Echoes of Home
Most people react to yodelling just like Christian Zehnder – embarrassment stemming from the suggestive image of Tyrolean men singing in lederhosen and feathered hats. However, this film’s ability to shrug off this stereotype enables audiences to get a different view of the specific vocal form cultivated by residents of the Alps. To Zehnder, just like to two other protagonists, this kind of musical expression becomes a mystical experience allowing unity with nature and constituting a point of departure for deeper musical explorations.
awards
Berlin IFF 2007 – C.I.C.A.E. Award; Athens IFF 2007 – Best Music & Film Award Golden Athena; Festival Internacional San Luis Cine 2007 – Best Documentary; Swiss Film Prize 2008 – Best Documentary
Stefan Schwietert
Stefan Schwietert was born in 1961 in the German town of Esslingen, but grew up in Therwil, Switzerland. His first filmmaking experience came in the 1980s at Globo TV, where he worked as an assistant in the musical film department. In 1983, Schwietert travelled to the USA, where he attended the California Art Institute, San Francisco. In 1984–1990, he studied at the Academy of Film and Television in Berlin and subsequently established the Neapel Film production company. His documentary films have always focused on uncommon musicians, instruments and their stories.
Selected filmography
1986 Das Topolino Projekt (short)
1996 A Tickle in the Heart (doc.)
2000 El acordeón del diablo
2004 Schwarze Madonna (doc.)
2005 Accordion Tribe (doc.)
2007 Ojczyste dźwięki / Heimatklänge / Echoes of Home (doc.)
2012 Bałkańskie melodie / Balkan Melodie / Balkan Melody (doc.)