Programs - Filmmaker in Focus: Ramon Zürcher
he Sparrow in the Chimney
11/30（Sun）11:05 -Asahi Hall
Guest
Ramon ZÜRCHER (Director)
Switzerland / 2024 / 117min
Director：Ramon ZÜRCHER
Karen lives with her husband Markus and their children at her childhood home in rural Switzerland. To celebrate Markus’ birthday, Karen invites her sister Jule’s family for a gathering. This somewhat idyllic home reminds the sisters of mixed emotions towards their father who took his own life and their deceased mother. In a house filled with childhood memories, the sisters grow increasingly tense as their long-held resentments - dark memories of their late mother and family traumas - begin to resurface.
Markus’ intimacy with their neighbor Liv adds on to that, and the children’s spontaneous conflict disrupts the balance in the family… World premiered in August 2024 at Locarno Film Festival, in Competition, the film won the Roberto Rossellini Award for Best Film the following month at the Pingyao International Film Festival in China.
This film will be screened with Japanese subtitles only.
Director：Ramon ZÜRCHER
Born in Aarberg, Switzerland in 1982, he studied visual arts at the Bern Academy of the Arts (HKB) and film directing at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB). His graduation feature, “The Strange Little Cat” (2013), premiered in Berlinale’s Forum section and screened at Toronto, Cannes, and other international festivals, earning the New Talent Grand PIX at CPH:PIX, the Special Jury Award for Best First Film at Minsk, and the Audience Jury Award at Viennale. In 2017, he co-founded Zürcher Film with his twin brother Silvan Zürcher and co-directed “The Girl and the Spider” (2021), winning Best Director and the FIPRESCI Prize at Berlinale Encounters. His third feature, “The Sparrow in the Chimney” (2024), premiered at Locarno Film Festival and received the Rossellini Award at Pingyao International Film Festival. He is currently developing a new project with Silvan, marking a departure from their acclaimed Animal trilogy.
Schedule
11/30（Sun）11:05 -
Asahi Hall
Guest
Ramon ZÜRCHER (Director)