Swiss documentaries in Germany
The push to distribute Swiss films has born fruit. The strong presence of Swiss documentaries in Germany shows the success of the support system for foreign distribution introduced in 2003 by the OFC (Federal Office of Culture), using similar methods to the MEDIA programme, with a series of benefits that are similar to the ones available for European films.
Elisabeth Kübler Ross - Regarder la mort en face is distributed in Germany by Salzgeber, and it has already had an audience of 60,000 in its 16 weeks on release. This success mirrors the positive showing on the Swiss-German market (an audience of 70,000) for this documehtary by the director, Stefan Haupt. Behind me by Norbert Wiedmer, which is a portrait of the Swiss actor Bruno Ganz, is being distributed in 6 German cities by Kool Filmverleih and it is also about to be released in 6 prints in Austria (distribution: Filmladen, Vienna).
Kool Verleih is also distributing anche Dieter Roth by Edith Jud, while Real Fiction is releasing Von Werra by Werner Schweizer. It’s also worth mentioning Gambling, Gods and LSD by Peter Mettler, distributed in two prints by GM Films, and Transhumance vers le troisième millénaire by Erich Langjahr, being shown in Berlin, Hamburg and Munich from November 27. Another Swiss documentary set to be released on German screens is Seelenschatten by Dieter Gränicher, out at the start of 2004 (distribution: Eiszeit Film, Berlin). The film was presented at the 27th edition of the Duisbourg Film Week (November 3-9, 2003), and it gained an audience of more than 9,000 in Swiss-Germany and 1,000 of the DVD have already been sold.
(Translated from French)
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