No trace of Bruno Manser has been found since he went missing in 2000
Keystone
This year's ‘Filmmaker Award’ at the Zurich Film Festival has been given to the team behind 'Paradise War' about Swiss environmentalist and campaigner Bruno Manser.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/mga
The prize of CHF100,000 ($103,000) was awarded by the Association for the Promotion of Film in Switzerland. The film, directed by Niklaus Hilber and produced by Valentin Greutert, charts Manser’s campaign against forest destruction and political oppression of indigenous people in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Manser lived with the Penan tribe in Sarawak between 1984 and 1990, organising blockades against timber companies. He disappeared during his last visit to the country in 2000 and was officially declared dead by the Swiss authorities five years later.
In 1991, he set up the Swiss NGO Bruno Manser FundExternal link, which to this day campaigns against rainforest destruction around the world.
The award – the third year it has been presented – was handed out at the IWC Gala Evening at the 13th Zurich Film FestivalExternal link on Saturday.
Popular Stories
More
Workplace Switzerland
What lies ahead for Switzerland: an economic outlook for 2025
Have you heard something about Swiss diplomacy that you’d like us to fact check?
Not all information circulating about Switzerland’s foreign relations is accurate or well understood. Tell us what you'd like us to fact check or clarify.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
A moving homage to Bruno Manser
This content was published on
17 years ago, Bruno Manser, a Swiss campaigner for the rights of the Penan nomads of Sarawak, Malaysia, disappeared without a trace.
This content was published on
Basel author Ruedi Suter slogged his way across leech-filled mud trying to retrace the steps of the late Swiss rainforest activist Bruno Manser.
This content was published on
Corruption is the driving force behind the destruction of the Malaysian rainforests and the displacement of indigenous people, says a new book.
This content was published on
He became a household name in Switzerland in the 1990s when he staged a 60-day hunger strike outside the Swiss parliament to highlight the plight of the Penan. Manser disappeared in the Malaysian jungle in 2000, and a Swiss court declared him dead five years later. The work he began continues through the Bruno Manser…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.