Wendy Pillonel is a fiction and documentary film director who loves dinosaurs, science-fiction and surprising encounters. She received her Master‘s degree in film directing from Zurich University of Arts (ZHdK) in 2017. All her short films were shown at various international festivals and her graduation film “Les Heures-Encre” won the Swiss Film Award 2019.
Besides independent projects, she sometimes works for the Swiss television as a director of docudramas and documentaries and as a lecturer at the Cinema Departement of ZHdK. She lives and works in Zurich, Switzerland.
She is active in various professional organizations and a comitee member of Swiss Film Academy since 2022, Antenne Romande since 2023 and ARF/FDS since 2024.
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Résumé
| Since 2020 | Lecturer at Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK) – Department Bachelor Film. |
| Since 2019 | Director of several docu-dramas and documentaries for Swiss television – Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) |
| 2020 – 2022 | Member of the artistic commission for the feature films competition at FIFF – Festival International du Film de Fribourg |
| 2018 – 2021 | President of the Fribourg Films association. |
| 2018 – 2019 | Director on the research project of ZHdK Immersive Art Space – Virtually Real. |
| 2018 | Selection at Locarno Filmmakers Academy among other international promising filmmakers. |
| 2016 | Master of Arts in Film Direction at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK) |
| 2014 | Bachelor of Arts in Film at the ZHdK |
| 2010 | Bachelor of Arts in Art Education at the Hochschule der Künste Bern (HKB) |
| 1986 | Born in Estavayer-le-Lac. Swiss French nationality |
Filmography
2024 The 2004 Tsunami
91 min / Docu-drama for the series “Es geschah am…” / Production SRF
TV broadcasts
- Thursday 05.12.2024, at 20:10 on SRF1
2022 FUTURA – Un Monde Parfait
18 minutes / Documentary / Episode of the series FUTURA produced by Dschoint Ventschr, Akka Films, Cinédokké in co-production with SRG SSR
Festivals
- 18th Zurich Film Festival 2022, Programme: Special screenings
- 28th Geneva International Film Festival 2022 – Special Screening
- 35th Castellinaria Festival del Cinema Giovane 2022
2022 Team F – Season 2
4x 28 minutes / TV-Documentary series / 4 episodes produced by Nous Productions in co-production with SRG SSR.
2021 Les Nouvelles Eves
80 min / collective documentary by Camille Budin, Annie Gisler, Jela Hasler, Thaïs Odermatt, Wendy Pillonel, Anna Thommen / Emilia productions in co-production with SRG SSR.
*Central Swiss Film Award 2023
Festivals
- 17th Zurich Film Festival 2021, Programme: Special screenings
- 43. Max Ophüls Filmfestival, 2022 / Documentary Film Competition
2020 Bis dass der Tod euch scheidet
91 min / Docu-drama for the series “Es geschah am…” / Production SRF
2020 Der Postraub des Jahrhunderts
100 min / Docu-drama for the series “Es geschah am…” / Production SRF
2019 Lux
8 min / Arri Alexa / Fiction – research project / Production Immersive Art Space, Zurich University of the Arts
2017 Les Heures-Encre
29 min / Arri Alexa / Fiction / Production Peacock Film in coproduction with ZHdK
Awards
2019 Swiss Film Award
* Best Graduation Film2019 Festival de cinema de mujeres, FEMCINE
*Special Mention2018 Festival International du Film de Fribourg
* Foreign Visa Prize2018 Festival Un poing c’est court
* Prix de la Francophonie2017 International Leuven Kort Film Festival
* Audience Award – European Competition2017 International Student Film & Video Festival of Beijing Film Academy (ISFVF) * Audience Award – International Competition
2017 Festival international des Signes de Nuit
* Edward Snowden Award2017 First Steps Awards Berlin
*nominated as best mid-length film2017 Studio Hamburg Nachwuchspreis
* nominated as Best Short Film
2016 Periphery
81 min / Arri Alexa / Fiction / collective anthology film / Production ZHdK
Festivals
- 12th Zurich Film Festival, Programme: Focus Switzerland, Germany, Austria / Competition
- 52. Solothurner Filmtage 2017 / in competition: PRIX DU PUBLIC
- 11. Internationales Fünf Seen Filmfestival 2017 / in competition: Perspektive junges Kino
- Mostra Internacional de Cinema – IFF – Sao Paulo Int.Film Festival Sao Paolo | Brasilien / special Focus Schweiz
2015 Destiny
16 min 20 / Arri Alexa / Fiction / Production ZHdK
Festivals
- 51. Solothurner Filmtage 2016, Programme: Upcoming Talents
- Festival du film étudiant Québec, 2016
- Ascona Film Festival, 2017
- 8th Chalon Tout Court Film Festival, 2017
- Gässli Film Festival 2017, Basel
* Best Swiss Short Film, Gässli Film Festival 2017
* Best Director, Gässli Film Festival 2017
2014 Mirages
14 min 50 / Arri Alexa / Fiction / Production ZHdK
Festivals
- Bangalore Short Film Festival 2014, India
- Upcoming Filmmakers, 2014, Lucerne
- International Student Film & Video Festival of Beijing, 2014, China
- Ascona Film Festival, 2015
- Festival du film étudiant Québec, 2015
- The 4th International Water and Film Event, 2015, Daegu, South Korea
- International Nature Film Festival 2015 Gödöllő, Hungary
- Gässli Film Festival, 2015, Basel
- Innsbruck Nature Film Festival 2015, Austria
* 1st Prize in the category Best Short Film
2013 Eldorado
11 min 50 / Arri Alexa / Fiction / Production ZHdK
Festivals
- Nuit du court-métrage Fribourg, 25.10.13, opening film
- Festival du film étudiant Québec, 2014
- Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2014, York, UK
2012 Parachutes
5 min 50 / 35 mm, Arri Alexa / Fiction / Production ZHdK
Festivals
- Shnit Festival 2012, Bern
- Kurz und schön 2012, Köln, Germany
- 48. Solothurner Filmtage 2013, Soleure
- Swiss Panorama 2013, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Amalty Film Festival 2013, Kazakhstan
- Jugendfilmtage 2013, Zürich
- Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2013, York, UK
- Ascona Film Festival, 2014
- Festival du film étudiant Québec, 2014
- Ciné Globe, Meyrin, 2014
- Festival de Cinéma de la Ville de Québec, 2014
- Innsbruck Nature Film Festival 2014, Austria
- The 4th International Water and Film Event, 2015, Daegu, South Korea