SWISS
SCIENCE FILM ACADEMY
Program
Full-length Films
Zurich (Filmpodium Cinema)
Friday 15 November, 17:15
Bern (Kino in der Reitschule)
Thursday 14 November, 19:45
ELDORADO (OUT OF COMPETITION)
GENRE: Documentary
COUNTRIES: Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Lebanon
YEAR: 2018
LENGTH: 92 min
LANGUAGES: German, French, Italian, Kurdish, Swiss German
SUBTITLES: German/French
TRAILER: https://youtu.be/6dkdHzxf6Ng
MARKUS IMHOOF (Director)
Markus Imhoof studied Literature, Arts and History in Zurich and attended film class at the Zurich Academy of Arts. Two of his first documentaries were prohibited in Switzerland, but earned several awards. In 1981 his feature film “Das Boot is tvoll”won a Silver Bear at the Berlinale and was nominated for an Oscar. His film "More than Honey" is the most successful Swiss documentary of all time. Imhoof is a member of the Academy of Arts Berlin, the European Film Academy and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in Los Angeles.
DEBATE
ZURICH: Eldorado – The Swiss landscape, between yearning and the gated community
Markus Imhoof (Director), Prof. Dr. Susan Thieme (Geographer, University of Bern), Prof. Dr. Caroline Wiedmer (Franklin University).
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Christoph Küffer (ETH Zurich & University of Applied Sciences Eastern Switzerland)
BERN: A discussion on migration and mobility justice
(Additional Short Film: Bashir in Wonderland)
Dr. des Eda Elif Tibet (Social Anthropologist, University of Bern), Prof. Dr. Shahram Koshravi (Social Anthropologist, Stockholm University), Jyothi Kanics (Migration Researcher, European Network on Statelessness), Prof. Dr. Susan Thieme (Geographer, University of Bern)
STORY
Drawing inspiration from his personal encounter with the Italian refugee child Giovanna during World War II, Markus Imhooftells how refugees and migrants are treated today on the Mediterranean Sea, in Italy and in Switzerland.
Zurich (Filmpodium Cinema)
Saturday 16 November, 11:00
Bern (cineMovie1– Quinnie)
Saturday 16 November, 20:00
THE WOMAN WHO LOVES GIRAFFES
GENRE: Documentary
COUNTRIES: Canada, UK, South Africa
YEAR: 2018
LENGTH: 83 min
LANGUAGES: English
TRAILER: https://youtu.be/QTI21VkoWOY
ALISON REID (Director & Writer) & DR. ANNE INNIS DAGG (Main Protagonist)
Alison Reid formed Free Spirit Films with a view to produce projects diverse in genre but similar in their exploration of the human spirit. She made her directorial debut with short film “Succubus”, which she also co-wrote and produced. With the support of Telefilm Canada, Reid followed up with her feature length comedy “The Baby Formula”, which had a worldwide, award-winning film festival run and sold internationally.
Dr. Anne Innis Dagg is a Canadian zoologist, biologist, feminist, and author of numerous books. A pioneer in the study of animal behaviour in the wild, Dagg is credited with being the first to study giraffes in the wild and to study animals in the wild in Africa.
DEBATE
The role of women in (natural) sciences
ZURICH
Filmmakers: Dr. Anne Innis Dagg (Main protagonist) & Alison Reid (Director and Writer)
Scientist: Prof. Dr. Susanne Ulbrich (Animal Physiologist, ETH Zurich)
Moderator: Isabella Sedivy (Swiss National TV, SRF)
BERN
Filmmakers: Dr. Anne Innis Dagg (Main protagonist) & Alison Reid (Director and Writer)
Scientist: Prof. Dr. Catherine Peichel (Evolutionary Biologist, University of Bern)
STORY
In 1956, four years before Jane Goodall ventured into the world of chimpanzees and seven years before Dian Fosseyleft to work with mountain gorillas, in fact, before anyone, man or woman had made such a trip, 23-year old Canadian biologist, Anne Innis Dagg, made an unprecedented solo journey to South Africa to become the first person in the world to study animal behaviour in the wild on that continent. When she returned home a year later armed with ground-breaking research, the insurmountable barriers she faced as a female scientist proved much harder to overcome. In 1972, having published 20 research papers as an assistant professor of zoology at University of Guelph, the Dean of the university denied her tenure. She couldn't apply to the University of Waterloo because the Dean there told Anne that he would never give tenure to a married woman. This was the catalyst that transformed Anne into a feminist activist. The film retraces the steps of Anne's ground-breaking 1956 journey to South Africa to study giraffes in the wild -- and discovers a startling contrast between the world of giraffes she once knew and the one it has become.
Zurich (Filmpodium Cinema)
Saturday 16 November, 14:00
Bern (cineMovie1– Quinnie)
Sunday 17 November, 11:00
HEARTBOUND: A DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE STORY
GENRE: Documentary
COUNTRIES: Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands
YEAR: 2018
LENGTH: 90 min
LANGUAGES: Danish, Thai
SUBTITLES:English
TRAILER: https://youtu.be/VfDbDZVRjOs
JANUS METZ & DR. SINE PLAMBECH (Directors & Writers)
Janus Metz stepped firmly into the international spotlight winning the Grand Prix of The Cannes Film Festival’s International Critics’ Week for his film “Armadillo”. With his debut narrative feature “Borg/McEnroe” (2017), Metz made an even bigger splash opening the Toronto Film Festival.
Dr. Sine Plambech is an anthropologist at the Danish Institute for International Studies and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Barnard College, Columbia University. She has worked for the United Nations and as a consultant for the European Commission. In 2016, Sine received the prestigious Sapere Aude young elite award from the Danish Research Council.
DEBATE
Love, family and kinship in times of global migration
ZURICH
Filmmakers: Janus Metz (Director and Writer) & Sine Plambech (Director and Writer) via Skype
Scientist: Andrea Zimmermann (SNF-Fellow, PhD thesis on “The Relevance of Buddhist Religiousness in the Daily Life of Female Thai Marriage Migrants in Switzerland”, Lucerne University)
Moderator: Joel Lüthi (University of Zurich & REATCH)
BERN
Filmmakers: Janus Metz (Director and Writer) & Sine Plambech (Director and Writer) via Skype
Scientist: Prof. Dr. Susan Thieme (Geography & Sustainability, University of Bern)
STORY
939 Thai women live in the windswept Northern Jutland. 25 years ago, that number was close to zero, and included Sommai, a former sex worker from Pattaya. Sommai came to Denmark to marry Niels. Ever since, she has helped women from her village in Thailand marry lonely men from Northern Jutland. The two small communities in different parts of the world are now closely linked. Now, Sommai'sniece, Kae, is on her way to Denmark. With Niels' help, Sommai places a personal ad in the local newspaper and soon, Kjeld comes forward as a suitor. The network of Thai/Danish married couples in Northern Jutland begin to teach Kae about Danish norms and prepare her for the meeting with Kjeld. So while Kae is settling in at Kjeld's 'little home' where the two strangers must try to overcome shyness and language difficulties, Saeng follows her female friend Lom to the city of Pattaya to sell sex to tourists. From here, Saeng must provide for her son and the family back home. Ten years later, we meet the women and their husbands from Northern Jutland again.
Zurich (Filmpodium Cinema)
Saturday 16 November, 16:30
Bern (cineMovie1– Quinnie)
Sunday 17 November, 13:45
FIRE WILL COME
GENRE: Drama
COUNTRIES: Spain, France, Luxembourg
YEAR: 2019
LENGTH: 85 min
LANGUAGES: Spanish
SUBTITLES: English
TRAILER: https://youtu.be/MFn8YPZU_Zk
OLIVER LAXE (Director & Writer)
Oliver Laxe grew up between France, Spain and Morocco. His first two films were screened at The Cannes Film Festival “You All Are Captains”(FIPRESCI Prize, 2010 Directors’ Fortnight) and “Mimosas” (Grand Prize, 2016 Critics’ week). His third film ”Fire Will Come” was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize.
DEBATE
Guilt and Justice - The fragile human ecosystem
ZURICH
Filmmaker: Oliver Laxe (Director and Writer)
Scientist: Prof. Dr. Martino Mona (Criminal Law and Philosophy of Law, Bern University)
Moderator: Dr. Jasmin Winkler (Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies,Zurich University)
BERN
Filmmaker: Oliver Laxe (Director and Writer)
Scientist: Dr. Patricia Fry (Biologist and Social Learning Expert, Zurich)
STORY
Amador Coro has been condemned for having provoked a fire. When he gets out of prison, nobody is waiting for him. He returns to his home town, a small village hidden in the mountains of rural Galicia, to live with his mother, Benedicta, and their three cows. Life goes by, following the rhythm of nature. Until one night when a fire starts to devastate the region.
Zurich (Filmpodium Cinema)
Saturday 16 November, 19:30
Bern (cineMovie1– Quinnie)
Sunday 17 November, 16:15
MISSION MANGAL
GENRE: Drama
COUNTRIES:India
YEAR: 2019
LENGTH: 130 min
LANGUAGES: Hindi
SUBTITLES: English
TRAILER: https://youtu.be/wehYhTLK-cI
JAGAN SHAKTI (Director & Writer)
Jagan Shakti, coming from Bengaluru, moved to Mumbai to follow his passion: cinema. Although the beginnings were not always easy, he persevered and worked hard to bring his projects into the Indian and world scene. Since 2007, Shakti worked predominantly on Bollywood films as an assistant director. “Mission Mangal”is his first movie as director and one of the best box-office films of India. Shakti is particularly interested in highlighting the role of women in science, with his sister being a scientist herself.
DEBATE
The search for the impossible in science and the power of the individuals behind it
ZURICH
Filmmaker: Jagan Shakti (Director and Writer)
Scientist: Prof. Dr. Susanne Wampfler (Eccellenza Professorial Fellow in Astrochemistry at the Centre for Space and Habitability, University of Bern)
Moderator: Dr. Savas Ceylan ( Institute of Geophysics, ETH Zurich)
BERN
Filmmaker: Jagan Shakti (Director and Writer)
Scientist: Dr. Maria N. Drozdovskaya (Center for Space and Habitability , University of Bern)
Moderator: Dr. Payal Parekh (Climate Scientist and Activist)
STORY
In November 2013, India launches its first interplanetary spacecraft, making India the fourth country in the world to launch a spacecraft into the Mars orbital. Mission Mangal traces the story of women and men from the Indian Space Research Organisation recruited to send a probe around Mars. The Mars Orbiter Mission, at first thought impossible, is a real challenge due to the tight budget, tensions among the crew and the pressure to realize a genuine technological breakthrough.
Zurich (Filmpodium Cinema)
Sunday 17 November, 11:30
Bern (cineMovie1– Quinnie)
Saturday 16 November, 11:00
THE SOUND OF SILENCE
GENRE: Drama
COUNTRIES: USA
YEAR: 2019
LENGTH: 85 min
LANGUAGES: English
TRAILER: https://youtu.be/ybo56_uJmag
MICHAEL TYBURSKI (Director & Co-writer) & BEN NABORS (Producer & Co-writer)
Michael Tyburski is a filmmaker living in New York City. His short film ”Palimpsest” premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Prize. He was selected as a feature film fellow for Sundance Institute’s Music and Sound Design Lab at Skywalker Sound and was named (together with Ben) by Filmmaker Magazine as one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film”. “The Sound of Silence” is his feature-film debut.
Ben Nabors is the founder of production studio {group theory}. His debut feature documentary “William and the Windmill” won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival. In 2016, his second feature documentary “The Happy Film” premiered at Tribeca. Ben co-wrote and produced “The Sound of Silence”. Filmmaker Magazine named Michael and Ben amongst the “25 New Faces of Independent Film”.
DEBATE
What can sound do to the brain and the emotional fabric?
ZURICH
Filmmakers: Michael Tyburski (Director & Co-writer) & Ben Nabors (Producer & Co-writer),
Scientist: Marte Roel (Scientist for composition, electronic production, philosophy of science, cognitive systems and interactive media. Currently he’s a PhD candidate at the department of psychology, cognitive neuropsychology (focus: body, self and Plasticity) at the University of Zurich).
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Marcus Hall (Environmental Humanity, University of Zürich)
BERN
Filmmakers: Michael Tyburski (Director & Co-writer) & Ben Nabors(Producer & Co-writer)
Scientist: Prof. Dr. Michael Harenberg (Sound Artist and Musicologist, University of the Arts Bern)
STORY
There are a symphony of almost undetectable sounds that make up a moment of silence, and Peter Lucian (Peter Sarsgaard) is determined to catalogue them all. Through his job as a New York City "house tuner”, the hyper-methodical Peter works meticulously to diagnose the discordant ambient noises – produced by everything from wind patterns to humming electrical appliances – adversely affecting his clients' moods. When he takes on the particularly difficult case of Ellen (Rashida Jones), a lonely woman plagued by chronic exhaustion, Peter finds that the mysteries of the soul may be even greater than the mysteries of sound.
Zurich (FilmpodiumCinema)
Sunday 17 November, 15:30
Bern (cineMovie1– Quinnie)
Saturday 16 November, 13:45
STROOP: JOURNEY INTO THE RHINO HORN WAR
GENRE: Documentary
COUNTRIES: South Africa, USA, China, Kenya, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam
YEAR: 2018
LENGTH: 135 min
LANGUAGES:English
SUBTITLES:German
TRAILER: https://youtu.be/Iaeuz-tkXdk
SUSAN SCOTT (Director & Writer) & BONNÉ DE BOD (Presenter)
Susan Scott won an editing apprenticeship in Washington DC with Tony Black A.C.E. where she went on to edit for several years before heading back home to South Africa. Awarded the prestigious acronym from the editors guild of South Africa, Susan has gone on to win several awards for her work, among them 3 SAFTAs, a Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival award as well as winning at the SAB Environ-mentalist of the Year for her writing and photography. “Stroop” is her first documentary.
Bonné de Bod is well known as an award winning wildlife television presenter. She has been on South Africa’s popular wildlife and environment programs and is also a special correspondent for SABC's Newsroom. Winner of an ATKV Media-veertjie, Bonnéhas also been awarded the prestigious Kudu Award for Best Journalist.
DEBATE
Wildlife Trafficking: the disparity of miracle healing, global trade and organized crime
ZURICH
Filmmakers: Susan Scott (Director and Writer) & Bonnéde Bod (Presenter)
Scientist: Dr. Gian Ege (Senior Assistant for Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law, expert on illegal animal trafficking)
Moderator: Dr. Henriette Bornkamm(Film Studies, University of Zurich)
BERN
Filmmakers: Susan Scott (Director and Writer) & Bonnéde Bod (Presenter)
Scientists: Dr. Mathias Lörtscher (President: CITES – Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora)
Prof. Dr. Olivier Graefe (Professor in Human Geography, University of Fribourg)
Moderator: Dr. Jevgeniy Bluwstein (Geographer, University of Fribourg)
STORY
Two filmmakers explore the war for rhino horns. Initially setting out on a six-month project, the duo leave their jobs, sell their homes, move in with their mothers and give up nearly four years of their lives to document not just the rhinos but the various people connected to this iconic animal. In this roller-coaster ride between Africa and Asia, the two women embed themselves on the front-line of a species genocide where they are given exclusive access to the enforcement aspect of the fight. From rangers, pilots and K9 units patrolling the hardest hit national parks to elite police units raiding wildlife trafficking dens in major cities, they find themselves in some hair-raising situations.
Zurich (FilmpodiumCinema)
Sunday 17 November,19:15
Bern (cineMovie1– Quinnie)
Saturday 16 November, 17:15
AQUARELA
GENRE: Documentary
COUNTRIES: UK, Germany, Denmark, USA
YEAR: 2018
LENGTH: 90 min
LANGUAGES: Russian, English, Spanish
SUBTITLES: English, German, French
TRAILER: https://youtu.be/oCChoS4stZs
AIMARA REQUES (Co-Writer & Producer)
Aimara Reques is an award-winning producer who has over 30 years experience in the film industry. Her first documentary production experience was about a unique indigenous community, deep within the Amazon. Reques founded Aconite Productions in 2010 with a passion to produce ambitious and well-crafted documentaries on important international stories. Since then, she has collaborated with a number of renowned directors and producers from both the UK and abroad.
She is a winner of two BAFTA Scotland Awards, a Fox Searchlight Award and an Amnesty International Media Award, and has produced films for UK TV channels, as well as international co-productions for broadcast and theatrical releases.
DEBATE
How does water affect humanity and how does humanity affect the balance of water?
ZURICH
Filmmaker: Aimara Reques (Co-Writer and Producer)
Scientist & Moderator: Prof. Dr. Janet Hering (Director EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute for Acquatic Science and Technology), and Prof. Scientist & Moderator: Prof. Dr. Konrad Steffen (Director WSL, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape)
BRERN
Filmmaker: Aimara Reques (Co-Writer and Producer)
Scientist: Dr. Aurea Chiaia-Hernández (Institute of Geography, Bern University)
STORY
Water is the main protagonist, seen in all its great and terrible beauty. Mountains of ice move and break apart as if they had a life of their own. Kossakovsky's film travels the world, from the precarious frozen waters of Russia's Lake Baikal and Miami in the throes of Hurricane Irma, to Venezuela's mighty Angel Falls in order to paint a portrait of this fluid life force in all its glorious forms. Fragile humans experience life and death, joy and despair in the face of its power. The Most Dangerous Documentary Ever Made! When the filmmakers first watched the rough cut of the movie, they asked each other “did we experience this and we are still alive?“