Swiss film for Academy Awards Will we secure our third Oscar with these works?
Switzerland is deciding which film it will enter the race for the foreign Oscars with: "Reinas" by Klaudia Reynicke or "Le procès du chien" by Laetitia Dosch. Both films will benefit.
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- Two Swiss films, "Reinas" and "Le procès du chien", are on the shortlist for the Swiss entry at the Oscars 2025.
- The newly introduced shortlist and the two-stage selection process should improve the chances of winning an Oscar in the "International Feature Film" category.
- The final Swiss entry will be announced on September 25, but the final Oscar shortlist will not follow until December 17, and the nominations on January 17, 2025.
On September 25, the selection committee appointed by the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) will announce which Swiss film will be sent into the 2025 Oscar race. In mid-August, it was announced that "Reinas", a coming-of-age story by Swiss-Peruvian filmmaker Klaudia Reynicke, and the Swiss-French comedy "Le procès du chien" by Laetitia Dosch are on the shortlist for the 2025 Oscars. Following the example of other countries such as France, Denmark and Sweden, Switzerland has also announced a shortlist.
The promotion agency Swiss Films has introduced a new two-stage selection process for the film. This should increase the chances of a domestic film winning an Oscar in the "International Feature Film" category in future.
Since the nomination of Claude Barras' "Ma vie de courgette" (Best Animated Film, 2018), the presence of Swiss filmmaking at the Oscars has been manageable. But there had been successes in the past. Several short films were nominated or made it onto the shortlist. Xavier Koller won the Gold Man for Best Foreign Language Film with "Journey of Hope" in 1991. He followed in the footsteps of Richard Dembo, who had achieved the same in 1985 with "Dangerous Trains". "Das Boot ist voll" by Markus Imhoof (1981) was nominated in the same category, but came away empty-handed. Other Swiss filmmakers were also successful in international productions.
Of animals and humans
The first Swiss Oscar shortlist now includes the directorial debut "Le procès du chien". Director Laetitia Dosch also plays the leading role of the lawyer Avril. If she loses in court again, she will have to leave the firm. The fact that her next client is a dog doesn't make her situation any easier. Cosmos, as the animal is called, has bitten several people, but is also a loving, loyal companion to the visually impaired Dariuch.
The selection committee justified its decision to shortlist the philosophical comedy by saying that the work "skillfully questions views on animal rights and attitudes towards women in modern society while revealing the beliefs, questions and desires of those involved in the process". At this year's Cannes Film Festival, the film was in the running for the main prize in the "Un certain regard" section and for the Caméra d'Or.
"Reinas", which is also on the shortlist, is the first Swiss feature film to be screened in the international main competition at the renowned Sundance Film Festival, was awarded Best Director in the "Generation" section at the Berlinale and won the Audience Award at the Locarno Film Festival.
In this coming-of-age drama, Klaudia Reynicke tells an autobiographically inspired story about a mother who wants to move from Lima to the USA with her two daughters. The reason for this is the economic crisis, massive political unrest and a lack of prospects for a better life in Peru in the 1990s. "'Reinas' is a tender and subtly told story by a Swiss director who has already proven that she can touch the hearts of a global audience," wrote the selection committee.
A rocky road
Although only one film can be sent into the Oscar race, Andreas Bühlmann, Head of Festivals & Markets at Swiss Films, sees advantages for both productions. Whereas in the past, films applied for the Oscar selection "to the best of our knowledge and belief", stricter requirements now apply.
First and foremost, a contract with a US distributor, or the proven prospect of one, is a prerequisite for being shortlisted at all. What counts is no longer just the strength of the film, but also the international network and the overall package with which the film can be promoted in the USA and to the AMPAS members (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences).
The two-stage system also makes both films visible for longer. "Previously, a film was nominated in a single session," says Bühlmann. And so early in the process that "decisions often had to be made based on assumptions". In other words, before the jury even knew whether the team behind the film was good enough to have a real chance of winning. And instead of being able to concentrate directly on public relations, time and energy were initially spent on finding a US distributor and setting up a promotional team. Today, two films are ideally equipped for the international market.
But even after the Swiss election on September 25, there is still a long way to go. On December 17, AMPAS will announce the shortlist of 15 films from the various countries. The nominated titles will be published on January 17, 2025.
The 97th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 2, 2025 in Los Angeles.
