My First Mountain

Of all the mountain films I have made, the film My First Mountain marks the conclusion of my cinematic reflections on rural and Alpine Switzerland. I grew up at the gateway to Central Switzerland with a view of Mt. Rigi. Since my childhood, the sweeping backdrop of this mountain has never ceased to impress me. In 1480 Albrecht von Bonstetten, Dean of the Abbey of Einsiedeln, had defined Mt. Rigi as the centre of the world. In my film My First Mountain I try to explore this centre as a witness of our time. Mt. Rigi is also the first mountain for the Alpine herdsman Märtel Schindler. Just like his ancestors, he grew up on it and lives and works on this mountain, a popular tourist and recreation destination. In this film I attempt to probe the heart, the heart of a magnificent landscape and the heart of a personal account, to capture an image of time from the heart of Switzerland.