Clara and the secret
of the bears

Thirteen-year old Clara lives with her mother and her stepfather on a mountain farm in the Swiss Alps. Clara’s sensitivity and her strong connection with nature enable her to see and feel things others cannot perceive.

One day on the meadows she discovers a little bear and when shortly after she encounters Susanna, a girl living on the mountain farm 200 years ago, the world around Clara begins to turn upside down.

Clara senses that there is a curse on the mountain farm and her family and that it is connected to the bears. The parents don't believe her. Only to Thomas (12), a youth centre inmate temporarily placed with foster parents in the nearby village, Clara can confide herself. Together with Susanna in the past and Thomas in the present, Clara sets out to restore the balance between men and nature.


Basic Information

Feature Film / Switzerland / 100 min / 2018

Filmcrew

Producer               Simon Hesse
Director                Tobias Ineichen
Writer Jan Poldervaart
DOP                    Michael Schreitel
Sound design        Ramon Orza
Music Fabian Römer
Editor                    Michael Schärer
1st AD Florian Engelhardt

main CAST

Clara                    Ricarda Zimmerer
Jon                     Roeland Wiesnekker
Nina                     Elena Uhlig
Thomas                Damian Hartung
Susanna                 Rifka Fehr
Jons Grossmutter Monica Gubser

Distribution

Swiss distribution:

Filmcoopi

International distribution:

Attraction Distribution

production information

A HesseGreutert Film Production

In Co-production with:

Neos Film / SRF Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen
ZDF / Sat 1 Schweiz

Supported by:

Bundesamt für Kultur (EDI) Schweiz / Zürcher Filmstiftung Kulturfonds Suissimage / Kulturförderung Kanton Luzern MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg / Filmfernsehfonds Bayern / Filmförderungsanstalt / Deutscher Filmförderfonds

Festivals

Shown at over 70 international festivals, including the competition at FIFEM Montréal / Cinekid Amsterdam / Giffoni Film Fest Shanghai IFF / Lukas intl. Film festival and many more

Awards

Prix Place aux Familles at the FIFEM Montreal / Audience Award ICFF Krakau ANEC Award Giffoni & 2nd Places of the Elements 2013 / Audience Award Buster Copenhagen / Award Best Storytelling Molodist Kiew / Best Children’s Film Minsk ICFF and many more