Swiss Cinémathèque gets new director
Swiss German teacher, professor, historian and film critic Vinzenz Hediger (38) will take over in August 2008 from Hervé Dumont as head of the Swiss Cinémathèque in Lausanne. He currently teaches at the Ruhr University of Bochum in Germany, having fulfilled various teaching positions abroad and having worked in Zurich, Berlin, Brno and Milan.
With the collaboration of Lausanne University, he plans to transform the Swiss Cinémathèque into an international centre for film talent. He also plans to place particular emphasis on the changeover to digital film technology, film restoration and conservation, as well as the celebration of cinematic heritage.
His articles may have been published in numerous European film journals but the renowned specialist of Swiss and American film is above all the author of more scientific works such as "Verführung zum Film. Der amerikanische Kinotrailer seit 1912" (2001) – to be published by Columbia University Press (New York) under the title: “Nostalgia for the Coming Attraction. American Movie Trailers and the Culture of Film Consumption”. He is also about to publish “Le cinéma documentaire en Suisse. Essai topographique” (2008) (“Documentary Film in Switzerland: A Topographical Essay”) .
He co-wrote "Demnächst in Ihrem Kino. Grundlagen der Filmwerbung und Filmvermarktung" (2005) and "Filmische Mittel, industrielle Zwecke. Zur visuellen Praxis des Industriefilms" (2006) with Patrick Vonderau.
A film critic for several daily newspapers, such as Blick and now the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Hediger has sat on the Swiss Federal Film Commission as a representative of the Pro Helvetia Culture Foundation and on various juries (for the Swiss Film Prize and the Cantonal Art School in Lausanne).
(Translated from French)
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