Urs Augstburger

Movies

Loving Highsmith
Commissioning Editor
The story of the life, loves and work of US writer Patricia Highsmith (1921-95), told through her unpublished diaries, her own voice and that of those who knew her, both family and close friends.
Girl Gang
Producer
A contemporary fairy tale about a 14-year-old influencer from Berlin and her biggest fan. But life as a social media star has a shadow side that the adrenaline, fame and free sneakers can’t make up for.
Kind Regards From the Anthropocene
Producer
In Switzerland, four young adults explore, contemplate and, in the form of a letter, say goodbye to their favorite natural site. Stunningly beautiful forests, mountains, glaciers and lakes follow one another, like postcards trying in vain to freeze these landscapes soon transformed by the climatic catastrophes that this generation will inevitably witness. - Camille Kaiser
Burning Memories
Producer
Ale
Producer
19-year-old Alessandra is a wrestling student. As a newbie, her goal is to develop a so-called "gimmick" for herself. A ring character of her own, which should become very similar to her due to her biographical cornerstones. This film documents this development process, which at the same time also represents an inner journey of self-discovery for Alessandra. But on her way to becoming a full-fledged wrestler her life changes in an unexpected way, which forces her to grow up faster than expected.
W. - What remains of the lie
Producer
A documentary about a biography that covers an entire century: the delusion of Bruno Wilkomirski, who wrote a celebrated book about his childhood as a concentration camp victim and was later revealed. How this deception came about, how the person concerned reflects on it from the distance of almost 20 years and what it says about our country and our time.
Wolves Return
Producer
Wolves divide and fascinate us. 150 years after they were driven to extinction in Central Europe, they are returning slowly but inexorably. Are they dangerous to humans? Is it possible to coexist? Using Switzerland as a point of departure, where wolves have returned in the very recent past, this documentary sheds light on the wolf situation in Austria, eastern Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, and even Minnesota, where freely roaming packs of wolves are more common sight.
Godless Occident
Co-Producer
Europe is not a place, but an idea: Europa is a woman, and she is Greek; hers is a history so long, so full of wonders and horrors, of successes and failures, that the moral values that governed her existence have ended up changing radically over the centuries, to the point of losing any meaning and finally disappearing.
Naïma
Producer
«A heroine's quest» portrays the Muslim woman Naima Serroukh as she sets up her pilot project Tasamouh to combat religious extremism. Naima's story is told as she goes about her work as manager of the project and gives us an insight into the world of prevention work. Besides her search for financing and partners, her personal conflicts, she gives advice to distraught mothers, coaches young people and tries to provide them with support in their integration process. «A heroine's quest» paints the portrait of a strong woman, who has come to accept that progress can only be made in tiny baby steps, but at the end of the day, it's all about making life together a bit better. A portrait of an everyday heroine. An impression of the Muslim community in the fight against prejudice.
Golden Age
Producer
Who said that old age has to be boring? Golden Age opens the doors to the Palace, a retirement home of the kind that you have never seen before, in Miami. Gildings, ostentatious chandeliers, marble floors; like a cross between a luxury hotel and an Americanised copy of Versailles, the place is presented by its developers as the most beautiful retirement home in the Unites States.
Passion - Between Revolt and Resignation
Producer
Almost 50 years ago, women and men all over the word dreamed of changing the world. What is left today of the expectations and the hopes of the people that flooded the streets? Not much, unfortunately. The filmmaker examines episodes from his own life, trying to understand how they fit—if they do at all—with the major changes of the world that hint all at a catastrophe in the waiting.
Isola
Producer
We enter the film, like we access Gorgona, by the sea. A rock bristling with greenery, surrounded by the dark blue waves of the Mediterranean. On this small island between Tuscany and Corsica, there is an agricultural penal colony. The prisoners held there are free to move around, working the vines, the small pig farm or the vegetable garden surrounding the prison buildings. Here, the relationship to nature is particular and undoubtedly redeeming.
Almost There
Co-Producer
Three men embark on a journey in search of meaning and happiness in the autumn of their lives: Bob swaps his safe home for a camper van and tries to find himself in the barren Californian desert; Steve, drag queen and stand-up comedian, is fed up of England and makes amends with his past in Benidorm; Yamada rediscovers his smile by reading stories to children in Tokyo.
Zen for Nothing
Co-Producer
Hidden in the wooded mountains on the west coast of Japan lies the small Zen monastery Antaiji. A young woman sets off to immerse herself through autumn, winter and spring in the adventures of monastic life. The young woman is Sabine Timoteo from Switzerland. The abbot of the monastery is Muho Noelke, born in Berlin. An interplay between the philosophy of the Japanese Zen master Kodo Sawaki and the surprises brought forth by everyday life.
Tibetan Warrior
Co-Producer
The true story of one man's fight for freedom. For more than 60 years Tibetans have been fighting Chinese oppression. But their non-violent struggle appears to be in vain. Now, as a new form of peaceful protest, Tibetans are setting themselves on fire. Loten Namling - an exiled Tibetan and musician living in Switzerland - is deeply disturbed by such self-destructive action. So he sets off from Europe to India, on a one-man mission to meet top politicians, experts and young radicals. He himself becomes increasingly radical and is on the verge of violent protest. Finally he ends up at The Office of the Dalai Lama in India to seek the advice of the exiled Tibetan leader.
The Mistress
Line Producer
Ruža left Serbia, her country, over 30 years ago and lives in Zurich. Her daily life is a string of repetitive moments until, one day, Ana arrives on the scene and upsets Ruža's painstakingly organized world. A subtle friendship develops between the two strong willed women.