Swiss Oscar entry knocked out of race

The debut film Foudre (Thunder) by Geneva director Carmen Jaquier has not made it onto the shortlist Keystone / Urs Flueeler

Switzerland has been eliminated early from the race for an Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The debut film Foudre (Thunder) by Geneva director Carmen Jaquier has not made it onto the shortlist.

Eighty-eight countries had applied for the Oscar in this category for 2024, the Oscar Academy in Beverly Hills, California, announced on Thursday.

However, the German film Das Lehrerzimmer (The Teachers’ Lounge) by director Ilker Çatak has made it onto the shortlist of a total of 15 candidates. German director Wim Wenders also made the shortlist with Perfect Days. His film, shot in Tokyo, is in the running for the foreign Oscar for Japan.

+ The forgotten Swiss Oscars

Other countries represented include Finland (Fallen Leaves), France (The Taste of Things), Italy (Io capitano), the UK (The Zone of Interest), Spain (Society of the Snow) and Ukraine (20 Days in Mariupol).

Five films from the shortlist of 15 candidates will be nominated for the final round on January 23. The Oscars ceremony is scheduled for March 10, 2024.

Shown around the world

FoudreExternal link was submitted in the summer, the Federal Office of Culture said at the time. The first feature film by Swiss filmmaker Jaquier, who was born in 1985, tells the story of 17-year-old Elisabeth, who is about to take her vows as a nun in a valley in the south of Switzerland in the summer of 1900. However, the sudden death of her older sister changes everything.

The film, produced by Geneva-based Close Up Films, celebrated its world premiere at the renowned Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2022. It has been shown at almost 20 festivals around the world.

At the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF), Foudre received a mention in the Focus competition and the Emerging Swiss Talent Award, among other honours. At the Solothurn Film Festival, it received the prize for the best Opera Prima. The film was honoured at this year’s Swiss Film Awards in the categories Best Film Music and Best Sound.

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