Not too talkative, wielding chainsaws and smoking, men fell trees in the steep forest above Lake Ägeri, Switzerland. The great trunks stripped of their branches thunder headlong into the icy water. They are stewarded into a giant raft of trees, harnessed for their journey downstream.
Corina Schwingruber Ilić and Thomas Horat present unobtrusively a winter’s tale conducted every four years, a tradition unchanged.
There’s no music in this short documentary, only the rev and whine of the chainsaw alternating with forest silence. The cameras hug the silent men, attention riveted to the dangers of the task. Above the treetops we see the lumberjacks’ patient labour, and discover the remarkable harvest.
A short documentary film directed by Corina Schwingruber Ilić and Thomas Horat
Photography: Luzius Wespe
Sound: Simon Graf, Oswald Schwander
Subtitles: Cristina Altwegg
Interview
Corina Schwingruber Ilić and Thomas Horat
“In real life, the guys are actually more talkative!”
- Can you tell us a bit about yourselves?
Corina: I live and work in Lucerne. I studied from 2004 to 2006 at the University of Art and Design in Basel and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade. Then, from 2006 to 2009, I completed my studies at the Lucerne School of Art and Design, where I specialised in video.
I work as a director, cinematographer and editor. I’ve directed several short documentaries: Just Another Day in Egypt in 2015, Kod Coška in 2013, and Baggern in 2011. My film All Inclusive was selected at Venice, Toronto and Sundance, and won the Golden Dove at DOK Leipzig.
Thomas: I live and work in Schwyz, Switzerland. I’m a self-taught filmmaker. After several internships in the Swiss film industry, I released my first two films in 2003: Wätterschmöcker and Alpsummer.
In the Woods was selected by over 60 festivals and won many awards around the world.
- What is this Swiss tradition we discover in the film?
Thomas: Cutting wood and building a raft from the logs is a tradition that takes place every four years, just near my home in Schwyz.
I first saw some photos in the local newspaper four years ago and the idea of making a film started from there. In the spring before filming, I met the people featured in the documentary and prepared for the winter shoot. Lake Ägeri is the only place in Switzerland where wood is still transported by floating it on the water, which makes it a unique spot, even within the country.
- These men seem… rather quiet.
Did you try to get them talking?
Corina: It’s true, there’s not a lot of talking in the film! But that was a conscious decision. We wanted to create a film full of atmosphere, without long conversations.
Thomas: In real life, the guys are actually more talkative! I still keep in touch with the forestry workers. Every year we meet again over a fondue with plenty of garlic. I see Franz, the group leader, more often since we live in the same village.
- The film features very few words and no music. The sound of chainsaws alternates with the deep silence of the forest.
Can you tell us more about the sound design?
Corina: We paid a lot of attention to the sound design. We really wanted to find the right balance between silence and noise. At one point we thought we could compose a kind of melody using the sound of the chainsaws… but they really weren’t suited for that kind of thing!
- Let’s talk about the danger. The loggers are experienced. They know how to move around the falling trees. But not you. How did you film? Where did you place yourselves, especially when looking through the viewfinder with headphones on?
Thomas: The loggers told us exactly where we could stand, and how far we needed to keep our distance. Safety was really important. It was quite a challenge because the terrain was steep and the ground was icy.
The upside is that we could easily go back and film again. So we shot several similar scenes from different angles. That gave us plenty of options in the editing room.
- The film was very well received in festivals all around the world.
Did that surprise you? What is so universal about this story, which some might see as a purely local tradition?
Corina: Yes, it was a great surprise. The film had a really good run in festivals. I’m sure the premiere at Clermont-Ferrand helped a lot.
I think it’s a simple, honest story that’s easy to get into. There are visuals you don’t often see, and there’s a surprise element with the raft and the aerial view.
Thomas: It’s really nice to see that a film about a small regional tradition can reach audiences all over the world.
- A word about 99 and the multilingual subtitling of your film?
Thomas: We’re really happy to be working with 99, and to see our film included in this beautiful collection of films. It’s amazing to be able to share it in so many languages!