Swiss Focus At Show Me Shorts

New Zealand’s top international short film festival has announced Swiss short films

Show Me Shorts has made an early announcement of a Swiss Focus section of their programme. The spotlight on filmmakers from Switzerland will include 18 short films, with two Swiss Focus sections to choose from. Three Swiss guests will also visit New Zealand to take part in screenings and events.

A programmer from Locarno Film Festival, Valeria Wagner, will attend the festival as a member of the awards jury. She will also attend meetings with key industry stakeholders, and speak as part of a Meet the Festivals panel discussion.

Filmmaker Jan-David Bolt will attend with his science fiction short film Phelgm , which will make its New Zealand premiere at Auckland Opening Night on 7 October. The story follows a businessman who is late for work and trying to cross a city square, when he encounters a snail underfoot. ‘

Phlegm ’ features as part of the Swiss Focus 1 and Bolt will also speak about his work at the Auckland Short Film Talk.

Idodo

tells the story of how the reef fish of Papua New Guinea got their beautiful colours. It is a mythological animation adapted from a local legend by the Ziag Zagaz clan, with their support and permission. Visiting filmmaker Ursula Ulmi was born in PNG, but raised in Switzerland. This vibrant film plays as part of the Whānau Friendly 1 section of the programme and Ulmi will also speak about her work at the Wellington Short Film Talk.

Show Me Shorts Festival Director Gina Dellabarca says, “Switzerland’s cinema has been known in the past for a sentimentality for its majestic mountains and great natural beauty, however their filmmaking has evolved significantly, especially in the short film sector. The collection of shorts we showcase as part of our Swiss Focus reveal a modern and prosperous European country with a rich intersection of cultures and languages. The films on show include a sensual descent into a sauna, footage of a melting glacier, and a dystopian animation set in a world of sun-worshipping bird-people. Kiwis will find the stories told by these richly imaginative filmmakers inspiring and thought provoking .”

“Partnering with Show me Shorts Film Festival is a unique opportunity to strengthen the cultural exchange between Switzerland and New Zealand, ” says Swiss Ambassador, Mr Michael Winzap. “

Swiss films offer a window to the world and I am thrilled that no less than 18 new and courageous short films from Switzerland will feature in this years’ festival. Film material that touches, moves, challenges and makes viewers think is crucial for society.”

The Swiss Focus programme was put together with support from the Embassy of Switzerland, Swiss Film, and Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur.

The full list of Swiss short films is:

SWISS FOCUS 1

1. Phlegm - Dir/Writ: Jan-David Bolt
2. Autosaurus Rex - Dir/Writ: Marcel Barelli
3. The Record - Dir/Writ: Jonathan Laskar
4. Cavales (Dream Racing) - Dir/Writ: Juliette Riccaboni
5. Über Wasser (On Solid Ground) - Dir/Writ: Jela Hasler
6. Es Muss (It Must) - Dir/Writ: Jumana Issa, Flavio Luca Marano
7. Sauna - Dir/Writ: Anna Lena Spring, Lara Perren
8. Le Tableau (The Painting) - Dir/Writ/Prod: Ludo Jaccard

SWISS FOCUS 2

1. On Avait Dit Qu'on Irait Jusqu'en Haut (To the Top) - Dir/Writ: Tizian Büchi
2. Das Spiel (The Game) - Dir/Writ: Roman Hodel
3. En Août (In August) - Dir/Writ/Prod: Jenna Hasse
4. Ins Holz (In the Woods) - Dir/Writ/Prod: Thomas Horat
5. Pechvogel - Dir/Writ: Natasha Carolus, Océane Klingler, Tamara Milošević, Anahi Rodriguez
6. Aletsch Negative - Dir/Prod: Bonvin Laurence
7. Nachts sind alle Katzen grau (All Cats Are Grey in the Dark) - Dir/Writ: Lasse Linder
8. Il Faut Fabriquer Ses Cadeaux (Gotta Fabricate Your Own Gifts) - Dir/Writ: Cyril Schäublin

WHANAU FRIENDLY 1

1. Idodo - Dir/Writ/Prod: Ursula Ulmi

WHANAU FRIENDLY 2

1. Anscht - Dir/Writ: Matthias Huber

Show Me Shorts Film Festival takes place in 36 cinemas and community venues nationwide during 7-30 October 2022. The full list of films will be announced on 7 September, when tickets will also be on sale.

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