Discoveries from Switzerland World Cinema

Crushed by the voices and opinions from their surroundings, Person C tries to bring order to their chaotic head.

A short film about the city of Winterthur and migration.

Podiatrist Edi passionately takes care of his patients' hurting feet. A courageous cut, a well-aimed stitch, and the previously hidden foot stories come to the surface.

After the death of his mother, Peter K. is threatened with eviction from her home where he cared for her. He struggles to defend his refuge from his estranged sister, the city government, and finally, armed po- lice. His conspiracy theories and writings spiral into a violent reality, making him a renegade celebrity. His growing fear and solitude bring on childhood nightmares, while his court battle reveals a dark family past.

In the harsh environment of the Swiss working-class town of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Fredo, 45, Paul, 30, and Nadia, 23, jump at the chance to start over.

Resource-rich Africa has been a feeding hand for many successful countries and businesses that have never really benefited the continent itself nor the majority of its people. First of a 3-film series, Congo: A Political Tragedy is a feature-length documentary chronicling the political history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from the arrival of the first European settlers to the nation’s struggle for independence. It offers the unique perspective of Congolese co-writers Patrick Kabeya and Mina Malu, as they document the history of a country that has so far mostly been told through the eyes of foreigners.

It isn't hard to understand why young headbangers who aren't old enough to remember the '70s/'80s heyday of power metal are drawn to Freedom Call's live shows. On-stage, Freedom Call take listeners back to a time in which metal concerts were more than concerts; they were shows, theatrical events, musical circuses, larger-than-life spectacles. And Live in Hellvetia captures everything that was extravagant and pompous about metal shows back in the '70s and '80s. Recorded at the Z7 in Pratteln, Switzerland on December 29, 2010, Live in Hellvetia (which is available in both DVD and double-CD versions) documents a 21st century show by a band that didn't exist until 1999 but has remained stubbornly dedicated to the metal of a bygone era.

The Pan-American Highway is a road that connects two continents and twelve countries. Along the 15,000 km of the historic original route between Laredo (Mexico) and Buenos Aires (Argentina), you encounter people with their destinies, destinies, life goals, and hopes. Like a needle, the longest road in the world pierces from north to south. This stirring, contrasting, and informative documentary shows intimate and moving moments—completely authentic, natural, close, and touching. It takes the viewer on a journey through different cultures, where one's own existence often depends on just a few cents. The film illustrates the mindset of the Latin American population, who can often sum up the unvarnished reality in a single sentence. It shows neither staged scenes nor does it chase after tourist attractions.

Nora disappeared for several months. One summer evening, she strangely reappears at a party with a certain Samuel. Camille, her best friend, comes to find her, wondering what way to behave. The night goes on, a trio forms and time stands still.

In his animated documentary, Henri Marbacher imagines a way of echoing the account of the migratory journey of Agìr, a young Kurd having transited from Syria to Switzerland. Between the voiceover and the animated material, a dialectic is established that reconstitutes memories as a duty of remembrance. – Tom Bidou

The love story begins when a young prince hunting in the forest chases a squirrel to a beautiful princess.

A portrayal of slacklining legend Samuel Volery's journey as he pushes the different disciplines of jumplining, highlining and freestyle highlining.

How can we live more sustainably? Construction engineer Felix, fashion designer Sanaz and food activist Dominik address this question. They prefer to look for solutions rather than just discuss them. A film crew accompanies the three young people and looks for ways to produce their film as sustainably as possible.

Alex, a drug-addicted private detective, is forced by the police to track down a gangster on the run. Franck, the gangster, seduces a young girl named Lorette during his escape, takes refuge in her home, and convinces her to become his accomplice in new robberies. Alex, who uses completely irrational methods, decides to take advantage of the misfortune of a young man, Dario, to find Franck. All of these characters will, at some point, cross paths with Ava, a young mythomaniac who records her stories on video.

Track list: 01. Woodstock Intro 02. Soul Sacrifice 03. Saideira 04. Love Makes the World Go 'Round 05. Freedom in Your Mind 06. Foo Foo 07. Corazón espinado 08. Jin-go-lo-ba 09. Evil Ways 10. A Love Supreme (with John McLaughlin) 11. A Place With No Name (with John McLaughlin) 12. Creation (with John McLaughlin) 13. Awade (with John McLaughlin) 14. Chill Out (Sácalo) 15. Tequila 16. Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen 17. Oye como va 18. Toussaint L'Overture 19. Ominous

It's 1st August - Swiss National Day. Superintendent Knöbel's peace and quiet is suddenly disturbed by the trifling case of a stolen football. What has 10-year-old Samb from Africa got to do with all this?

Conflict of beliefs in a mountain village, mysticism meets bardism, Grisons folklore clashes with imported dogmas. "To get to Schamsertal in the canton of Graubünden, you have to cross a terrifying ravine, jump over waterfalls and pass the lost hole. Only then does the wonderful valley open up before you, this land of milk and honey with its incredible stories."

19 Super 8 film reels, bought in a second hand store, make a young filmmaker take a plunge into the past of an unknown family. He decides to give back this holy shrine, full of memories, to their legitimate owner. When confronted with reality, the image of a perfect family vanishes. This movie is both an ethical gesture and an interesting essay on the relationship between movie pictures and memory.

A trio of Swiss college students visit L.A. for spring break. Unfortunately, the relaxing fun in the sun vacation they were expecting, doesn't turn out they way they dreamed it would.

In his film Walden (Special Jury Prize in the Documentary Film Competition, KVIFF 2018) Daniel Zimmermann captured the paradoxical migration of wood from Europe to the Brazilian rainforest in order to draw attention to the absurdity of the globalised world. The Swiss conceptualist now dedicates his Spheres to the deconstruction of the artist’s ego. In a field not far from a housing development, a man prepares to throw a long, thin pole up into the air, thus embarking on a metaphorical journey to the depths of his being. This formally distinctive film examines details of the surroundings as its camera slowly and continuously pans 360°. The viewers, on the other hand, are invited to turn their attention inwards, to glimpse beneath the socially and culturally determined exterior of the human personality

My adaptation to a new city told through my YouTube consumption habits.

A couple of friends go camping in the woods when they accidentally discover organs and body-parts in a cornfield. Soon, they are stalked by the infamous Ghostface and killed one by one. Will they escape the woods alive?

Asleep in his castle an old man is woken up by a strange flicker merging reality and fiction.

Margreet Honig, eighty-four years old, is an internationally sought-after Dutch singing teacher. She teaches all over Europe and works with world-famous singers. She has developed her very own way of working.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, internet and media artist Constant Dullaart built his own platform as a response to existing social media. It’s a place where you can genuinely get together with friends, rather than just being a target for clickbait or competing with others for likes and comments.

A woman is chained to a factory rooftop. A man offers to rescue her. Things are not always what they seem.

The return of three Anglicizied natives people to their county or the beginning of a meeting with the modern world that will destroy them.

This video art work features Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist lip-synching to Kevin Coyne's 1973 song 'Jacky and Edna', her image superimposed with fleeting images seen from the window of a moving train.

Deep among the Swiss Alps, winter resorts and old wooden cabins, Georg experiences unusual incidents.

A short film attributed to Jean-Luc Godard concerning the ZAD surrounding the proposed Aéroport du Grand Ouest, decrying our capitalist society.

A group of 17 theater actors wonder about what happened to their teacher when he doesn't show up for a class.

Along with several courageous psychiatrists and their clients, the author sets out to film a documentary road movie that takes him to Switzerland, Europe, and the U.S. On their travels in mobile homes, they explore the depths of the human psyche in search of answers to the question: What is the human mind and how does it behave in psychotic extreme situations?

Documentary about the ethnically diverse young girls of a female soccer team in the Bethlehem quarter of Bern, Switzerland's capital city.

Martin Creed has said that part of living is coming to terms with horrible feelings. 'The problem with horrible feelings is you can't paint them. But horrible vomit – you can film that.' And he has. It's a difficult piece to watch but highlights Creed's ability to provoke psychological reactions from his viewer, whether that be joy, despair, anger or as in this case, utter disgust.

Grimsel-West was the name of a project for the expansion of the hydroelectric plant in the Hasli Valley. Submitted on 30 June 1988, its realization seems fairly improbable for the moment. Originally conceived as an expression of opposition to the construction of a new dam, the film tries to fathom the undercurrent of apprehension caused by such plans to exploit the environment.

Two Swiss soldiers are given an urgent mission : to prevent the Swiss army from invading France by mistake.

Esteban, a wealthy entrepreneur, dreams of taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A dream he turns into reality, and which results in him competing alongside professional drivers. Laps follow each other endlessly among the exhilaration of these exceptional vehicles. Full Tank humorously immerses itself in this testosterone-driven microcosm, subtly highlighting the excesses of motorsport.

A human comes into possession of a strange artifact that allows them to accelerate into an advanced stage of human evolution. Their transformation is initially terrifying, but eventually accepted. The old body dies and a new state of being emerges.

A film about two young women, trying to decide how to go on with their lives and loves: Marie just dumped her boyfriend, who's married and can see her just secretly twice a week. At this point Pipa invites her to join her on a visit at her home at the coast of Portugal. Only when they are arrived there, Marie learns that Pipa has come to marry Manuel, and that she too is unsure if she'll be happy with her decision.

“Let’s make a documentary together,” says Chrigu. “Then I will get out at some point.” This is the story of a young man who once had great plans for the future, until an advanced-stage tumour was discovered at the age of 21. Jan Gassmann follows Christian Ziörjen’s (Chrigu) fight to live, in a film less about death, but about living life. Christian himself had been making his own films since the age of 16: at parties, concerts, on a trip to India, his camera was always with him. With “Chrigu”, filmmaker Jan Gassmann succeeds in creating a moving and surprising portrait of his best friend.

A young married couple who are moving into a new home in a foreign country discover something peculiar sniffing next door.

Can the Prince dance on a skateboard in a classical ballet? And how! And children and their parents will be delighted to watch on the big screen this completely unusual version of the famous "Nutcracker" to the fairy-tale music of Tchaikovsky, prepared by the outstanding German choreographer Christian Spuck, whose colorful and subversive interpretation of "Sleeping Beauty" we recently saw in cinemas.

Few places symbolise the dawn of modernity with its expectations and upheavals better than the Jelmoli department store. The director documents the 125-year history from its foundation to its closure at the end of 2024.

There she stands, confidently, like a goddess of technological junk, surrounded by endless mountains of rubbish, plastic, stench and rare earths. Her accusations are angry, composed and to the point.

Documentary short film.