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The Circle (2014 film)
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Wikipedia article
'The Circle' is a 2014 Swiss docudrama film.[http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/the-circle/5066593.article "The Circle"]. 'Screen Daily', February 11, 2014. Written and directed by Stefan Haupt, the film concerns the social network of gay men that developed in Zurich in the 1940s and 1950s, centered on 'The Circle', a gay publication, and the social events it sponsored. As the police investigate three murders of gay men by rent boys, they scapegoat 'The Circle' and its subscribers for making Zurich an international center of gay tourism.
The film focuses on the story of Ernst Ostertag and Rbi Rapp, a schoolteacher and a drag entertainer, who met through their participation in the publication inner circle and began a lifelong romantic relationship. Interviews with them and other survivors and experts on the era are interspersed with documentary film and photographs as well as a scripted dramatic enactment of the story. The lack of legal proscription against homosexuals and Zurich's growing notoriety provide the context for the growth of a publication that overtly catered to a gay readership while avoiding explicit materials, both in prose and illustrations, in order to meet the standards of Swiss censorship.
The couple are portrayed by Matthias Hungerbhler and Sven Schelker, with documentary interviews with the real Ostertag and Rapp.
Cast
* Matthias Hungerbhler - Ernst Ostertag
* - Rbi Rapp
* Anatole Taubman - Felix
* - Principal Dr. Max Sieber
* Marianne Sgebrecht - Erika
* Antoine Monot, Jr. - Gian
* - Gabi Gerster
* Stefan Witschi - Rolf
Release
The film won the Teddy Award for Best Documentary at the 2014 Berlin Film Festival,[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/berlin-gay-emancipation-docudrama-circle-680575 "Berlin: Gay Emancipation Docudrama 'The Circle' Wins Teddy Award"]. 'The Hollywood Reporter', February 15, 2014.[http://rochfordstreetreview.com/2015/02/20/der-kreis-opens-the-22nd-sydney-mardi-gras-film-festival/ Review in The Rochford Street Review] as well as the Panorama Audience Award. North American distribution rights were subsequently acquired by Wolfe Video.[http://www.indiewire.com/article/wolfe-video-acquires-the-circle-der-kreis-winner-of-berlins-panorama-audience-nod-and-teddy-award "Wolfe Video Acquires 'The Circle,' Winner of Berlin's Teddy Award"]. 'Indiewire', February 18, 2014. It was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, but was not nominated. Director Stefan Haupt said "it's an honour to represent Switzerland".
See also
* LGBT history in Switzerland
* List of submissions to the 87th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
* List of Swiss submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
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