58. International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg
5.-15. November, 2009

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Prize of the Ecumenical Jury

The Ecumenical Jury at the 58th International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg awards its prize, carrying a prize money of 1500.- €, to the film

Cœur animal (Animal Heart)
by Séverine Cornamusaz, Switzerland 2009

Motivation:
In the austere world of the Swiss Alps the relationship between a dairy farmer and his wife takes a dramatic turn with the arrival of a Spanish farm hand. With the nuanced portrayal of the characters in their physicality and the masterly use of filmic means, Séverine Cornamusaz has achieved a piece of art of universal importance. Archaic nature is the backdrop to the fragile beginnings of a process of humanisation.

Synopsis:
Paul lives in the Swiss mountains near the timberline. He loves his wife even less than his animals. Rosine has to work for him, always in danger of being raped as if she was his animal property. When he employs a new Spanish seasonal worker things start to change. The "Spaniard" increases the villagers' quality of life. A new wind blows over the farm, yet Paul experiences the feeling of jealousy for the first time. He beats up his wife almost to death. An emergency helicopter brings her to the hospital down in the valley. It's only now that Paul realises that he misses his wife, that he might actually love her and that he cannot continue living with an "animal heart". He has to fight for her eventually. (Festival information)

Members of the Jury:
Manfred Koch, president (Germany)
David Fonjallaz (Switzerland)
Dorothea Schmitt-Hollstein (Germany)
Bernadette Meier (Switzerland)
Lothar Strüber (Germany)