21/12/2018 - A strong presence on the festival circuit and a large number of young, energetic and promising directors have characterised Swiss cinema this year

Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Rotterdam, Toronto and San Sebastián, without forgetting Swiss festivals such as Locarno and Nyon (Visions du réel) – numerous films have been selected at various festivals this year, with at least one Swiss film in competition at all festival events.

2018 began with a bang for Swiss cinema with Christian Frei and Maxim Arbugaev's latest documentary, Genesis 2.0 [+see also:
film review
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film profile], selected at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. The film, a chilling fairy tale with apocalyptic undertones, won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography. An important milestone for one of the most emblematic directors of modern Swiss cinema, to which we owe the award-winning War Photographer (2001). The momentum established at the beginning of the year continued at Rotterdam, where nine Swiss films were selected, including the intriguing Blue My Mind [+see also:
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interview: Lisa Brühlmann
interview: Luna Wedler
film profile] by Lisa Brühlmann (Swiss Film Award 2018), which continued its trip to Solothurn, Locarno and more recently, San Sebastián.

Berlin opted for some powerful and topical Swiss current affairs stories, selecting and rewarding two uncompromising films, both in terms of content and aesthetics: Fortuna [+see also:
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film profile], the fictional feature film by the young Romando Germinal Roaux (International Jury Grand Prix and Generation 14+ Young International Jury Crystal Bear), and Eldorado [+see also:
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film profile], by the now well-known Markus Imhoof (Amnesty International Jury Special Mention), which was also selected to represent Switzerland at the Oscars.

In addition to the Special Palme d'Or, which went to the legendary Jean-Luc Godard with his latest film, The Image Book [+see also:
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interview: Anja Kofmel
film profile], the powerful first animated film byyoung director Anja Kofmel. A mixture of established directors and emerging talents seems to be the mainstay of Swiss cinema trends this year. Without forgetting, of course, the presence of Swiss filmmaker Ursula Meier, who chaired the Caméra d'Or jury.

Venice, Toronto and San Sebastián instead opted for promising new Swiss talent by selecting Pearl [+see also:
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interview: Elsa Amiel
film profile], Elsa Amiel's first film (Giornate degli Autori at Venice), The Innocent [+see also:
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interview: Simon Jaquemet
film profile], Simon Jaquemet's intriguing second feature sci-fi film about religious fanatics (and the first Swiss film to appear inToronto International Film Festival's competitive Platform section), which continued its adventure at San Sebastián Film Festival, and Midnight Runner [+see also:
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interview: Hannes Baumgartner
film profile] by Hannes Baumgartner, which had its première at San Sebastián International Film Festival.

Although the number of admissions accounted for by films with Swiss participation screened abroad in 2018 remained stable compared to the previous year (1.6 million), numbers still remain low. This year's successes include Happy as Lazzaro [+see also:
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interview: Alice Rohrwacher
film profile]by Alice Rohrwacher (Screenplay Prize at Cannes), with 230,000 admissions in ten European countries, #Female Pleasure [+see also:
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film profile] by Barbara Miller (Zonta Club Award at Locarno Critics’ Week) with 50,000 admissions in Germany and Austria, Fortuna by Germinal Roaux (36,000 admissions in France), and My Beloved Enemy [+see also:
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making of
film profile]by Denis Rabaglia, starring the legendary Diego Abatantuono and Sandra Milo (55,000 admissions in Italia). The greatest success, however, was by far Pope Francis: A Man of His Word [+see also:
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film profile], a Swiss minority co-production by Wim Wenders, which attracted more than 750,000 viewers across Europe, North and South America.

(Translated from Italian)