David Fonjallaz

Bestiaries, Herbaria, Lapidaries

«Bestiaries, Herbaria, Lapidaries» is an ‘encyclopaedic’ documentary, whose non-human protagonists tell about us humans. The film is divided into three volumes, each dealing with a single subject: animals, plants, stones. In this tripartite vision, each of its segment is a tribute to a specific genre of documentary filmmaking. Through the three volumes, a single dramaturgical body emerges, that stages a process of admission of responsibility, a process of maintenance and protection, and finally a process of rediscovery of a common and fundamental value: care.

Mitgefangen

How do prison sentences affect the family members of those who have been incarcerated?

Nights Gone By

In this small village in Extremadura, population has been declining since the 1960s, driven away by unemployment. Alberto Martín Menacho returns to this region he knows intimately, and together with local youths, spins stories in a reality suspended between tradition and modernity, human and animal, between a thousand-year-old oak tree and Tinder. A strikingly graceful debut film.

Zimmerwald

In Zimmerwald, idyllically situated in the foothills of the Swiss Alps, an ornithological meeting took place in the middle of the First World War. In reality, it was a secret conference against the war that united Lenin and other socialists from all over Europe. One hundred years later, a secondary school class searches for traces of this history.

My Old Man

Welcome to “the prime of life”. All his life, Rudy has worked hard for the firm, and for the family. But now, everything is about to change: Rudy retires. No alarm clock, no meetings, no travels to distant countries to set the pace. Shopping, cooking, gardening, and the daily routines of marital bliss will now fill his schedule. Rudy was actually looking forward to it, to the next phase. But as he soon realizes, “the prime of life” is a wild ride on an emotional rollercoaster. Retirement is not for cowards.

The Maddock Manifesto

It all begins in an empty theatre. In search of a manuscript that is supposed to change the world, Ben embarks on an odyssey. He encounters a flying fish, a telephone without a dial, an oracle called Enigma and a mystical canine figure in a deserted mountain landscape – reality and longings become inextricably intertwined on his visually stunning journey.

Grenzen

Four European truckers meet at a rest area when news interrupt the cozy atmosphere: Italy has closed the borders for Eastern Europeans. Suddenly, two of the friends are unable to continue their journey. The search for a solution puts the group's strength to the test and the rest area becomes the center of European politics.

Beyto

Talented swimmer, motivated apprentice, cool buddy: Beyto is in the midst of life. But when the only son of a Turkish migrant family falls in love with his coach Mike, an ideal world falls to pieces. His parents only see one way out: They lure him to their home village and plan his wedding with Seher, his childhood friend. Suddenly, Beyto finds himself in a disruptive love triangle.

War and Peace

How to film war? «War and Peace» tells the story of the century-old relationship between cinema and war, from the time of their first encounter, way back in 1911 with the Italian invasion of Libya, up to the present day. Forging ahead from the images captured by the pioneers of cinema to today’s twitter feeds, following young soldiers as they are trained to film war, the alliance between cinema and war appears to be a powerful one.

Naïma

«A heroine's quest» portrays the Muslim woman Naima Serroukh as she sets up her pilot project Tasamouh to combat religious extremism. Naima's story is told as she goes about her work as manager of the project and gives us an insight into the world of prevention work. Besides her search for financing and partners, her personal conflicts, she gives advice to distraught mothers, coaches young people and tries to provide them with support in their integration process. «A heroine's quest» paints the portrait of a strong woman, who has come to accept that progress can only be made in tiny baby steps, but at the end of the day, it's all about making life together a bit better. A portrait of an everyday heroine. An impression of the Muslim community in the fight against prejudice.

Energiepioniere

«Energy Pioneers» portrays two visionaries and their fellow campaigners as they fight to solving one of humanity’s most challenging problems. A film about obstacles, crises and the power of an idea.

Of Loving and Lying

"Of Loving and Lying" is first and foremost about love. Director Annina Furrer traces our need for deep, lifelong connection in marriage and partnership and examines the widespread desire and claim for sexual fidelity. In doing so, she encounters a reality full of slips, flings and secret love affairs, in a world of dreams, longings and fantasies. How it is that practically all couples hold the concept of fidelity so dear and yet a surprisingly large number do not adhere to it? If we really want to love and grow old together, shouldn't we perhaps leave behind entrenched ways of thinking? Overcome inveterate possessiveness and strive for a new concept of fidelity? A fidelity that is not necessarily understood as sexual fidelity, but as trust, tenderness, honesty and freedom that we give each other as lovers?

Let The Old Folks Die

Kevin lives in a time and place where everything is permitted and accepted. He wants to rebel – but against what? A tragicomedy about youth gasping for air in a cotton-candy world. A generation seeking a reason for its malaise and a way to shed the boredom – only to discover, at most, its own emptiness. That’s no way to start a revolution. Or perhaps?

Miraculous Spiral

Water, air, earth, fire, ether. Four different stories that tell and show a reaching out towards immortality. We dedicate the element water to immortality in science, that of air to the immortality of art, that of earth to the immortality of faith and that of fire to the immortality of feelings. Ether, linked to the cosmos and the stars, is a tribute to the film industry.

The Mindful Revolution

The revolution of mindfulness meditation in the business world - a critical look behind the facade of a modern, spiritual phenomenon.

The Miracle of Almería

At the far end of Europe, on the southern border of Spain, lies Almería. It is a huge province completely covered with white plastic, harbouring Europe’s largest vegetable garden. It is the place where our tomatoes come from, even in winter. But under all the plastic, strange things happen… Today, the vegetable garden inevitably moves to Morocco. Spanish farmers dive well under their prices to keep in the race. 120.000 migrants work in slave-like conditions on the plantations.

Spooky & Linda

It was meant to be just a light-hearted adventure: After long years behind walls, Spooky and Linda escape from their psychiatric institution to breathe some fresh air in the outside world. Spooky wants to invite Linda for lunch in the restaurant he often went to as a child. But life is definitively more complicated outside the walls. And everything gets even more confusing with Spooky’s friend Carl, who unexpectedly joins the company. A small adventure becomes quite a big challenge. In an unknown world they are confronted to questions they are not used to face. They would need trust in themselves and in their companion. How can they find their way?