Discoveries from Switzerland World Cinema

As the newly arrived souls realize just how austere heaven is, they want to leave. Tuggener uses various locations in the city of Zurich in order to tell his story of heaven, ancient gods and worldly delights.

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.

Dinu dreams of becoming a wrestling champion. However, his father does not take him seriously, either as his successor on the family farm or as an athlete. And Karl König, his rival since childhood, makes his life even more difficult.

A touching and delicate portrait of four remarkable Ethiopian women, struggling with the poverty and insecurity of urban life in Addis Ababa.

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.

'Transition – Xbuk Alo?' portrays the everyday work of Eritrean barber Amanuel Ghebrekidan in downtown Zurich, Switzerland.

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.

Documentary on the former country railway lines in the Zurich Oberland region. Coal and water are refilled before the steam engine can take off. The train starts moving. The landscape glides past, from time to time the train stops at a railway station, luggage and milk jugs are loaded and unloaded. The journey is interspersed with portraits of passengers and railway officials.

This documentary talks about the experience of Luca Poik and Swen Baldinger (two Swiss boys) on the situation of Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

Tuggener had already photographed the airshow in Dübendorf in 1934, and in 1937 made his first film at the event. Children gazing in amazement, airplanes in formation and time for a chat: the airshow was also a social occasion.

At dawn on September 29, 1941, tens of thousands of Jews from Kyiv set off for Babi Yar and never returned. Lena, a young woman, watched them leave. There are some sufferings that can only be spoken of in whispers.

The shooting of this peasant chronicle in the Gruyère region of Switzerland lasted a whole year, from July 1989 to July 1990. A year of work and festivities in the family of Conrad and Louise Bapst, their children and grandchildren who live in La Roche (canton of Fribourg). In summer, part of the family goes with the herd to the upper pastures, and will move six times in the next three months, as the grass for the cows grows in higher and higher places. At the farm below, the rest of the family mows the hay and the after crop, and tends the vegetable garden. Fall and winter bring new chores, along with feast-days, and the sale of cheeses to pay for rented pastures. We see the family participate in a vote for or against the Swiss Army, and at a meeting where mountain farmers discuss whether or not to join the European Union. The film displays the patient and human approach of an almost silent minority of Switzerland.

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.

The film is in two parts and focuses on the Mongols living in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. Part One (28 minutes) follows the life of a nomadic Mongol family on their yearly journey following their herds across north China. Part Two (28 minutes) gives a more contemporary view of the Mongols trying to reclaim the desert in a more sedentary lifestyle currently encouraged by the Chinese government. The second section highlights disturbing environmental issues regarding the destruction of these northern grasslands.

A lab abandoned in the middle of the Arctic, a lost Eskimo, and a discovery that will change his life forever. A tale portraying an unusual friendship, some mysteries and a few surprises.

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!

An endless, joyful dance between various animated characters.

In Geneva, guards patrol the city by night. Sony is assigned to a bank, Ana is the receptionist. Around them, the city sinks into melancholy as two stars meet.

Anna is working as a cleaning lady. Every night she cleans Helen's office. Helen is a high level broker working in the stock exchange. The two women live in different worlds and normally would never meet each other. However they happen to have enrolled on the same salsa course. Due to the lack of men, Anna and Helen have to dance together. A lesbian fairytale depicting the possibility of overcoming social borders.

Envío for Claudio Maturana, Santiago de Chile

A feature-length travelogue from Cameroon.

Three beings are paving the floor of a cave with gemstones. After an accident, they see each other in broad daylight for the first time, and realize that parts of their skin sparkle, except for one of them. A conflict emerges.

A zany invitation to the workshop of the Swiss performance artist Johanna Monnier, who practices a form of therapeutic sculpture, using art to heal secret wounds. The film resembles a journey blending provocative poetry with eccentric mischief. It is a portrait of great sensitivity, stimulated by melancholic questions.

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.

In the small town of St. Gallen, there is a coffee shop for senior citizens that has hardly changed in 27 years. The unconventional decor and soothing background music invite you to linger. As a one-man business, Vogel not only offers coffee and food, but also health tips and blood pressure monitors. But Vogel wants to retire, which means the senior citizens will lose their cozy coffee. Vogel wants to hold the traditional Christmas carol singing with his guests one last time.

How much will I have when I retire? Will the amount be enough to live on or will I have to move, change my life? The future of our pensions is the number one concern of the Swiss, including the younger generations. The 2nd pillar pensions are inevitably melting, caught between financial markets that have become unpredictable and a life expectancy that continues to increase. We dive into the hell of pensions, through three generations.

Hot Electro-Swing, Made in Switzerland! What began as a studio project has evolved into one of the country's most renowned live acts—their live shows are legendary and leave crowds dancing wildly. Mix Klischée Blues, Funk, Disco, House, Afro-Pop, Chanson, a pinch of Swing, Rap, and Trap, shake this mix well, and blast it through the speakers. An impressive audiovisual work not only for its musicality but also for its breathtaking visuals, lighting, and dance performance.

In 1995, Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori announced before Congress the beginning of a Family Planning Program at the national level, a program that aimed to improve people's reproductive health. Some feminist organizations initially believed in the president's initiative, since said Program went against the tide of conservative tendencies in the Catholic Church and would allow all women access to different contraceptive methods. However, three years later articles began to appear in the newspapers of the first cases of what seemed to be not a Family Planning Program but forced sterilization campaigns and the women, victims of these methods, began to speak ...

Somewhere in Geneva, a friendship between a group of girls has been forged between the Rhône and the Arve, right where the two rivers meet and mix homogeneously. A departure can turn things upside down.

When his friend doesn't show up for a sleepover he decides to go check on him. But when he gets to his friends house he finds everything but what he expected.

Impressions and experiences of the author during his study stay in Liverpool.

"Take a circle as big as you want, just come back to the place you started from before sunset. All the land you go around is yours."

Sandy and Fred are backpacking through Eastern Europe. If they are here together, it's not just a coincidence. Julie, Fred's sister and Sandy's best friend, killed herself a year ago. This trip starting as a tribute soon becomes an unexpected journey to friendship and understanding.