“My Name is Eugen” wins best Swiss film

Michael Steiner, right, and co-producer Andi Huber celebrate their success Keystone

The comedy "Mein Name ist Eugen" (My Name is Eugen) has won the best fiction film at Switzerland's cinema awards, announced in Solothurn on Wednesday.

The prize for best documentary went to Fernand Melgar’s “Exit – Das Recht zu sterben” (Exit – The Right to Die), while Carlos Leal won best actor for his role in “Snow White”.

The Swiss Film Prize is awarded every January at the Solothurn Film Festival. The awards are intended to promote the Swiss film industry.

Best film and best documentary prizes are both worth SFr60,000 ($46,745). The best short film prize went to “Terra Incognita” by Peter Volkhart.

Filmkollectiv Zurich was honoured with the Special Jury Prize for its film “Klingenhof”.

The jury is made up of experts from the worlds of culture, film and the media.

Box-office success

The adaptation of the famous 1960s Swiss children’s novel My Name is Eugen has been an enormous box-office success in Switzerland. The film was directed by Michael Steiner and produced by Peter-Christian Fueter.

The duo’s latest film – “Grounding” – is a dramatisation of the collapse of the country’s former national airline, Swissair, in 2001.

Exit, the Right to Die deals with the sensitive subject of euthanasia, following volunteers who support seriously ill people who have decided to end their lives.

The 41st Solothurn Film Festival runs until January 22. By the end of the week, 200 new Swiss films will have been presented, including 27 feature films and 45 documentaries.

Now in its ninth year, the Swiss Film Prize is organised by the Federal Culture Office, in association with the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, Swiss Films, the Solothurn Film Festival, Nyon and Locarno Film Festivals.

swissinfo with agencies

Key facts

The 2006 Swiss Film Prize winners:
Best Fiction Film (SFr60,000): Mein Name ist Eugen
Best Documentary Film (SFr60,000): Exit – Das Recht zu Sterben
Best Short Film (SFr30,000): Terra Incognita
Best Performance in a Leading Role (SFr15,000): Carlos Leal in Snow White
Best Performance in a Supporting Role (SFr15,000): Marthe Keller in Fragile
Special Jury Prize (SFr20,000): Klingenhof