Solothurn Film Festival dedicated to artistic awakening

Winterthur filmmaker Jonas Meier counts himself among the "AI-fit". He is familiar with artificial intelligence, enjoys experimenting with it and even sees parallels between the process and documentary filmmaking. Something can be created quickly and easily. Yes, the aesthetics are ugly, he admits in an interview with Keystone-SDA - "everything looks the same, there's a complete lack of individuality."

But: "I can have a cup of coffee in the morning, quickly run a spontaneous idea through the system and I have a confrontation with my thoughts." In the past, it was sometimes a years-long process to get to the point where you could start implementing a project. "Once AI is ready to master the creative approach, then we'll talk about something else, but right now this tool can be enriching."

Nominated for the Prix de Soleure

At this year's Solothurn Film Festival, where he has been nominated for the Prix de Soleure with his new film "Social Landscapes", Jonas Meier met filmmakers from a different generation. Zurich producer Ruth Waldburger, for example, who produced the 1991 film "Johnny Suede", in which Brad Pitt played one of his first leading roles. Or the Ticino filmmaker Edo Bertoglio, who accompanied the New York artist Jean-Michel Basquat (1960-1988) a decade before his big breakthrough with "Downtown 81".

They had their beginnings in an era when people were looking for inspiration in big cities, in the wide world, and there was a spirit of optimism and a great urge for creative self-realization. The fact that technical and financial resources were scarce did not stop the art world. Or as Debbie Harry, lead singer of the band Blondie, puts it in the documentary "Face Addict" (2005, also by Edo Bertoglio): "We all did things we didn't think were possible."

Jonas Meier does not locate himself in the subculture. Not even in the modern one. He is not involved in the relevant scenes, nor does he know what exactly is meant by this in the Swiss film world today. His main profession is in a world where budget is a prerequisite and commercial success is a goal. With his production company zweihund, Meier shoots commercials for internet providers, catering companies and food retailers. "These are commissioned works in which I work in a very classic way, largely according to the ideas of others."

Creative, rebellious force

When Jonas Meier talks about his independent film work, his music videos and his films, there is a creative, rebellious force that is reminiscent of the artists whose works are shown in the "Histoires" program. He uses words such as "urge" and "desire" and says with regard to his latest work that he would have "probably tensed up" if it had been associated with a large budget and high expectations. "I think it was precisely because of its simplicity that I never let go of the project." And the work on his experimental documentary took a very long time.

In "Social Landscapes", Meier takes a look at a society that practically only looks at the world via smartphone. The filmmaker uses atmospheric images, compositions and superimposed user comments to expose the absurdity of this development without making any judgments of his own. This, in turn, evokes feelings in the viewer ranging from shuddering aversion to bright enthusiasm.

The film joins the ranks of works that defy the mainstream and bear witness to the pure expressive will of the filmmaker. Or in the words of Debbie Harry: "Jonas Meier has almost certainly done something with this work that he didn't think was possible before.

*This text by Miriam Margani, Keystone-SDA, was realized with the help of the Gottlieb and Hans Vogt Foundation.