Swiss Oscar Candidate: "Qui vit encore" on Gaza

Three films were in the running

The Federal Office of Culture selects the Swiss entry for the most important American film award each year. An independent expert jury evaluates the submitted works and makes a recommendation before the responsible specialist division of the office makes the final decision.

With the choice of a documentary about the conflict in Gaza, Switzerland is putting a politically charged work on the international stage. The Oscar Committee of the Academy requires for the International Film category a sufficient running time as well as a theatrical release phase before a nomination becomes possible.

From festival to the Oscar stage

"Qui vit encore" had already been seen at international film festivals prior to the Oscar selection. The film was shown at the Berlin Festival as well as at the Salzburg Film Festival, where Wadimow was personally present. The documentary was also part of the program at the Solothurn Film Days.

The accompanying reception praised the visual language of the film and the direct confrontation with the living conditions in the Gaza Strip. Wadimow interweaves footage from hospitals, streets, and schools into a dense portrait of the affected population.

In interviews, Wadimow emphasized that the film wanted to «den Stimmen der Menschen vor Ort Gehör verschaffen». This attitude is reflected in the documentary form, which dispenses with commentary and instead relies on the footage itself.

The Swiss film industry makes its selection each year before the official submission window of the Oscar Academy. The Oscar Committee traditionally publishes the shortlist for the International Film category in December, before the five nominated films are announced in January.

Outlook on the selection process

For Switzerland, this is already the fourth submission of a documentary within a decade. The previous entries, however, were unable to prevail against the strong international competition, which additionally increases the pressure on the current entry.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is now reviewing the submitted documents and will vote on admission in the International Film category. A final shortlist is expected in December of this year.

Parallel to the Oscar campaign, the distribution team is planning further screenings in Western Europe. A broad theatrical release phase in Switzerland is planned by the distributor from the coming autumn.

The industry is looking with anticipation to the upcoming festival entries, including a planned presentation at the Berlin Festival. Should "Qui vit encore" reach the shortlist, this would be a significant achievement for the Swiss documentary film tradition.