35th Solothurn Film Festival underway
The annual Solothurn film festival is underway. During its six-day run it will showcase some 120 Swiss films, representing the cream of last year's domestic production.
The 35th Solothurn film festival has officially opened. During its six-day run it will showcase some 120 Swiss films, representing the cream of last year’s domestic production. As well as prizes for best feature, documentary and short, this year’s festival will for the first time award prizes for best actor and best actress.
The Festival’s director, Ivo Kummer, says that during its 35-year history Solothurn has acted as a barometer of the Swiss film industry. “1999 was a good year,” said Kummer, “especially if you include shorts and video productions. After all, it is part of Solothurn’s job to discover new talent.”
Among the highlights of this year’s festival are films by two veteran Swiss film-makers: Daniel Schmid’s political farce, “Beresina” and Alain Tanner’s sequel to his highly-acclaimed 1976 movie “Jonas”. Films by a younger generation of directors include Jean-Christophe Marzal’s “Beware of the Dogs” and Romed Wyder “No Coffee, No TV and No Sex”.
Solothurn’s reputation has largely been built on the strength of its documentary section and this year’s festival is no exception. There is a retrospective of the work of the veteran filmmaker, Jacqueline Veuve, as well as documentaries by Richard Dindo and Patricia Plattner. The “Swiss ID” sidebar includes seven films offering an offbeat view of ethnic minorities in Switzerland.
By Michael Mullane
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.