ID Swiss

Seven young Swiss filmmakers examine the idea of Switzerland and take a critical look at their own identities within it. Kamal Musale was born to a French-Swiss mother and an Indian father. An essay about the romantic blending of two cultures through a curry-raclette dinner. Wageh George grew up in Cairo, then moved to Switzerland for love. While waiting to be eligible for naturalization, he sets about discovering what he should know in order to become a 'real' Swiss citizen. Christian Davi lived for four years in the old-age home run by his mother. He documents the generation gap, and the way the immigrant staff workers view their elderly clientele. Fulvio Bernasconi is the son of Italian immigrants. A soccer match between Italy and Switzerland becomes the vehicle for examining his ambivalent feelings: which side should he be cheering for? Nadia Fares is the daughter of an Egyptian father and a Bernese mother. A search for her roots, between the valleys of the Nile and the Emmental. Stina Werenfels was raised a Protestant until the questions about her Jewish background started. A look both ironic and serious at the criteria for Jewish identity, with the filmmaker herself bravely playing the role of test subject. Tomas Thumena, a native of Zurich, spent six years as a student in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. He examines the legendary gap between French- and German-speaking Swiss, using the example of soldiers in basic training.