Think Petra Volpe’s Locarno-winning “Frank & Louis,” Damien Hauser’s festival darling “Memory of Princess Mumbi,” Denis Rabaglia’s buzzy “Butterfly Stroke” and, of course, Tim Fehlbaum’s lauded historical thriller “September 5.” On the date that names his award-winning film, Fehlbaum joined “Quiet Land” director Ursula Meier and “Erosion” helmer Michael Koch at the Venice Production Bridge – where Switzerland is a country of focus – to discuss this very phenomenon in a panel titled: Beyond Borders: English as the New Language in Swiss Cinema? Moderated by Variety Italy and Middle East Correspondent/Rome Bureau Chief Nick Vivarelli, the discussion honed in on the benefits and challenges of shooting in English in Switzerland today. Fehlbaum revealed that his next project will take place in Berlin and be shot in both German and English.
It’s always a question of how much will be in German and how much will be in English. By changing one character to a person who doesn’t understand German, you suddenly have much more English, and it’s much easier to finance.” Meier relayed her current experience producing “Quiet Land,” which is part of this year’s Venice Gap-Financing Market. The English-language film will star Bill Murray and Léa Seydoux, with a story set in Montana but shot in Alberta.
The director is currently in pre-production, with plans to shoot next year. We wrote the script in French, and then it was translated. We followed [the translation process] [very closely.]” The director added how much she “loves U.S. actors,” recalling working with Gillian Anderson on her Oscar-shortlisted “Sisters.” “It was so great to work with her,” she said.
It’s very physical.” Koch recently had the experience of working with a major American actor himself, having just shot “Erosion” with lead Peter Sarsgaard. The drama will reunite the director with the non-professional actors of “A Piece of Sky” for a film observing the dynamics between a foreigner and the local Swiss farmers in a small mountain village. It was Fehlbaum who made the bridge between Koch and Sarsgaard, following their collaboration in “September 5.” “For me, this choice to shoot with an English-speaking actor was, from the beginning, a creative choice,” emphasized the director.
Unlike my previous film, which was shot with only non-professionals and chose a very specific mountain world from the inside, I wanted this time to turn it around and look with the eyes of a stranger to this world. It was clear from the beginning that it had to be the eyes of a foreigner. The second thing that intrigued me a lot was to put a famous actor like Peter together with nonprofessional actors from the Swiss mountains, which sounds like a really weird combination, but it was something I wanted to explore.” The filmmaker interjected to say he does not believe English to be the new language of Swiss cinema, but that it is certainly “a part of it.” Working in a different language was a “very interesting experience” for Koch, who noted how, when verbal communication is limited, other creative forms of interaction arise.
It went quite fast, I have to say. It was also possible because [Sarsgaard] really wanted to [make the film], otherwise, we couldn’t afford it.” Fehlbaum made a key point when looking back at his experience of shooting several films in English: “It has to come from the story.” He recalled being told by producers he needed to make his feature debut, “Hell,” in English, as it was a post-apocalyptic sci-fi. The results proved his choice correct, with the film doing very well domestically and internationally.
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