At the Locarno Film Festival 2021 he was nominated for the Golden Leopard and received an honorable mention, at the Film Festival Max Ophüls Preis 2022 he is in the feature film competition - and now the work of Lorenz Merz is in eight categories in the race for a Quartz, like this Federal Office of Culture (FOC) announced at this year's "Night of Nominations".
(blick.ch) SWISS FILM PRIZE: "Soul of a Beast" breaks the record with eight film award nominations
That has never happened before: "The Soul of a Beast" by Lorenz Merz has been nominated eight times for the Swiss Film Prize 2022. Who else can still hope for Quartz trophies was announced on Monday evening at the 57th Solothurn Film Festival.
"Soul of a Beast" has been nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Score, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Sound.
With six nominations, Frédéric Baillif's «La Mif» also has a considerable number of film awards within reach. The winner of the Focus competition at the Zurich Film Festival 2021 could also be named the best Swiss feature film of the year. He is also fighting for trophies in the categories Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Claudia Grob), Best Supporting Actress (twice with Charlie Areddy and Anaïs Uldry) and Best Montage.
Baillif's social drama takes place in a home where a group of girls from broken families meet and find a new family: "La Mif". In fact, the leaders are like their new parents. Director Lora's highest credo is that the sometimes severely traumatized teenagers find protection and security. But the drama continues.
The feature films “Sturm: Until we are dead or free” by Oliver Rihs and “And tomorrow you are dead” by Michael Steiner were honored with a total of three nominations for the performance of the leading actors. Two-time Quartz winner Sven Schelker ("And tomorrow you're dead") and "Stürm" actor Joel Basman, who also has a Swiss film award on his shelf, compete with "Soul of a Beast" actor Pablo Caprez.
Marie Leuenberger, who embodies Stürm's lawyer Barbara Hug and has also won two Swiss film awards, has been nominated for Best Actress with Ella Rumpf ("Soul of a Beast") and Claudia Grob ("La Mif"). "And tomorrow you're dead" can also hope for a Quartz in the categories Best Film Music and Best Camera.
"Olga", the Swiss-French co-production by Elie Grappe, which was entered as a Swiss entry in this year's race for the Oscar abroad, but then didn't make it onto the shortlist, can hope again with two nominations.
The story of a young gymnast who wants to secure a place in the Swiss national team while the Maidan uprising breaks out in Ukraine and upsets the life of the native Ukrainian is in the running for Best Feature Film and Best Screenplay.
"Wet Sand" by Elene Naveriani and "Azor" by Andreas Fontana (also nominated for Best Screenplay, Best Camera and Best Sound) also qualified for the title of Best Feature Film.