On the 8th of June 2017 the filming for Samir's latest feature film «Baghdad in My Shadow» will commence. After his successful and touching documentary «Iraqi Odyssey» he will now set about a new feature film for which he co-wrote the script with Furat Al Jamil.

The film is a Swiss-German-English coproduction by Dschoint Ventschr, Coin Film, and Ipso Facto Films. The main characters will be portrayed by first-rate Iraqi actors such as Haytham Al Jadah (Taufiq), Zahraa Ghandour (Amal), and Awatif Salman (Samira). Moreover, the English actor Daniel Adegboyega (Elliot) and the German Maxim Mehmet (Sven) will be part of the cast as well. 

Content:
Taufiq, an old failed writer, Amal, a wife hiding and Muhanad, a clandestine gay IT-specialist all meet at „Abu Nawas“, a cosy café and popular hangout for Iraqi exiles in London. Instigated by the preacher of a salafist mosque, the writer’s nephew Nasseer, a fanatic religious youth, attacks his uncle and turns everyone’s life upside down.

The 52th edition of the Solothurn Film Festival will take place from January 19 to 26. Four films produced by Dschoint Ventschr will be screened this year at the festival, including two world premieres: «unerhört jenisch», a documentary by Karoline Arn and Martina Rieder as well as the animadoc «1917 - der wahre Oktober» by Katrin Rothe. «Stille Reserven» by Valentin Hitz and Marc Wilkins short film «Bon Voyage» will also be shown. The directors will be present at the festival and take place in a Q&A after the screenings.

Screenings:

«unerhört jenisch» by Martina Rieder and Karoline Arn
Friday, January 20th 2017, 9:00pm, Reithalle (world premiere)
Monday, January 23rd 2017, 12:30am, Reithalle

«1917 - Der wahre Oktober» von Katrin Rothe 
Saturday January 21st 2017, 5:30pm, Capitol (world premiere)

«Bon Voyage» by Marc Wilkins
Wednesday, January 18th 2017, 7:30 pm, Reithalle (special screening, free entry)
Saturday, January 21st 2017, 9:30 am, Canva
Monday, January 23rd 2017, 9:00 pm, Canva

«Stille Reserven» by Valentin Hitz
Friday, January 20th 2017, 8:45pm, Konzertsaal
Wednesday, January 25th 2017, 8:30pm, Canva Club

Jan-Eric Mack’s short film «Facing Mekka» will be shot from the 12^th to the 20^th of November. The script has been written by Anna Schinz and Jan-Eric Mack. 

Content:
Volunteer Roli successfully supports the refugee Farred in bringing his dead wife back to his home town in order to bury her there. Farred and his daughters hope to be able to start a new life in Switzerland after the burial.

The short film is a co-production with the Zurich University of Arts and the Swiss Radio and Television SRF. Peter Freiburghaus, Ruth Schwegler and the Syrian actor Jay Abdo are starring in the film.

The shooting of Christine Repond’s new film «Vacuum» has begun on the 9^th of November. After her debut film «Silver Forest» this is the second time she has worked with Dschoint Ventschr.

Content:
Meredith and André have been a happily married couple for more than 35 years. In the course of a medical exam, she learns that she is HIV-positive and her husband is the only one who could have transmitted the disease.

The film co-stars Barbara Auer (Meredith) and Robert Hunger-Bühler (André). «Vacuum» is co-produced by the Swiss Television, the Zurich Film Foundation, and the Federal Office of Culture. The principal photography will be carried out in the region of Zurich up until the 22^nd of December.