Talking to Luisa Ricar

You co-write series, make advertising films, documentaries, music videos and feature films. What attracts you to this multitude of different projects?

Depending on the content of the film and the target group, different formats come into play. What's more, I've never been able to limit myself to a single format or genre, and I've always wanted to do everything. I appreciate the diversity and the different possibilities offered by these different formats.

Is there an outstanding figure whose scripts or cinematographic works fascinate you?

Probably always the director I'm lucky enough to be working with at the time.

This spring, your documentary “CLUB PLATTE 27 - UNDERGROUND EXPLOSION” received a six-figure grant from the Zürcher Filmstiftung (Zurich Film Foundation). What is it all about? What else do you need to make the film possible? 

In the 60s and 70s, “Platte 27” was Zurich's most legendary club, a hub for contemporary art, rebellious culture and political debate. I want to tell the story of this place from the point of view of a young cultural creator who is herself active in the nightlife scene. As the club's founders are still alive, we want to seize the opportunity and start filming as soon as possible. All that's left is to get the approval by Swiss TV SRF and then we can start filming!

What other projects are you working on at the moment? 

One of the projects I'm most excited about is PIRATAK - the fictionalisation of the story of Nekane Txapartegi. The Basque activist fled to Switzerland and lived there for several years in hiding. As the subject of an international arrest warrant, she was arrested and imprisoned for 17 months, which separated her from her daughter, who was six years old at the time. While continuing her feminist struggle from behind bars, Nekane is trying to rebuild her damaged relationship with her daughter.

Another project is currently being codirected with Marisa Meier and Franziska Sonder. The documenatary TINY KITTEN VS. 2NARY SYSTEM is a portrait of the world of hacker and activist Maia Arson Crimew. The woman from Lucerne fights without fear against injustice on the Internet and, despite the repression, she is not all afraid of the main players. But in addition to the FBI, which wants to extradite her, Maia has to face financial problems, because hacktivism is no way to make a living.

Your films arent’t lacking in a political element. What are you trying to achieve with your projects? 

With my films, I want to make socially important issues accessible to as many people as possible through an emotional and captivating narrative. Ideally, this creates awareness and empathy for other realities and motivates viewers to become more involved in making the world a better place.

What's the moment you don't want to miss on the set or in the writing room?

The raw energy that emerges when the world we create together becomes the supreme reference for everyone in the writing room, so that hinge points, subordinate propositions or locations can become subjects of dispute, as if everything were at stake.

You attach great importance to raising awareness. Has the Swiss film landscape changed in this respect?

It certainly has. Of course, tools such as diversity checklists or the hiring of an intimacy coordinator for sex scenes, which may be perceived by some as a hindrance or a source of irritation, are a valuable help. But it's always good to be cautious with each other, and as these discourses gain relevance in society, this is fortunately also manifesting itself in the Swiss film landscape. This is a reality both behind and in front of the camera.