Small community made a world star
The Zurich Oberland doesn't have the glamour of Istanbul or South Australia. A promotional film about Gossau shows that the town still has a lot to offer—and doesn’t shy away from admitting where it falls short. The village of 9,600 residents thus unexpectedly shone at an international tourism film award.
The 17-minute image film about Gossau was surprisingly named one of the eight best tourism films in the world at the 2014 Grand Prix of the Comité International des Festivals du Film Touristique (CIFFT) in Vienna. Werbewoche spoke to director Roland Koch about modest budgets, compelling stories and life in the countryside.
WW: Your film beat 1500 competitors to make it into the eight nominees - alongside films about Istanbul, South Australia and Dubai. How did you manage that with your small film about a small Swiss community?
Cook: I was wondering the same thing. According to the jurors, it was the story. Tourism films usually rely on elaborate technical effects and bombastic images that are strung together and accompanied by music. Instead, I used simple means to tell a story that is resolved humorously at the end. It's about a director who believes he needs a big star for his image film about Gossau. While this star takes his time in make-up, the director begins to talk about Gossau. In the end, it turns out that the film doesn't need a star at all - because Gossau itself is the star.
You had a budget of 70,000 francs for the film. Would you have made a completely different movie if the budget had been bigger?
Especially with small budgets, you can't avoid developing a good idea so that you can work towards it with the available resources. This may even be easier if you have a small budget. Big budgets tempt you to create ideas for which you can use the available money. Elaborate effects alone don't make a movie better. But sometimes I would have liked to have invested more time in order to capture a very specific lighting mood in the landscape shots, for example.
What were the requirements of the municipality of Gossau?
The municipality's only requirement was to show the most beautiful sides of Gossau. But we didn't stage anything that wasn't there. It's an honest image film, for example about the outlets for young people in the village. There is only one youth club in Gossau, "grossi Gümp macht das nöd", which is how the film describes the local nightlife. Gossau can score points with other strengths.
You shot almost exclusively with non-professionals. What do you have to watch out for?
It is important that non-professional actors are not forced into an unfamiliar role or even made to perform a memorized text. If a mayor has to talk about the advantages of his community in front of the camera, it quickly comes across as stilted and wooden. We deliberately omitted such scenes and used a professional actor for the only speaking role, Peter Fischli. The amateurs in the film don't play roles, they play themselves.
Everyone associates certain ideas with Dubai or Istanbul. Is it more challenging to highlight what is unique about Gossau?
I think both would be equally challenging for me. If I got a film commission from Dubai, I would also want to show the nooks and crannies, the things that make the city authentic and likeable. To do that, I would have to scratch the surface of the usual points of interest. Perhaps as a director you even have more freedom to make a movie about an unknown place like Gossau - because there are no preconceived clichés.
How did people in the international environment of the award react to the film?
Of course, this was the first time many people had heard of Gossau. The reactions of the viewers were consistently positive, they found the community likeable. One juror from Berlin was even keen to get to know Gossau. He actually traveled to the Zurich Oberland and visited the village.
How well do you know life in the countryside from your own experience and what do you like about it?
I live in Flaach in the Zurich wine country. What I like about living in the countryside is that it's manageable and people know each other. It's also a nice balance to my everyday working life. When I take on photo assignments or work with large film crews, things are often hectic. I can take a deep breath in the countryside.
Interview: Simone Isliker
In a nutshell
The image film "Gossau ZH - the liveable municipality in the Zurich Oberland" was produced by director Roland Koch and screenwriter Flavien Allenspach on behalf of the municipality of Gossau. It has won eight international awards at festivals around the world, qualifying it for the final, the 2014 Grand Prix of the Comité International des Festivals du Film Touristique (CIFFT) in Vienna. There he unexpectedly made it into the eight nominees.
