(© Film:Schweiz 2019)

By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER

The 2nd annual Swiss Film Festival 2019 (Film:Schweiz 2019) opens this coming Thursday in Berlin. Festival director Teresa Vena curated a wonderful selection for this year's Film:Schweiz edition. This year looks quite interesting, ranging from feature films to short films, experimentals films and even some discussions and exhibitions. Switzerland's cinema has perhaps a leg up on much other world cinema because they have three official languages: French, (Swiss) German and Italian. That makes me a bit jealous if most Swiss cinema-goers can understand all three of those languages because that opens up a world of possibilities, so many cinematic doors and windows opened. Teresa Vena, herself, speaks all three languages as well as English and perhaps a few more to boot. She has curated an interesting lineup, mixing old and new cinema, with the oldest going back to 1957 with Kurt Früh's film Konditorei Zürrer (Konditorei Zürrer), which will be screened at the cinema at the Brotfabrik on Wednesday at 6pm (18:00). We'll even be treated to Jean Luc-Godard's 2018 film Le livre d'image (The Image Book), which I personally have been dying to see. I was lucky to catch Ursula Meier's film Journal de ma tête (Shock Waves – Diary of My Mind) at Berlinale in 2018 and it was an intense watch. Fanny Ardent, as usual, is a wonder and Kacey Mottet Klein's performance is also quite impressive. Dene wos guet geit (Those Who Are Fine) from writer/director Cyril Schäublin won multiple awards at international film festivals in 2017 and 2018, and having seen it last year I can understand why. It's a unique film that shows a different side of Switzerland that doesn't fit into the squeaky clean and wealthy image that we outside of Switzerland tend to see portrayed in books, films and other programming. The normal images of every day life might even remind you of your own home country. Even if you feel that your German or French are not up to snuff I would still recommend checking out the film festival. As my favorite film professor at university told me, most good films' stories should come across just through the mise en scene alone so it wouldn't hurt to come check out some Swiss films if you're in Berlin over the course of the next week.  Happy viewing!! Swiss chocolate company Läderach and cheese company Schweizerkäse are both sponsors so delectable chocolate and rich cheese are definitely on the menu! 

KINO Brotfabrik
Caligariplatz 1
13086 Berlin-Weißensee, Berlin, Germany
Telephone: +49 30 471 40 01

TICKETS

Tickets can be bought ahead of time and at the box office, which is open 30 minutes before the first screening of the day.

Reserving tickets:
Tickets can be reserved by phone: 030-471 40 01 or per Email: karten@brotfabrik-berlin.de .

Thursday, the 4th of April 2019

19:30, Opening Film: L’INVITATION (The Invitation) by Claude Goretta, 1973, 100 min (French with German subtitles)

Supporting films: EMMENTALER by Pierre Monnard and SCACCIAPENSIERI by RSI

Friday, the 5th of April 2019

18:00, Art Opening: EXHIBITION: Railways

19:00 : JOURNAL DE MA TÊTE (Diary of the Dead) by Ursula Meier, 2017, 70 min   (French with German subtitles)

Supporting film: BONOBO by Zoel Aeschbacher, 2017, 18 min

21:00 : KATZENBALL by Veronika Minder, 2005, 87 min   (Swiss French & French with German subtitles)

Supporting film: DAR COLUR-MUSSAR COLUR by Menga Huonder-Jenny, 2017, 25 min, with guests: Veronika Minder, Menga Huonder-Jenny

Saturday, the 6th of April 2019

16:30  DIE DUNKELHEIT IN DEN BERGEN Reading and video presentation with Silvio Huonder

18:00  ALOYS by Tobias Nölle, 2016, 91 min  (Swiss German with German subtitles)  
Supporting music video: Yello

19:45  DENE WOS GUET GEIT by Cyril Schäublin, 2017, 71 min  (Swiss German with German subtitles)   
Supporting film: ZEIT-FRAGEN by Reinhard Manz, 1986-87, 16 min,
with guests: Cyril Schäublin, Reinhard Manz

21:45 EXPERIMENTAL FILMS from 1972 to 2019
with guests: Urs Breitenstein, Erich Busslinger, Reinhard Manz

Sunday, the 7th of April 2019

18:00 ESSER DA CHASA by Ivo Zen, 2015, 25 min 

AND

 FIN DE VAC by Giovanni Greggio, 2015, 23 min, with discussion „Sprachliche Minderheiten in der Schweiz“

20:00 PEPPERMINTA by Pipilotti Rist, 2009, 84 min
Supporting film: LA DADA – KÖNIG HIRSCH by Anka Schmid, 2016, 6‘, with guest: Anka Schmid

Monday, the 8th of April 2019

18:00 GIULIAS VERSCHWINDEN by Christoph Schaub, 2009, 87 min (with the great Bruno Ganz!)
Supporting music video: Yello

20:00 MAGIC MATTERHORN by Anka Schmid, 1996, 87 min, with guest: Anka Schmid
Supporting films: FILM-STREIFEN by Urs Breitenstein, 1979-83, 4‘ and FENSTER A by Ruedi Bind, 1980, 10‘

Tuesday, the 9th of April 2019

18:00 SIGNERS KOFFER by Peter Liechti, 1996, 80 min
Supporting film: INLAND ARCHIV: NACHTLEBEN by Erich Busslinger, 2003, 15 min, with guest: Erich Busslinger

20:00 LE LIVRE D‘IMAGE by Jean-Luc Godard, 2018, 84 min (GODARD!!)
Supporting music video: Yello and NOT SO EASY from Alberto Ruano, 2015, 22 min,
with guest: Alberto Ruano

Wednesday, the 10th of April 2019

18:00 BÄCKEREI ZÜRRER by Kurt Früh, 1957, 104 min
Supporting film: DIZZYWORK by Anka Schmid, 2006, 1‘

20:00 BERESINA ODER DIE LETZTEN TAGE DER SCHWEIZ by Daniel
Schmid, 1999, 108 min

Supporting films: INLAND ARCHIV: PARADE by Erich Busslinger, 2003, 15 min, and
SOUS-VIDE by Caroline Schenk, 2018, 2 min, with guest: Erich Busslinger 

(SOUS VIDE 2016 © Caroline Schenk)  ***Caroline Schenk's work should not be missed!!

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