Documentaries are particularly strong in this year's "Appellations Suisse" showcase of new Swiss cinema to be presented at the forthcoming Locarno International Film Festival (August 6-16).

Of the ten films screening in the showcase which is primarily aimed at international buyers and festival programmers, seven are documentaries, including Stefan Haupt's local hit Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross - Dem Tod Ins Gesicht Sehen (Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross -Facing Death) and Matthias von Gunten's Die Waegsten Und Besten Des Landes (The Country's Strongest Men)
The complete lineup for the Appellations Suisse is:

Dieter Roth - dir: Edith Jud (doc.)
Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross - Dem Tod Ins Gesicht Sehen - dir: Stefan Haupt (doc.)
Des Epaules Solides - dir: Ursula Meier
Fremds Land - dir: Luke Gasser
Mani Matter - Warum Syt Dir So Traurig' - dir: Friedrich Kappler (doc.)
Mission En Enfer - dir: Frederic Gonseth (doc.)
Mutter - dir: Miklos Gimes (doc.)
Viaggio A Misterbianco - dir: Paolo Poloni (short)
Die Waegsten Und Besten Des Landes - dir: Matthias von Gunten (doc.)

The initiative was launched three years ago in Locarno as a collaborative effort between the festival, broadcaster SRG SSR idee suisse, the professional trade associations and the Swiss Film Center, to provide an overview of Swiss film production over the last 12 months in addition to the Swiss films invited to screen in the official sections such as the Competition, Piazza Grande and Semaine de la Critique.

The selection is made from Swiss productions which have either already been theatrically released or invited to a major film festival in the 12 months since the last festival in Locarno.