The 9th Zurich Film Festival announces its first films. Three Swiss productions are each set to celebrate their out--‐of--‐competition world premiere in the Limmat city: The remake of the classic and highly successful children’s book DIE SCHWARZEN BRÜDER by Oscar--‐winner Xavier Koller; Markus Imboden’s AM HANG, a screen adaptation of the bestselling novel bearing the same title by Markus Werner; and the documentary GERGIEV – A CERTAIN MADNESS, in which photographer Alberto Venzago focuses on the extraordinary Russian conductor Valery Gergiev. The rest of the 9th ZFF films will be announced in the coming weeks.
DIE SCHWARZEN BRÜDER
Xavier Koller
A remake of the classic and highly successful children’s book DIE SCHWARZEN BRÜDER by Lisa Tetzner and Kurt Held will celebrate its premiere in the ZFF’s newly created programme section ‘Children’s and Family Films’. First published in 1940/41, this novel fictionalizes a dark chapter of Ticino’s social history: Material hardship forced numerous mountain village families to hire out their underage sons in the metropolises of northern Italy, where they languished under the most inhumane conditions and risked life and limb on a daily basis working as boy chimney sweeps. The novel describes in vivid detail how Giorgio refuses to accept his fate, sets up a protection organization together with his fellow sufferers and finally makes the treacherous decision to flee back home.
The film is directed by Oscar--‐winner Xavier Koller. Recent discovery Finn Henkel gives his screen debut as Giorgio, and performs alongside Moritz Bleibtreu as the unscrupulous slave trader Luini, Waldemar Kobus as the master chimney sweep Rossi and Richy Müller as Pater Roberto.
AM HANG
Markus Imboden
No less anticipated is the literary adaptation of AM HANG. Markus Werner served up an enigmatic relationship thriller with his 2004 novel bearing the same title. Two men, chance acquaintances whose characters could not be more different, engage in a dialogue about the capriciousness of love and get involved with a female phantom, that draws them ever closer together – dangerously close. Markus Imboden, a multi--‐award winning director whose last work DER
VERDINGBUB became a domestic blockbuster, was responsible for this cinematographic interpretation. Imboden called upon an outstanding acting trio: Martina Gedeck embodies the female phantom while Henry Hübchen and Max Simonischek play the two male characters.
GERGIEV – A CERTAIN MADNESS
Alberto Venzago
Completing the group is the documentary film GERGIEV – A CERTAIN MADNESS by Alberto Venzago. Time--‐consuming in its production, this doc focuses on the Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, a force majeure in the international music scene.
Each year at Easter, the maestro and 115 musicians from St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre take on a veritable tour de force: They travel more than 10’000 km on the Trans--‐Siberian Express playing at different locations each and every evening.
“We need to bring culture to the people –Not the other way round!” says Gergiev when asked about his commitment. With GERGIEV – A CERTAIN MADNESS, Alberto Venzago once again proves that he is as comfortable – and confident – in the field of film as he is in the field of photography.