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FILMS Switzerland

Unknown Territory, the sincere account of an extraordinary adventure

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- The graduation film of promising filmmaker Anna Thommen continues to shine, bringing home another important prize, the SOS-Documentarfilmpreis, from the DOK.fest in Munich

Unknown Territory, the sincere account of an extraordinary adventure

After already making a name for herself at home and abroad – she has appeared in competition at the prestigious Solothurn Film Festival and took home the First Step Award at the Berlinale in 2013 – it is now the turn of Unknown Territory [+see also:
trailer
film profile
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to put in appearance at the DOK.fest in Munich. The jury recognised the universality of one of the film’s themes – integration in Europe –, which stretches beyond Swiss borders and is an issue at the heart of every host country. A highly topical theme that brings with it a whole array of emotions, contradictions and endless questions that have yet to be answered. Without ever falling into the trap of easy sentimentalism, Unknown Territory succeeds in instilling a sense of courage and hope, allowing us to face our own preconceptions (voiced or repressed) through complete immersion in a world that we often only see from afar.

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Mr. Zigg, a professor who teaches one of the many integration classes held in Basel, becomes the linchpin around which young people teetering on the border between a life they have had to leave behind, often against their will, and an uncertain and daunting future in a place that is initially not at all friendly, gravitate. Over the space of two years Professor Zigg tries to help these young people, who come from all over the world, with their integration into a completely foreign culture. His job is to explain how Switzerland works (a monumental task!), and he does so in a smart way, aware of how hard it is to adapt to rules that often become the source of great frustration. The professor looks at the reality of the situation head-on; he deals with the preconceptions that inevitably surround him with a clear head and sensitivity, fighting with all his might to make sure his students find some glimmer of hope. In a constant whirlwind of rejection, the desire to flee, and the realisation of the possibilities a future in Switzerland holds for them, Mr. Zigg’s students fight their own traumas, trying as best they can to carve out a place for themselves in the new society that has opened its arms to them. A hard and difficult process that Professor Zigg experiences everyday, a self-imposed burden that he makes into a shared enriching experience. Awareness, listening and sharing, these are the watchwords for breaking down the barriers that separate us from the “other”.

The encounter between Anna Thomen and Professor Zigg was no accident. Before working on Unknown Territory, the Swiss director had the opportunity to “study” Mr. Zigg for three long years as part of a pedagogical project on the media (Medienpädägogischen Filmprojekt). This familiarity, this intimacy, is palpable in the film which, as the director herself says, was a sort of demonstration of the facts. Unknown Territory is not “only” the account of two years of work, but is mainly about Anna Themmen facing her preconceptions. How do you go about observing these kids with such different futures ahead of them? How can you tell their stories, convey what they’ve been through, which is complex and so far removed from our own reality? Unknown Territory tackles these questions with great candour, in search of not only the keys to understanding these kids, but also and above all to understand ourselves, to face our own fears. It is with great sensitivity and intelligence that Anna Thommen succeeds in the extraordinary undertaking of getting close to the “other”. Through the stories of Nazielije, Eshanullah and Hamidullah, Unknown Territory talks to us about the destiny of all immigrants, and does so in such an irresistible yet sincere way that it is thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. A real “tour de force”.

Unknown Territory is being sold internationally by Rise and Shine.

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(Translated from Italian)

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