Longwave
A prolific filmmaker and author of a trilogy, the final installment of which will be screened for the first time in Quebec as part of this retrospective, Lionel Baier is one of the leading figures in French-language Swiss cinema today. His political and intimate work also reflects a concern for formal renewal that is attuned to the reality of his time.
In the presence of Lionel Baier
Presented as part of the CINÉMANIA Festival
April 1974. Two radio journalists are sent to Portugal to report on Swiss aid in the country. Bob, a technician nearing retirement, accompanies them in his trusty VW van. But once there, nothing goes as planned: tensions run high between Julie, a feminist, and Cauvin, a roguish war reporter. The goodwill of Pelé, a young Portuguese translator, is to no avail: the small team throws in the towel. But the winds of History push the VW van into the heart of the Carnation Revolution, forcing this team of indolent adventurers to take part, body and soul, in the crazy night of April 24, 1974.
Lionel Baier
Lionel Baier is a Swiss filmmaker born in Lausanne in 1975. His filmography comprises of both fiction and documentary films of various formats. Between 1996 and 2000, he worked as a first assistant director for several filmmakers, including Jacqueline Veuve and Jean-Stéphane Bron. He directed his first short film, Mignon à croquer, in 1999. However, he gained public recognition with his debut feature-length film, Celui du pasteur (2000), a documentary about his father. In 2004, he directed his first feature-length fiction film, Garçon stupide, followed by a tetralogy of films devoted to Europe, seen from every cardinal point. In 2015, his comedy about assisted suicide, La vanité, received four nominations at the Swiss Film Awards. In 2025, he released La cache, which is screening at the CINEMANIA festival in Montreal.
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