17/02/2006

Berlin Film Festival Director Dieter Kosslick personally paid tribute to Fredi M. Murer with a Bronze Bear on February 16, also in acknowledgment of the return of the great Swiss German filmmaker, with his latest film Vitus [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christian Davi
interview: Fredi M. Murer
film profile]. For the last twenty years, Murer’s Alpine Fire (Höhenfeuer, 1985) has not been forgotten, and is considered by many critics as nothing short of one of the gems of cinema! Success has not dulled the Swiss German director’s enthusiasm. Over the years, he has continued a demanding work ethic, alternating between fiction and documentary, most notably, The Green Mountain (Der Grüne Berg, 1990), a little-known masterpiece that brilliantly combined a work of art with an ecological message. He returned to fiction in 1998 with Full Moon (Vollmond), a libertarian fable about childhood innocence, but his film career film was not living up to his high expectations.

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For Berlin title Vitus, Murer surrounded himself with the young producers of Zurich company Hugo Films, notably filmmaker Christian Davi. Fellow Swiss-German Bruno Ganz was also involved in the cast of Murer’s latest adventure. Now 66, the filmmaker returns to the world of childhood in Vitus, with the story of an exceptionally gifted child musician who is bullied by his ambitious parents and decides to follow his own heart.

Released in the German-speaking part of Switzerland at the beginning of February by Frenetic Films, the film has already attracted 40,000 admissions and received an enthusiastic welcome from the Berlinale Special audiences. Vitus also won over international buyers at the festival’s European Film Market: Sales have already made to France (Océan Films), Japan (Tokyo Theatres), Brazil, Mexico, Hungary and Israel, and the film will also probably be distributed in Germany. Cologne-based Media Luna Entertainment is handling international sales.

(Translated from French)