‘Soul of a Beast’ breaks film prize nomination record
Soul of a Beast by Lorenz Merz has been nominated in a record eight categories for the Swiss Film Prize 2022. Other contenders for trophies were announced at the 57th Solothurn Film Festival on Monday night.
Merz’s film was nominated for the Golden Leopard at the 2021 Locarno Film Festival and received an honourable mention. It is also in the feature film competition at the 2022 Max Ophüls Prize Film Festival in Germany and is now is in the running for eight Quartzes, the Federal Office of Culture revealedExternal link.
Soul of a Beast was nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Score, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Sound.
The drama, which is set to be released in cinemas on April 14, tells the story of teenage father Gabriel (Pablo Caprez), who breaks into a zoo at night with his friend Joel and his girlfriend Corey (Ella Rumpf) – an experience that changes his life.
With six nominations La Mif (The Fam) by Frédéric Baillif also has good chances of not leaving the awards ceremony in Zurich on March 25 empty handed. The winner of the Focus Competition at the Zurich Film Festival 2021 could pick up the award for Best Feature Film, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress (twice) and Best Editing.
Baillif’s social drama is set in an institution where a group of girls from broken homes meet and find a new family (fam).
Olga, which was put forward by Switzerland for the Oscars but failed to make the shortlist, received two nominations: Best Feature Film and Best Screenplay. The Swiss-French co-production, directed by Elie Grappe, tells the story of a young Ukrainian-born gymnast who wants to secure a place on the Swiss national team as the Maidan uprising breaks out in Kyiv.
The Best Documentary will be decided among Apenas el sol (Nothing but the sun) by Arami Ullón, Dida by Nikola Ilić and Corina Schwingruber Ilić, Les guérisseurs (The Healers) by Marie-Eve Hildbrand, Ostrov – Die verlorene Insel (Ostrov – Lost Island) by Laurent Stoop and Svetlana Rodina, and Réveil sur Mars (Wake up on Mars) by Dea Gjinovci.
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