Switzerland has chosen the German-language The Circle (Der Kreis) as its submission for best foreign-language Oscar.
Director Stefan Haupt’s film takes place in the Zurich gay scene of the 1950s and ’60s and tells the true story of the relationship of Ernst Ostertag and Roebi Rapp. The film mixes fiction and documentary to tell the real-life story of the couple, who met through The Circle, a Zurich gay club and magazine founded during WWII, which grew to become the first gay rights organization in Europe.
The film stars Matthias Hungerbuhler as Ostertag and Sven Schelker as Raepp. They became the first same-sex couple to register as partners in Switzerland in the 2000s.
The film premiered at Berlin in the Panorama section, and won both the Teddy award and the Panorama Audience Award in the documentary category.
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