05/07/2017 - This Swiss film, a horror science fiction piece by Pedro Joaquim, was presented in the Amazing Switzerland section of the NIFFF in Neuchâtel

Pedro Joaquim, a director from Thurgau (originally from Portugal) who, after training as a designer, decided to pursue his passion for film, presents audiences at the NIFFF (Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival) with his film Rewind [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (in the Amazing Switzerland section). The film was produced by the director in partnership with Matthias Thoma and Tobias Grütter and had its premiere at the Solothurn Film Festival 2017.

Toby, his friend Roberto, the withdrawn Eduard and his domineering girlfriend Sina decide to spend the evening at a club in town. There they meet Sonja, Roberto’s ex, and her friend Anja, who don’t seem to take much of an interest in the bizarre group. While accompanying Toby home, something natural and unexpected happens. The four friends, plus Sonja and Anja end up spending the night in Toby’s parents’ villa in a frenzied haze of alcohol, drugs and paranoia. They pay the price when they wake up the next day, with searing hangovers but most of all no recollection whatsoever of what happened the night before. Sonja is missing too. Where could she be? What could have happened to her? It’s all very mysterious, only Toby’s video camera can help them to piece together the previous evening and find out what happened. In the meantime, the plot thickens in town, with paranormal events terrorising the locals who barricade themselves in their homes. What’s going on? The answer is unsettling, terrible and unexpected.

Rewind is an intentionally different and independent film. Pedro Joaquim decided to produce it himself, in partnership with Matthias Thoma and Tobias Grütter, with financial backing from crowdfunding platform Wemakeit (9000 CHF) among others. Rewind was born from the passion of a crew who nurtured the project with their time and energy more than their wallets. As stated by the director himself, Rewind attempts to set itself apart from more “classic” Swiss productions, as a film that doesn’t hold the notion of “entertainment” in disdain. Toby, one of the protagonists of Rewind, films the evening with his handycamera, the sole witness to events, and steers us towards the keys to a mystery that seems to be wrapped in a thick veil of fog. With his technical ploys, the director allows the audience to experience the story from its core, (literally) bringing them into close physical contact with the protagonists. The suspense builds and is fuelled by these technical tricks, keeping the viewer in a state of constant tension. The general atmosphere of the film is purposefully DIY, perhaps in a nod to cult films such as The Blair Witch Project and The Solent House.

MovieBiz Films is handling the distribution of the film in Switzerland.

(Translated from Italian)