Swiss screening of film about Ukrainian exile stopped in China
Olga director Elie Grappe receiving the award for best feature at the Swiss Film Awards last week.
Keystone/walter Bieri
A screening of the film Olga organised by the Swiss embassy in Beijing was cancelled at short notice on Thursday by Chinese authorities, despite the protests of Swiss diplomats.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/dos
Português
pt
China cancela exibição de filme suíço sobre exílio ucraniano
The reasons given for the last-minute cancellation were first of all the coronavirus pandemic, and secondly the content of the film, the Swiss foreign ministry confirmed on Friday.
The Swiss embassy in China “immediately” protested the sudden cancellation, the ministry said. The private screening was set to be attended by 66 guests, including 10 foreign ambassadors based in Beijing. The event had been planned since last November, as part of a month celebrating French-language culture in China.
The Swiss-French feature Olga tells the story of a 15-year-old gymnast torn between her life in Switzerland – where she is training for the European championships – and Ukraine, where her journalist mother is covering the 2013 Euromaiden protests.
Last week, Olga won the prizes for best feature film, best screenplay, and best sound at this year’s Swiss Film Awards. The film, directed by Elie Grappe, was also Switzerland’s entry for best international feature film at this year’s Oscars.
Since the invasion of Ukraine in February, China has tried to maintain a neutral stance towards the conflict, neither condemning the actions of its strategic partner Russia, nor backing the Western sanctions against Moscow.
More
More
Olga, Elie and Oscar: the story of a remarkable Swiss film debut
This content was published on
Filmmaker Elie Grappe discusses the creative process and success of his debut feature, Olga, which is playing at the 57th Solothurn Film Festival.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Porrentruy mayor comments on Swiss pool ban controversy
This content was published on
The mayor of the Swiss town of Porrentruy, which has been in the headlines in neighbouring France after restricting access to a pool to locals after a spate of anti-social behaviour, says he has received much support in recent days.
Swiss universities to release multilingual AI programme
This content was published on
This summer researchers at Swiss universities will make available a large language model (LLM), an AI programme trained on vast amounts of data, developed on public infrastructure.
This content was published on
After a one-year test phase, Zurich's cantonal police are introducing an online police station. Demand is high and the response from the public has been positive.
This content was published on
The chic resort of St Moritz in southeastern Switzerland has registered "summer" as a trademark under the name "St Summer". The resort in canton Graubünden is launching a campaign to strengthen its summer business.
Swiss authorities detail progress on station access for people with reduced mobility
This content was published on
The Federal Office of Transport (FOT) said on Wednesday that 43 stations had been adapted for people with reduced mobility last year. The vast majority of rail travellers (82%) now benefit from easier access to stations, it says.
This content was published on
The prices of homes and apartments in Switzerland rose again in June. In the Lake Geneva region, prices of detached houses rose sharply. Meanwhile, in Zurich and its surrounding region the opposite trend was observed.
Crowded airports expected in Switzerland this summer
This content was published on
Switzerland's main airports are preparing for a busy summer holiday period. A number of changes have been introduced to improve passenger flows that are expected to be well above average in July and August.
Zurich police arrest 38 football and hockey fans after violent incidents
This content was published on
Zurich police have investigated 48 cases of fan violence at stadiums in the Swiss city since last autumn and arrested a total of 38 people, Swiss public television, SRF, reports.
Cashflow problems affect UN Human Rights Council activities
This content was published on
Certain activities of the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council cannot be carried out in 2025-2026 due of the ongoing cash crisis affecting the UN.
Plaintiffs take Khaled Nezzar case to European Court of Human Rights
This content was published on
Two plaintiffs in a serious war crimes case against former Algerian Defence Minister Khaled Nezzar have filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights.
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.
Read more
More
Switzerland unveils its first China strategy
This content was published on
The Swiss government says its first ever China strategy is intended to create “greater coherence" in its relations with Beijing.
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.