late. In the surrounding skyscrapers hands are shaken and contracts are signed. Where do these damned snails come from? That's the last thing he needs right now.
2. AUTOSAURUS REX
Animation, 6 mins, Switzerland
Dir/Writ: Marcel Barelli
Prod: Nicolas Burlet
Among the different species that inhabit our planet, one stands out from the others by its power and its impact on ecosystems. It is the Autosaurus Rex!
3. THE RECORD
Animation, 9 mins, Switzerland
Dir/Writ: Jonathan Laskar
Prod: Sophie Laskar-Haller
An antique musical instrument dealer receives a magical vinyl record that reads your mind and plays your lost memories. Obsessed by this record, the antique dealer listens to it again and again.
4. CAVALES (DREAM RACING)
Drama, 20 mins, Switzerland
Dir/Writ: Juliette Riccaboni
Prod: Emilie Moor
Oscar is a young man who is passionate about horse racing. At night, he dreams of winning horses and bets. When he sees his mother’s ex-lover the horses blend with darker memories and become nightmares.
5. ÜBBER WASSER (ON SOLID GROUND)
Drama, 12 mins, Switzerland
Dir/Writ: Jela Hasler
Prod: Olivier Zobrist, Anne-Catherine Lang
The coolness of a morning swim quickly vanishes as the summer heat settles over the city. As Eli tries to escape the narrowness and agitation of the city she keeps facing aggression, and her rage builds up.
6. ES MUSS (IT MUST)
Drama, 18 mins, Switzerland
Dir/Writ: Jumana Issa, Flavio Luca Marano
Prod: Zurich University of the Arts
In a single humiliating day, Silvia is fired from her job, fined by the police, and has her solo part in the church choir taken away by the director of the choir. This provokes her into an act of silent resistance.
7. SAUNA
Animation, 4 mins, Switzerland
Dir/Writ: Anna Lena Spring, Lara Perren
Prod: Jürgen Haas
Ava enters the Sauna for the first time. She is overwhelmed by the nudity, her thoughts, and the physical sensations. As she starts to relax in the rising heat she melts away and may dissolve completely.
8. LE TABLEAU (THE PAINTING)
Satire, 14 mins, Switzerland
Dir/Writ/Prod: Ludo Jaccard
Writ: Matthias Urban
Prod: Eric Bouduban
A father convenes his wife and children to make an important decision: Where to hang a painting. In the face of technical issues and his family's lack of interest he is swept away by an existential crisis.
Run Time: approx 94-minutes
Rating: M Offensive language & nudity.
Programme created with the support of Embassy of Switzerland, Swiss Films, and Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur
