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AWARDS Switzerland

My Life as a Zucchini and The Divine Order win the Swiss Film Awards

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- Once again, Geneva’s majestic Bâtiment des Forces Motrices played host to this year’s unmissable rendezvous for national cinema: the Swiss Film Awards

My Life as a Zucchini and The Divine Order win the Swiss Film Awards
The winners of the Swiss Film Awards (© Prix du cinéma suisse/Schweizer Filmpreis/Premio del cinema svizzero)

There were around 30 films duking it out in the 12 categories of the Swiss Film Awards this year. Among the favourites for the top prize of Best Film were the award-festooned My Life as a Zucchini [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claude Barras
film profile
]
by Claude Barras, The Divine Order [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Petra Volpe
film profile
]
by Petra Volpe and Un juif pour l’exemple [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Jacob Berger. The victor ended up being the charming My Life as a Zucchini, a painstakingly crafted work that is a clever blend of technique and poetry. Besides taking first prize, My Life as a Zucchini also took home the Award for Best Original Score (Sophie Hunger) and the Academy’s Special Award, which went to Marie-Eve Hildbrand for her tremendous work on the casting and direction of the actors.

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Another three trophies were bestowed upon The Divine Order (which previously won the Solothurn Award – see the news). Although it didn’t take home the Best Film Award, it nonetheless scooped Best Screenplay (Petra Volpe) and two acting gongs: Best Actress (Marie Leuenberger), and Best Supporting Actor or Actress (Rachel Braunschweig).

Heidi Specogna’s documentary Cahier africain [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
snagged another important award: Best Documentary. It also picked up Best Editing thanks to the efforts of Kaya Inan (who won the same accolade last year for his work on Above and Below [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Nicolas Steiner).

Thanks to an incredible performance by Bruno Ganz, Jacob Berger’s Un juif pour l’exemple, the third favourite for this year’s trophies, pocketed the Best Actor Award. Ganz, who was described by Federal Council Member Alain Berset as “one of the most illustrious German-speaking actors”, also received the Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award. Only one prize (out of five nominations) went to the intriguing Aloys [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tobias Nölle
film profile
]
by Tobias Nölle, which was handed the Best Cinematography Award (Simon Guy Fässler). Lastly, Au revoir Balthazar by Rafael Sommerhalder scooped the Best Animated Film Award.

Here is the complete list of winners of the 2017 Swiss Film Awards:

Best Film
My Life as a Zucchini [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claude Barras
film profile
]
– Claude Barras

Best Documentary
Cahier africain [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
– Heidi Specogna

Best Short Film
La Femme et le TGV – Timo von Gunter
Bon Voyage – Marc Raymond Wilkins

Best Animated Film
Au revoir Balthazar – Rafae Sommerhalder

Best Screenplay
The Divine Order [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Petra Volpe
film profile
]
– Petra Volpe

Best Actress
Marie Leuenberger - The Divine Order

Best Actor
Bruno Ganz - Un juif pour l’exemple [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]

Best Supporting Actor or Actress
Rachel Braunschweig - The Divine Order

Best Original Score
Sophie Hunger – My Life as a Zucchini

Best Cinematography
Simon Guy Fässler - Aloys [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tobias Nölle
film profile
]

Best Editing
Kaya Inan - Cahier africain

Best Graduation Film
Digital Immigrants – Norbert Kottmann, Dennis Stauffer

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(Translated from Italian)

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