SWISS
SCIENCE FILM ACADEMY
Jury
Feature-length Films (Alphabetical Order)
CHRISTIAN FREI
Oscar-nominated filmmaker
Frei is a renowned international filmmaker and film producer. Since 2006, Frei has been an associate lecturer on Reflection Competence at the University of St. Gallen. From 2006 to 2009 he was president of the Documentary Film Commission for the film section of the Swiss Federal Office of Culture. The Oscar-nominated filmmaker is the president of the Swiss Film Academy since August 2010. In 2021 the University of St. Gallen awarded Frei an honorarydoctorate of social sciences.
Prof. Dr. JANET HERING
Director EAWAG
Hering is the Director of the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science & Technology (Eawag), Professor of Environmental Biogeochemistry at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich (ETHZ) and Professor of Environmental Chemistry at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne (EPFL). She is a member of the Board of Reviewing Editors for Science.
MARKUS IMHOOF
Oscar-nominated filmmaker
Imhoof studied Literature, Arts and History in Zurich and attended film class at the Zurich Academy of Arts. In 1981, his feature film “Das Boot ist voll” won a Silver Bear at the Berlinale and was nominated for an Oscar. His film "More thanHoney" is the most successful Swiss documentary of all time. Imhoof is member of the Academy of Arts Berlin, the European Film Academy and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in Los Angeles.
GABRIELLA KARGER
Chair Karger Publishers
Karger is a fourth generation publisher and Chair of the Board of Directors of Karger Publishers, a global publisher for scientific and medical content based in Basel. The publishing program comprises over 110 specialist journals in over 30 specialist areas as well as content for patients and medical professionals. Due to many trips around the globe, she has a large network in the scientific world and insights into exciting new developments in the industry.
Prof. Dr. GABRIELA SCHAEPMAN-STRUB
Scientific Director Swiss Polar institute
Schaepman-Strub is professor of Earth System Science at the University of Zurich and Scientific Director of the Swiss Polar Institute. She is regularly out in the Siberian Arctic for fieldwork. Her research focuses on global change drivers and their interaction with Arctic biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and people.
Jury
Short Films (Alphabetical Order)
HENRIETTE BORNKAMM
Bornkamm is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and a film scholar. She holds PhD in Film Studies. Her documentary “When you are gone, I’ll still be there”, is critically acclaimed at film festivals worldwide. She is currently employed for the Swiss television programs called "Sternstunde Philosophie" and "Sternstunde Religion"
SIMONE BUCHER VAN LIGTEN
Bucher van Ligten works at ETH Zurich’s Office of the President, where she curates science exhibitions in cooperation with artists and designers. She teaches storytelling to scientists and has travelled the world for over two decades for Swiss national TV SRF, where she produced award-winning reports and documentaries.
GAETANO CAPIZZI
Capizzi graduated in Critique and History of Cinema. He works in the cinema field as a critic and organizer of cultural events and film festivals. He is the Founder and Director of Cinemambiente Environmental Film Festival in Torino, Italy. Capizzi is also the Founder & General Coordinator of the Green Film Network.
DANIEL EBNETER
Ebneter is the CEO and a member of the Management Board at Karger Publishers. He was a member of the executive board of an international psychology publishing group. Ebneter holds a master's degree in applied physics, mathematics and computer science as well as an Executive MBA in integrated management.
ISABELLA SEDIVY
After studying Biology at the ETH in Zurich, Sedivy has been working at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) for 3 years. She then worked at the Swiss national TV SRF for producing nature documentaries for the Swiss program called “Netz Natur” and she directed the program “Mission B”. Since 2021 she has her own company, called “Plan Biodivers”.
Jury
Scientists-as-Filmmakers (Alphabetical Order)
MARCUS HALL
Hall teaches environmental humanities courses in a science-based environmental studies program at the University of Zurich. Holding a PhD in Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin, Hall is a historian of science and the environment, recently serving as Vice-President for the European Society for Environmental History.
LAURENT VALLOTTON
Vallotton studied biology at the University of Lausanne. He has been studying bird migration in the Swiss Alps since 1994 and he co-authored a comprehensive book on the birds of Switzerland. Since 2003, he has been scientific assistant at the Natural History Museum of the City of Geneva, and a jury member of several documentary festivals.
KATHARINA WEIKL
Weikl is Deputy Head of the Graduate Campus, a cross-faculty platform for the promotion of junior researchers, interdisciplinary exchange and public outreach at the University of Zurich. As a curator, film maker and science communicator Katharina is focused on promoting the dialogue between art and science.
Jury
Science Photo Marathon (Alphabetical Order)
ANDREAS EGGENBERGER
Eggenberger is a freelance photographer in Zurich. Specialized in portraits and reports. He prefers to work with people. He has edited for many well-known magazines and now works primarily for corporate clients and universities.
ELISE FRIOUD
Frioud is a scientific editor. She is in charge of scientific communication at the SNSF, including its Scientific Image Competition. She is an agricultural engineer and has experience working in agricultural extension prior to her training as a journalist.
MICHELE AIMÉE OESCH
Oesch is a scientific photographer at the Vetsuisse Faculty (UZH). She has a BA in fine arts photography (ZHdK) and a MA in iconic research and visual communication (HGK fhnw). She is a member of the German Photographic Society (DGPh) and an associate member of the Institute of Medical Illustrators, laureate of the DGPh Science Photoaward 2021.