Swiss Director Richard Dindo Dies Aged 80

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Zurich-born director and documentary filmmaker Richard Dindo died in hospital in Paris on Wednesday at the age of 80, in the presence of his family.

This content was published on February 14, 2025 - 08:24 2 minutes Keystone-SDA

• Français fr Le réalisateur suisse Richard Dindo est décédé à l'âge de 80 ans Original Read more: Le réalisateur suisse Richard Dindo est décédé à l'âge de 80 an

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His best-known film is undoubtedly The Execution of the Traitor to the Fatherland Ernst S.. With this 1976 documentary, this self-taught director, born in Zurich on June 5, 1944 caused a sensation.

In this film, which Dindo directed with Niklaus Meienberg, he retraced the fate of Ernst Schrämli, who was executed during the World War II for alleged treason. In so doing, Richard Dindo challenged Switzerland's self-perception.

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The 1968 movement left its mark not only on Dindo as a man, but also as a filmmaker. On his website, he writes that he couldn't believe how, as the son of an Italian construction worker, he could have made so many films. He believes he owes this to the fact that he emigrated to Paris in 1966, in his early twenties, where he was caught up in the events of 1968.

His films are historical, political and questioning. Often, his work revolves around a revolt, against a social order or mentality.

Max Frisch, whom he calls“our teacher and educator”, was for him a great man. Ever since he filmed Max Frisch, Diary I-III in 1981, he had been dreaming of a film adaptation of Homo Faber.

He did just that in 2014 with Homo Faber (Drei Frauen), in which Dindo tells the story of Swiss engineer Walter Faber, who falls in love with his own daughter. From start to finish, the film is a documentary. I'm“not a fiction director, but a documentary filmmaker”, declared Dindo at the time.

Translated from French with DeepL/mga

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