Everyday Heroines
Synopsis
One year after the national women’s strike, the issue of equality is far from settled. In the collective documentary LES NOUVELLES ÉVES, six filmmakers delve into the everyday lives of six women from different professions and explore what it means to be a woman in today’s Switzerland. Alternating glimpses into the lives of these “everyday heroines” show how the protagonists consciously resist role attributions and fight for their personal goals – even against social barriers. An exciting and illuminating look at a highly topical subject.
| Duration | 80 minutes |
| Format | DCP / 5.1 |
| Languages | Swiss German, German, French, Italian |
| Subtitles | German, English, French, Italian |
| Distribution CH | First Hand Films |
Trailer
Festivals
- World premiere at the Zurich Film Festival 2021
- International premiere at the Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis 2022 – Documentary film competition
Awards
- Winner of the Migros Kulturprozent documentary competition in January 2019.
- Winner of the Innerschweizer Filmpreis 2023.
Theatrical release dates
Press / Reviews
Migros Kulturprozent article by Pierre Wüthrich (05.11.2021)
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Radio X Interview “Heldinnen des Alltags auf der grossen Leinwand” with Thaïs Odermatt and Anna Thommen (directors) by Nicolas Laube.
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The road might still be long, but ‘Les Nouvelles Èves’ shows us that a reality beyond gender stereotypes is nonetheless possible, necessary, even.
Muriel del Don, Cineuropa
The second great national women’s strike was two and a half years ago, but the documentary Les Nouvelles Èves now provides a worthy cinematic tribute to it. […] Thus, glimpses into the lives of retired Lugano woman Valeria Kepner, Basel canteen worker Naima Cuica, Lausanne professor Sophie Swaton, Zurich opera singer Sela Bieri, Geneva student Delphine Rozmuski and Bern student Cosima Scheck are skilfully woven together into an expressive whole.
Noemi Ehrat, Filmbulletin
And so “Les nouvelles Èves” manages to do even more than just demonstrating how women live in today’s society. It manages to illuminate these very hidden ideas. And it amazes. […] Despite the frightening realisation that the root of the problem lies deeper, the Swiss documentary motivates and instills hope. The six women live on as usual, but fight, each in her own way, against those classic role attributions.
Nathalie Reichel, Basler Zeitung
A wonderful kaleidoscope of warm, fresh and confident femininity!
Natalie Fritz, Katholisches Medienzentrum
Six filmmakers join forces to portray six women in Switzerland: filming began in June 2020, one year after the national women’s strike. The documentary explores what the protagonists are motivated by and what concerns them: What hurdles do they face, what defines their everyday lives? The women challenge role attributions, shatter clichés and have a power that is contagious.
Alisa Fäh, 20 Minuten
The result is a work that is thought-provoking in a straightforward way, without much embellishment or judgment. “Les Nouvelles Èves” works without an introduction or an ending, without interviews or commentaries. Just these six women in the midst of their daily lives…
Vanessa Büchel, Bolero Magazin
From a young girl to a retiree: six Swiss directors each devote themselves to one protagonist in this collective film on the subject of women’s equality. […] In the editing process, the six different strands were woven together to form an “overview of the gender inequalities that still exist in our country”. The editing by Anja Bombelli (“Burning Memories”) is clever. Through this interweaving, the film points beyond individual fates, and the editing establishes surprising connections.
Regina Grüter, Luzerner Zeitung
The documentary raises the volume of quiet voices: sometimes what is shown and said is familiar from one’s own experiences, at other times it makes one sit up and take notice. However, all in all the observation remains: the voices that are being heard here are too often lost in the public discourse. That alone makes this film relevant.
Georges Wyrsch, SRF
A few dozen women collaborated on this project, creating a well-rounded, beautiful, light-hearted, entertaining picture of women’s lives in Switzerland today that quietly ensures that we continue to address the topic.
Hanspeter Stalder, der-andere-film.ch
Film portraits of Swiss women – They cope with everyday stress and death scenes: From a nurse to an opera singer, “Les nouvelles Èves” features portraits of six women by six women. […] These and other stories result in a contemporary record with fascinating insights.
Gregor Schenker, Tagesanzeiger
The documentary portrays six women of various age groups and backgrounds living in Switzerland. Despite the stereotypical views of women that Naima, Délphine, Cosima, Sela, Sophie and Valeria encounter in their everyday lives, they all try to follow their own path with the means they have at their disposal. The filmmakers succeed in expressing this ” being on the move” in a poetic way.
Clara Willers, Volksstimme
Il est dans l’air du temps de remettre en question l’héritage souvent pesant du patriarcat; ces femmes qui subissent cette construction sociale aujourd’hui bousculent les idées reçues avec finesse. Les cinéastes présentent cette mosaïque dans une tournée romande: ce soir jeudi à Pully, puis à Monthey, Orbe, Payerne etc.
Cécile Lecoultre, Natacha Rossel und Matthieu Chenal, 24heures
Les Nouvelles Eves brosse le portrait de plusieurs générations de femmes dans notre pays. Il y a par exemple Valeria Kepner, une retraitée tessinoise composant avec une maigre pension, Sophie Swaton, professeure à l’Université de Lausanne jonglant entre sa carrière professionnelle et ses trois enfants, ou encore Sela Bieri, chanteuse d’opéra à Zurich se battant contre les stéréotypes de genre dans son métier tandis que son partenaire s’occupe de la famille et du ménage… Des univers volontairement très différents mais qui témoignent avec force – mais aussi avec beaucoup d’humour – des luttes et des obstacles que peuvent rencontrer les femmes dans la société.
Olivier Wyser, La Liberté
Au lieu de choisir des figures connues et engagées, chacune [réalisatrices] signera le portrait d’une héroïne du quotidien, confrontée «de manière subtile ou évidente» aux injustices structurelles du patriarcat. Une approche inédite et des plus pertinentes.
Mathieu Loewer, Le Courrier
Filminfo
| Written and directed by | Camille Budin, Annie Gisler, Jela Hasler, Thaïs Odermatt, Wendy Pillonel und Anna Thommen |
| Cinematography | Gabriela Betschart |
| Sound | Salomé Wüllner |
| Editing | Anja Bombelli |
| Music & Sounddesign | Adrian Pfisterer |
| Sound mixing | Oslo Studios, Karim Baghani |
| Grading | 8horses, Patrischa Freuler |
| Graphic design | Lea Link, Carlos Isabel Garcia |
| Produced by | Judith Lichtneckert & Liliane Ott |