Recycled TV

Jackie Brutsche tries to unravel the dark secrets of her family and answer unanswered questions about her mother.

Unopened reminders, mountains of debt, an uncertain future: single-parent cleaner Nathalie struggles through life to secure her livelihood and that of her children. She doesn't want pity or charity and certainly doesn't want to end up on welfare. Episodic and unembellished, the film portrays a woman living at subsistence level, in the middle of Switzerland, in our midst. A woman for whom giving up is not an option.

Born June 8, 1964, Frank Matter films four "twins", born the same day as him, but in other latitudes. Interweaving their life stories with rich archival material, the filmmaker links these Parallel Lives with elements from his own biography, to compose a fascinating fresco where intimate trajectories are part of the advent of the global village.

A Long Way Home takes us on a fascinating journey into both the grim days of recent Chinese history and the dazzling cultural scene in present-day China. The film centers around five of the most significant representatives of contemporary Chinese counterculture: the visual artists the Gao Brothers, the choreographer and dancer Wen Hui, the animation artist Pi San and the poet Ye Fu. With bravery and subversive wit, they each shed light on the social problems in their country. In doing so, the film poses universal questions that ultimately concern us all: which values determine our cultural identity and in what kind of world do we want to live.

On the Hamburger Route around the world, the film gives an insight into the lives of six people who have one thing in common: They work for McDonalds.

When two friends collect money for the so-called "suffering in America" in the streets of Accra, is it for fun, political provocation, or a prophecy? Two Swiss filmmakers will answer these questions with the help of seven musicians from Ghana-M3NSA, Wanlov The Kubolor, Adomaa, Worlasi, Akan, Mutombo Da Poet, and Poetra Asantewa-who have written new songs and produced video clips especially for the documentary film Contradict.

Zeal & Ardor catapults Swiss musician Manuel Gagneux from the underground to the world stage. Religion, racism, segregation and appropriation: Gagneux makes music against taboos. But being a leader against his will scares the introverted artist. Can he remix the game?

The young political movement Operation Libero wants to stir up Switzerland's National elections with cross-party issues, progressive candidates and a targeted campaign. Will the movement succeed in asserting itself against the established forces and bring about change?

Hidden in the wooded mountains on the west coast of Japan lies the small Zen monastery Antaiji. A young woman sets off to immerse herself through autumn, winter and spring in the adventures of monastic life. The young woman is Sabine Timoteo from Switzerland. The abbot of the monastery is Muho Noelke, born in Berlin. An interplay between the philosophy of the Japanese Zen master Kodo Sawaki and the surprises brought forth by everyday life.

Toni, an attractive Catholic priest, impregnates several women in the Swiss countryside of the 1950s until the bishop revokes his priesthood. The six children only meet after Toni's funeral. They talk about their fatherless youth, their brave mothers and the fatal silence they now want to break.

They live in its shadow, venerate and fear it, its whims dominate their destiny: the Iddu volcano has determined the lives of the inhabitants of Stromboli for centuries. Tourist streams and trekking queues to the volcano fill the coffers, but a violent eruption like the one in 2019 abruptly tears the island into a different reality. The force of nature confronts the population with drastic changes and questions about sustainability and mass tourism.

SIGNERS KOFFER is a kind of road movie across Europa. From the Swiss Alps to eastern Poland, from Stromboli to Iceland. Always following the scenery's magically charged contours. Immersing yourself, letting yourself be infected, then travelling on. Roman Signer determines the route that we are moving on and the film improvises along the way. Being on the road also means tracking down the right places. Signer brings them alive using his own personel instruments, brilliantly simple operations full of subtle humour. «Simple» poems being transmitted into space with INSTRUMENTS as gunpowder, fuse, rubber boots, balloons, stool, small table ... and a three wheelded Plaggio. SIGNERS KOFFER is also a journey through the state of mind. A tightrope walk between fun and melancholy. Danger also mental mental danger becomes the stimulus of the senses. Sudden crashes, abrupt chagnes of mood determine the rythm and atmosphere of this cinematic journey.