Three women directors win at Solothurn Film Festival

Wedded bliss? A scene from 'Beyto', directed by Gitta Gsell, which won the Prix du Public at the Solothurn Film Festival Solothurner Filmtage © 2021

Swiss film director Andrea Štaka has won the main prize at the Solothurn Film Festival with Mare, “a feature film that looks like a documentary or reality itself”, according to the jury.

In her third feature film, the Zurich-based filmmaker tells the story of Mare, a wife and mother in Croatia whose emotional world is shaken up when she meets a younger man. Mare premiered at last year’s Berlinale; its Swiss theatrical release was interrupted by the lockdown and the jury wished the film “a new chance on the big screen”.

As part of the 56th Solothurn Film Festival, which was held online, Mare had been nominated for the 2021 Swiss Film Awards in three categories (Best Feature Film, Best Screenplay and Best Sound). The main prize, the Prix de Soleure, is worth CHF60,000 ($68,000).

The Opera Prima, a CHF20,000 award for debut films, was presented for the first time. Bern-based director Stefanie Klemm won with Von Fischen und Menschen (Of fish and men), in which single mother Judith, who runs a trout farm in the Jura region, has to deal with desperation, grief and anger – and her relationship with farmhand Gabriel – following a tragedy.

The audience’s favourite film was Beyto by Gitta Gsell. The multicultural love triangle features Beyto, the popular son of Turkish immigrants, who falls in love with Mike. His shocked family plan his marriage to his childhood friend Seher in Turkey.

This is the second time that Gsell has picked up the Prix du Public at the Solothurn Film Festival. She previously won it in 2010 with Bödälä – Dance The Rhythm.