Photo: Laura Morales with Hoyte van Hoytema.
To mark the European Film Awards coming to Lucerne in 2024, FOCAL (the Foundation for Professional Training in Cinema and Audiovisual Media) is running a ‘Meet your Inspiration’ programme that pairs Swiss film professionals with members of the European Film Academy who inspire them.
These encounters, which take the form of mentorships, offer ten Swiss filmmakers the chance to connect with well-known European experts from their field. ‘Meet your Inspiration‘ is part of the supporting programme for the European Film Awards Lucerne 2024, coordinated by the Federal Office of Culture. FOCAL especially promotes mentorships in the fields of screenwriting, cinematography, composition, acting, editing and sound. The mentees and their mentors meet twice, with an encounter set to take place at the Award Show in Lucerne in December.
The following accounts give an insight into the first mentoring meet-ups that have already taken place.
In July, camerawoman Laura Morales met Dutch cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema on the set of a commercial in London. Van Hoytema has worked on films including Dunkirk and Oppenheimer even winning the Oscar for Best Cinematography for the latter.
“During this three-day shadowing opportunity on the set of a Christmas commercial in London, I had the chance to closely observe the work of director of photography Hoyte Van Hoytema as well as his crew. As a Swiss cinematographer at the beginning of my career, I am very grateful for this opportunity. It allowed me to experience a project of such scale and budget—something quite rare in the small Swiss film industry. Most importantly, it gave me the chance to meet Hoyte Van Hoytema, whose work I greatly admire.” -Laura Morales
An encounter took place between Andrea Padovan and sound mixer Robert Hefter at the Basis Berlin Studios in September. Hefter has worked on films such as A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence by Roy Andersson and spent three days mentoring Andrea Padovan.
“Without a doubt, Robert’s working methods and philosophy have been a major inspiration for me. In just three days, I learned and experienced so much. I’m sure that his approach and mindset will hugely benefit me in my future career and that I’ll often look back on this time.” -Andrea Padovan
Robert Hefter (left) with Andrea Padovan at the Basis Berlin Studios
Swiss actress and screenwriter Lia von Blarer (KaDeWe: Our Time Is Now)met actor, screenwriter and director Sebastian Schipper (Victoria)in Berlin to find out how he moved from acting to screenwriting and directing.
“The mentorship programme run by the European Film Academy and FOCAL gave me the chance to meet Sebastian Schipper – an encounter that was all about mutual respect and openness. I found the experience creatively very inspiring. I’m delighted that I was able to take part in this scheme and grow as a filmmaker in this inspiring and safe space. A big thank you to FOCAL and the European Film Academy!” -Lia von Blarer
Lia von Blarer with Sebastian Schipper.
FOCAL facilitates these encounters and covers the costs for the following mentors and mentees:
Silvio Buchmeier and Xavier « Xavi » Font (composition)
Pascal Reinmann and Ole Birkeland (cinematography)
Laura Morales and Hoyte van Hoytema (cinematography)
Andrea Padovan and Robert Hefter (sound post-production)
Lia von Blarer and Sebastian Schipper (acting/screenwriting/direction)
Natascha Vavrina and Christopher Aoun (cinematography)
Isabelle Simmen and Arnau Valls Colomer (cinematography)
Zoë Bayer and Björn Olaf Johannessen (screenwriting)
Maya Baur and Yvonne Stenberg (sound post-production)
Kathleen Moser and Nina Hartstone (sound editing/sound design)