«Becoming»: A Cinematic Tribute to Extraordinary Life Stories: Pia Kiviaho-Kallio — Lecturer and Ballet Dancer, Finland
With «Becoming,» the Institut Montana Switzerland presents a series of film portraits featuring nine individuals whose time on the Zugerberg marked a defining turning point in their lives. We are showing all the portraits as a series.
The nine portraits are a highlight of the Montana Institute’s 100th anniversary. They vividly demonstrate that extraordinary life journeys cannot simply be planned—they arise from curiosity, openness, and the courage to forge one’s own path.
The concept for the series was developed by Kurt Schmid, founder of FairFactory, in collaboration with the Institut Montana. For the film production, the Institut Montana enlisted award-winning filmmaker Sandeep Abraham as director.
Yahya Hassan Bajwa — Lecturer and Social Entrepreneur
Marc Forster — Film Director, Screenwriter, Producer
Tom Hanan — Swiss Entrepreneur
Cary Harrison — U.S. Radio Broadcaster, Los Angeles
Guel Huergel — Fashion Designer, Istanbul
John Kerry — U.S. Senator | 2004 Presidential Candidate | 68th Secretary of State
Pia Kiviaho-Kallio — Lecturer and Ballet Dancer, Finland
Geza Scholtz — Dentist, Explorer, and Adventurer
Marie-France Tschudin — President, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, 2019–2022
Montana Zugerberg Institute: Alex Biner (Chairman of the Board, Executive Producer), Aline Kaspar (Head of Marketing, Project Advisor), Katherin Noor (Marketing Assistant), Jarryd Lowder (Photo Archive) FairFactory: Kurt Schmid (Founder, «Becoming» Concept & Producer) Sandeep Abraham Film Production: Sandeep Abraham (Production, Direction & DoP), Luis Oliveira, Laurent Falkenberg, Ben Reusser & Sascha Felix (Camera), Shaun Waldie (Gaffer), Jean-Michel Thomet, Dieter Meyer & Cavit Serhad Gün (Sound), Halil Baskut (Production Assistant), Luis Oliveira, Sandeep Abraham & Marco Strihic (Editing) Recording studio: Hastings Switzerland & Handcraft Studio Composition: Michael Künstle & Matteo Pagamici.
