Discoveries from Switzerland World Cinema

Second pageant for the opening of the Swiss National Museum.

First part of a series documenting the Basel carnival.

The film was found in the estate of HHK Schoenherr and digitized as part of the "Swiss Film Experiments" research project. The title is taken from the label on the film canister. The film does not appear on any HHK Schoenherr filmography. The attribution to HHK Schoenherr's films is questionable.

Third part of a series of vues of the Basel Carnival.

8mm film by Swiss artist Roman Signer.

8mm film by Swiss artist Roman Signer.

8mm film by Swiss artist Roman Signer.

8mm film by Swiss artist Roman Signer.

8mm film by Swiss artist Roman Signer.

8mm film by Swiss artist Roman Signer.

Chocolate bars launch on skis from the Suchard factory. When they land, the public applauds, grabs the bars, and eats the chocolate with distinct pleasure.

A short film about flower pots, and the problem with habits.

Two lovers are in a car. They are going on holiday, and it's a long drive. The windshield wipers set the rhythm. Their fantasies and daydreams lead them into life- and love-threatening situations.

Bangladeshi artist Naima Karim was paralyzed by a virus and for a year could do nothing but look at the sky. She then experienced the monsoon even more intensely than usual: the initial gusts of wind, the rapidly darkening sky, the oppressive humidity and finally the downpour of rain, which washes everything clean and leaves behind a fresh scent.

“I imagined the United States to be the most beautiful place in the world. And no, I met hell instead,” says one of the mostly undocumented Latin American immigrants who were employed as cleaners in the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center, at the cost of their health. Some talk about their experiences and the lack of recognition they received. One of them notes that white Americans didn’t put their lives on the line in the way that they did.

"Under the Influence" is one of the films created for the project "Let's break the Silence", based on real evidence. The project is aimed at raising awareness about different types of violence in a couple. Seven animated short films created by Swiss artists show violence that is often invisible, their goal is to teach us to listen carefully and support victims of violence.

Suppressed feelings in a golden frame. Seven apples practice a passive-aggressive gesture - finally no longer quiet.

A child is pulled up by the ski lift bar, another time it cannot open the door anymore after going to the toilet and yet another time it is too slow when leaving the bus and drives away without its mother. A short episodic film about fears we suffer from as children and we can smile about as adults.

It's no longer a mystery, Marie-Thérèse Porchet is not née Bertholet, but Gorgoni, without a skirt or purse or wig. Joseph tells his story and that of his character. The one who has played Marie-Thérèse for two decades discusses the women of his life, the ones who inspired him, including his grandma, his boss, and one of his idols: Zouc. Without forgetting Dalida, Nina Hagen, Madonna, or Diane Dufresne, who contributed to the fact that at eight years old, when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, Joseph replied without hesitation: "singer."

Pascal, Miranda, Jeremy and Franziska are real gypsies. They're between 17 and 25, love big powerful cars and have decided to live on the move. Like many other young Yenish people. They need freedom and fight for it. They show a world closed to the sedentary. A different but very Swiss life. Today's Romanis: disenchanted, close to reality.

While a little girl listens to her mother's tales, a fantasy vision of heaven arises in her mind's eye as the first image. In the second image, a man sits down at a lavishly set table to then eat a simple soup in his own kitchen. The third image evokes a feeling of threat through recordings of airplanes, a mass panic and burial grounds.

It is about Andrea Iten, Eugen Häusler and Fridolin Bossard, who have a close connection to the old and new Aegeri Valley and deal with the heritage of their ancestors in different ways. The documentary also literally immerses viewers in the decades-long tradition of children's sanatoriums in Ägeri. The valley was a well-known children's spa for generations.

16mm silent film.

Mussie is a 20-year-old from Eritrea. He lives in Switzerland. For more than three years now, he's been waiting for the Swiss authorities' decision on his application for asylum.

Little is known of Jean Speck (1860-1933) beyond the fact that he opened Zurich’s first cinema. Rouzbeh Rashidi and Jann Clavadetscher consider the flittering black and white ghosts and shadows that he left in his wake in their phantasmagorical experimental feature film. This journey through a cinematic night probes the very essence of the cinematic image.

Sören and Melchior have lost their way in the woods. While Sören desperately searches for a way out, Melchior enjoys the fresh air and the drive. At a remote gas station, the two get into a heated argument, so Melchior runs off. Left to his own devices, Sören drives through the surreal forest, which becomes increasingly dense and takes control of his senses. The exhilarating ride helps Sören to find himself again.

My first smile comes from a man of peace, my second from a thinker, and my third from a demon. The whole thing is a recap of deep, (very) dark humour.

A young girl, cutting her bread, cuts herself. She runs to the chemist but he has just been murdered.

Among the different species that inhabit our planet, one stands out from the others by its power and its impact on ecosystems. It is the Autosaurus Rex!

A young man named Sascha gets robbed after an important job interview.

This is a journey through a surreal landscape covered with human skin. Processes of birth and growth, death and decay show the downfall of a curious ecosystem.

On Achill Island, off the west coast of Ireland, Cian hopes to spend his summer holidays playing football with his friends. For his grandfather Martin, though, this is the right time to introduce him to work on the farm. Ramboy is a tender and dreamlike film about the patience required to learn and pass on a profession, from one generation to the next.

A young Indian filmmaker, who has been living in Europe for a long time, returns to his native land to tell fragments of the history of his family and of India, until the next national elections. He finds himself on a journey through the country, meeting his friends and family as well as local inhabitants. A humanist "home"-movie imbued with melancholy.

Following several years of absence marked by tragic events, Yukie returns to her grandmother’s house in Japan. With Fuku Nashi, the Swiss-Japanese filmmaker Julie Sando offers a moving encounter between two lonely souls, in an intimate account built around identity and reconciliation, somewhere between documentary and autofiction.

A century ago, the grandparents of film director Peter Entell had to flee Ukraine, a land torn apart by war and massacres. One hundred years later, Entell faces the same destructive nationalism. People continue to kill in the name of the mother country, flag, culture, religion… The memory of the atrocities suffered by the Jews, the Tatar Muslims of Crimea, and the Orthodox population, is transmitted from generation to generation, and with it the poison of hatred. Crossing checkpoints, Peter Entell takes us from the loyalist Ukrainians to the pro-Russian separatists. The purpose is not to show who is right or wrong – humanity itself is defeated. In the midst of this senseless violence, the film transcends cultural, religious and national differences to uncover the deeper bonds that unite us all.

This short film, based on a folk tale from Papua New Guinea, retells the story of how reef fish got their beautiful colouring. Long ago the fish had transformed into humans and came onto land to celebrate and dance. Once the sun had set, they hurried back into the sea, leaving behind a big mess. Curious as to who had been occupying the village in their absence, the villagers of one island plan to find out who those uninvited visitors were. What they would soon discover, leaves them amazed and mesmerized.

'Rider on the Storm' is a short documentary about a group of young people faced with the death of their friend, Alexandre Lezzi. The film explores how the community opened up to one another and united to cope with their tragic loss. While it portrays a dramatic event, it also illustrates a unique moment of hope, solidarity and humility that leads them to question what is truly important in their lives.

Thomas and Manni meet after a long time in a backyard. The long-awaited reunion brings back common memories and lets them revel in the past. Suddenly both are confronted with their different expectations and hopes for the future.

The Life of a men which repeats itself fromgeneration to generation.

When people from different generations meet in Montevideo to remember their years of exile in Mexico and Europe due to the military dictatorship, they realize that Uruguay is not the same country they had to leave.

The Swiss artist Harald Naegeli became known around the world as the “Sprayer of Zurich” in the late 1970s. With his graffiti he criticized the monotonous, inhospitable cityscape of Zurich, but also the politics and the handling of the environment. In her sensitive portrait, director Nathalie David shows Harald Naegeli's multifaceted personality - as a visionary, argumentative artist, rebel, philosopher and astute, humorous person.