This year at the Academy Awards, Switzerland is in the running with at least one nomination: Parvaneh. Originally a master thesis project for the Zurich University of the Arts, this short film by director Talkhon Hamzavi has been nominated for "Best Short"!

Compared to other countries, Switzerland is not really known for its original or even commercial movies. But nevertheless, there have been quite a few hits that we want to bring to your attention. (We will spare you the misses.)

Have fun - or cry tears - with these seven Swiss movies worth watching!

Der Verdingbub - The Foster Boy

This captivating drama by Markus Imboden sheds light on a dark chapter in Swiss history. For generations, some 100'000 orphans and children of single mothers were placed on farms for cheap labor. It is the story of orphan Max who always wanted to be part of a "real" family. Before he knows it, his dream seems to become true as he is adopted by a Bernese farmer family...

Our full review of Der Verdingbub - The Foster Boy.





Der Goalie bin ig

Set in the late eighties, hedonistic Ernst (whom everyone calls Goalie) returns to the small town where he grew up. He has just spent a year in prison and wants a new start - this time without drugs.

Our full review of Der Goalie bin ig.





Lovely Louise

A melodramatic comedy about André, an adult who still lives with his 80-year-old mother Louise, an actress. Leading an unspectacular life as a taxi driver, André is too shy to speak to the woman working at the wurst stand. But then, a stranger appears at their door: Bill, a charismatic man from the United States. André's placid live is about to be turned upside down...

Our full review of Lovely Louise.





Schweizer Helden - Swiss Heroes

This low budget production tells the story of Sabine, a housewife who has recently recently separated from her husband. In order to keep herself busy during the Christmas season and gain recognition from her family, she stages the story of William Tell. The protagonists? A group of asylum seekers...

Our full review of Schweizer Helden - Swiss Heroes.





Rosie

A crowd-pleasing feel good comedy that still tackles serious issues like gay love. Rosie is the story of Lorenz, a successful gay author suffering from acute writers' block, and his mother Rosie. Having to leave Berlin in order to care for his aging mother, Lorenz discovers that he is suddenly stuck in his small home town of Altstätten.

Our full review of Rosie.





Der Imker - The Beekeeper

This is the moving account of a Kurdish beekeeper who has lost everything in the turmoil of the Turkish-Kurdish war: His wife and children, his homeland and - with the loss of over 500 colonies of bees - also his livelihood. The only thing remaining is his love of bees and his unwavering trust in individual human beings. The story takes the beekeeper all the way to Switzerland where he will find a way back to his passion.

Our full review of Der Imker - The Beekeeper.





Achtung, Fertig, WK!

This slapstick comedy for adolescent teens has plenty of grown-up jokes. In order to please the father of his pregnant girlfriend Anna, young Alex must overcome three weeks in the Swiss military with no proper training...

Our full review of Achtung, Fertig, WK!