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Schwizgebel Georges
Born in 1944, in Reconvilier, Switzerland, animation director Georges Schwizgebel has created a remarkably original body of work. His films - whose technical execution is always masterful - are marked by a playful approach to narrative, spectacular formalism, and the intermingling of visuals and music.
Schwizgebel studied fine arts, and In 1971 co-founded the GDS studio in Geneva, along with filmmakers Daniel Suter and Claude Luyet. In 1974, he released his first film, Le vol d'Icare. It launched a career that currently numbers 16 films, which have gone on to win numerous awards at prestigious international festivals such as Cannes, Annecy, Zagreb, Hiroshima, Stuttgart, Ottawa and Espinho. He has also been the subject of many retrospectives world-wide.
Schwizgebel used rotoscoping in his first films, but abandoned the technique in favour of freer visual language combined with stunning narrative forms. La course à l'abîme (1994) is regularly cited as one of the finest animated films of all time.
In 2004, Schwizgebel began a fruitful collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada, which has resulted, so far, in four co-produced films: L'homme sans ombre (2004), Jeu (2006), Retouches (2008) and Romance (2011).
