A short documentary by Ulrich Fischer.

Un court métrage documentaire de Ulrich Fischer. Ce documentaire en forme de mosaïque est le portrait d’un quartier nommé îlot 13. Depuis les occupations d’immeubles en 1986 jusqu’aux travaux actuels, le film propose une synthèse organique et vivante des étapes qui ont marqué l’évolution de ce bout de ville.

“C’est derrière la gare de Genève que l’un des plus célèbres squats de la ville nous impose son utopie. Le film trace son histoire d’un point de vue fragmentaire, éclaté, vif, avec des images qui sont déjà des archives.”
“Le film rend hommage à la résistance d’un groupe de gens contre la volonté des propriétaires de raser un quartier vivant, actif, unique. Leur détermination à engager un bras de fer avec les autorités aboutit (…), ils participeront à la mise en forme d’un mode de vie visant le long terme.(…) Cette chronique inscrit d’ores et déjà l’îlot 13 dans l’histoire parallèle de la ville.”
Catalogue du festival “Visions du reel, Nyon 1998
 

(V.O.Fr: Un îlot dans la ville)

A short documentary by Ulrich Fischer
 
This documentary paints a fragmented portrait of a neighbourhood called îlot 13. From building occupations in 1986 to the current construction projects, the film offers an organic and living summary of the major steps that have marked the evolution of this small urban universe.

THE CONTEXT:
“In îlot 13, behind Cornavin station, an original and new approach to life in the city of Geneva is taking shape. More than a decade after the first emergence of “bands of inhabitants”, intent on playing an active role in the rehabilitation of their neighbourhood, various creations (renovation, construction, development projects) have seen the day. In 1998, more than a hundred newly arrived inhabitants take up residence in a 1 200 square-meter area. There is now a window in Geneva shedding light on a project that relies on the residents’ participation and their efforts to find new ways forward and to encourage private and institutional real-estate promoters to think of new solutions, better suited to the population’s changing needs.”
Astrid Stierlin, resident
 
THE FILM’S PROJECT:
“Ever since I moved to this neighbourhood, I’ve regularly been taking photos or recording footage, depending on the equipment I have: Super-8, 16mm, photos, Hi-8, DV and Beta.
With the start of the construction works, the necessity to edit this growing mass of material became evident. A page of the neighbourhood’s history was indeed being turned: leaving behind a creative and spontaneous way of life, we had to organise ourselves to ensure that we could adapt to the changes that the future would bring…
I tried to illustrate this period of change by editing my footage in a non-chronological way and by mixing formal approaches: I wanted to reveal bolt of energy and to show the experiences that are shared on this urban island.”
Ulrich Fischer, resident-director

[Show as slideshow]

Le film dans son intégralité en pleine qualité

TECHNICAL SHEET:

Directed by (Image, Editing): Ulrich Fischer

Production:
Production: Perceuse Productions
E.S.A.V./ U. Fischer / Perceuse Productions
Year of production: 1998

Image  Format: 16mm. colour
Length: 18 min.

Sound, Sound mix: Philippe Ciompi
Laboratoire: Egli Film-Vidéo
Collaborators: Carole Reverdin
Isabelle Meister
Morten Gisselbaeck
Marsel Perrin
Lorenzo Menoud
Astrid Stierlin
Imane Kinge
Sylvain Fournier
Claude Tabarini
Philippe Ehinger

Special thanks:
Manùe, Luis, Xavier, Alban, Alain, Peter, Dorle, Stéphane, Fred, Pierre-Jean, Florence, Voppo, Tsoun, Gary, Pierre, les enfants du quartier – et…
Kate, Anita, Jacques, Marco, Alice, Fosco, Patricia, Christine, Dominique, Maria, Denis, Jean-Baptiste, Jean-Marc, André, Cinéma Spoutnik, Zebra Lab, Laika Films.

DISTRIBUTION:
Visions du Réel
Genève fait son Cinéma
participe à la tournée du festival itinérant “Telepidemic” du VideoArt Center de Tokyo
Cinéma Spoutnik
projections dans des cadres associatifs en France et en suisse.

FILM REVIEWS:
“Just behind Geneva’s main station, one of the city’s most famous squats imposes its sense of utopia. The film uses archive footage to retrace its history with a fragmented, exploded and raw take. The film also pays homage to the resistance of a group of individuals against the efforts of promoters to tear down a living, active and quite unique neighbourhood. Their determination to put up a fight with the authorities leads to success (…), and they contribute to creating a new way of living focused on a long-term approach. (…) This chronicle has already secured îlot 13’s place in the city’s parallel history.”

Catalogue of the “Visions du Réel” festival, Nyon 1998

“Travelling back and forth from archive footage of the ancient îlot to current images of the îlot provides an unsettling experience in the sense that it shows the continued struggle to build a new way of life, and to preserve a community spirit that the years don’t seem to be able to wear down”