Swiss film wins prestigious prize in Shanghai
Swiss documentary film, the Fortress, has received the silver Magnolia award at the Magnolia International Documentary Awards Festival in Shanghai.
The Swiss film, which had previously received 11 prizes, including, a Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival, came second in the Social Documentary category, which rewards films that reflect contemporary human social activities and living conditions.
The Fortress, by Lausanne director Fernand Melgar, deals with the issue of asylum seekers in French-speaking Switzerland.
The film triggered a big debate on immigration and the way people who have fled their country have to fight to be recognised as refugees.
According to the film festival website, the film is “impressive from the point of access, craft and objectivity. Through a microcosm of one small refugee hostel in a Swiss town, it shows us the reality of our divided world we live in today”.
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