26/01/2017 - Petra Volpe’s movie has curried favour with the Swiss Film Academy, which has recognised it with seven nods across five categories

As is customary, the Solothurn Film Festival has played host to a hotly anticipated event in Swiss cinema: the nominations night for the Swiss Film Award, the ceremony for which will take place on 24 March in Geneva’s Bâtiment des Forces Motrices. There are 98 eligible films this year across 12 categories, which were viewed by the 350 members of the Swiss Film Academy.

This year’s overwhelming favourite, with seven nominations, is The Divine Order [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Petra Volpe
film profile] by Petra Volpe, which has been nominated for Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Marie Leuenberg) and Actor (Max Simonischek), and three times for Best Supporting Actor or Actress (Therese Affolter, Rachel Braunschweig and Sibylle Brunner). The movie was presented as a world premiere at Solothurn itself. 

Hot on its heels is the intriguing comedy Aloys [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tobias Nölle
film profile] by young director Tobias Nölle (which won the FIPRESCI Award in the Panorama section of the Berlinale), with five major nods: Best Film, Best Actress (Tilde von Overbeck), Best Score (Beat Jegen and Tom Huber), Best Cinematography (Simon Guy Fässler) and Best Editing (Nölle himself).

The charming and award-festooned My Life as a Courgette [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claude Barras
film profile] by Claude Barras has secured three nominations: Best Film, Best Score (Sophie Hunger) and Best Editing (Marie-Eve Hildbrand, Marina Rosset and Valentin Rotelli). 

Going head to head with these titles in the Best Film category are Marija [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michael Koch
film profile] by Michael Koch and Un juif pour l’exemple [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Jacob Berger (both presented as world premieres at the Locarno Film Festival), the latter of which is also nominated in the categories of Best Screenplay and Best Actor, for legendary performer Bruno Ganz.

In the Best Documentary category, the clear favourite is the powerful Cahier Africain [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Heidi Specogna, which is also in the running for Best Score (Peter Scherer) and Best Editing (Kaya Inan). Locking horns with it for the Quartz for Best Documentary are two other female directors: Eva Vitija with My Life as a Film - How My Father Tried To Capture Happiness [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and Susanne Regina Meurer with Raving Iran [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], plus Jean Ziegler, The Optimism of Willpower [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Nicolas Wadimoff and Europe, She Loves [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jan Gassmann
film profile] by young director Jan Gassmann (also nominated in the Best Cinematography category – for Ramòn Giger – together with the aforementioned Aloys and Mercy [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fulvio Bernasconi
film profile] by Fulvio Bernasconi, whose cinematography was entrusted to Filip Zumbrunn).

Meanwhile, Frédéric Mermoud’s Moka [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] got one sole nomination (Best Screenplay), as did Sketches of Lou [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by debutante Lisa Blatter (Best Actress for Esmée Liliane Amuat) and Frog by Jann Preuss (Best Actor for Urs Jucker), world-premiered at Solothurn.

Here is the complete list of nominees:

Best Film
Aloys [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tobias Nölle
film profile] - Tobias Nölle
The Divine Order [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Petra Volpe
film profile] - Petra Volpe
My Life as a Courgette [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claude Barras
film profile] - Claude Barras
Marija [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michael Koch
film profile] - Michael Koch
Un juif pour l’exemple [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Jacob Berger

Best Documentary 
Cahier africain [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Heidi Specogna
My Life as a Film - How My Father Tried To Capture Happiness [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Eva Vitija
Europe, She Loves [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jan Gassmann
film profile] - Jan Gassmann 
Jean Ziegler, The Optimism of Willpower [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Nicolas Wadimoff
Raving Iran [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Susanne Regina Meures

Best Short Film 
Bon voyage - Marc Raymond Wilkins 
The Railroad Lady - Timo von Gunten 
Le don - Sophie Perrier 
Nirin - Josua Hotz 
Opération commando - Jan Czarlewski

Best Animated Film 
Analysis Paralysis - Anete Melece 
Au revoir Balthazar - Rafael Sommerhalder 
Bein Wind und Wetter - Remo Scherrer

Best Screenplay 
Petra Volpe - The Divine Order 
Frédéric Mermoud - Moka [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] 
Jacob Berger, Aude Py - Un juif pour l’exemple

Best Actress 
Marie Leuenberger - The Divine Order
Esmée Liliane Amuat - Sketches of Lou [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]
Tilde von Overbeck - Aloys

Best Actor 
Bruno Ganz - Un juif pour l’exemple
Urs Jucker - Frog
Max Simonischek - The Divine Order

Best Supporting Actor or Actress 
Therese Affolter - The Divine Order
Rachel Braunschweig - The Divine Order
Sibylle Brunner - The Divine Order

Best Original Score 
Beat Jegen, Tom Huber - Aloys
Peter Scherer - Cahier africain
Sophie Hunger – My Life as a Courgette

Best Cinematography 
Simon Guy Fässler - Aloys 
Ramòn Giger - Europe, She loves 
Filip Zumbrunn - Mercy [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fulvio Bernasconi
film profile]

Best Editing 
Tobias Nölle - Aloys 
Kaya Inan - Cahier africain 
Marie-Eve Hildbrand, Marina Rosset, Valentin Rotelli – My Life as a Courgette

Best Graduation Film
Digital Immigrants - Norbert Kottmann, Dennis Stauffer
Hypertrain - Etienne Kompis, Fela Bellotto
Ivan’s Need - Manuela Leuenberger, Veronica L Montaño, Lukas Suter

(Translated from Italian)