Protected by their mountains, shaped by the identity of each of their cantons and their direct way of deciding public affairs, the Swiss have a unique perspective on the world, and their cinema does not escape this idiosyncrasy! Respect for individual freedom makes this country a conducive place for LGTBI rights (wasn’t Switzerland the first country in the world to legalise civil unions between same-sex couples through a referendum, in 2005?), and the cinema, logically, has echoed this open-mindedness. If we add to all this a clear natural propensity for humour and irony, and a dash of surrealism, voilà, here is the recipe for Swiss LGTBI cinema! Four feature films, two documentaries and five short films make up the FIRE!! 2023 proposal to reflect that particular gaze.

Section in collaboration with the General Consulate of Switzerland in Barcelona and Swiss Films.

General Consulate of Switzerland in Barcelona
Swiss Films

Beyto

Gitta Gsell • Switzerland

Paxmal

Sven Schnyder • Switzerland

Rosie

Marcel Gisler • Switzerland