Sandra Gysi

sandra.gysi@donkeyshot.ch

Master of Arts in social anthropology and film science at University of Zurich, Switzerland. As a film director and producer she realises various documentaries and fictions in Switzerland, Egypt, India and Sudan.
She further works as project manager and realised several exhibitions with artists from Switzerland, Africa and the Arab World. She is Co-Founder of Swiss Initiative – culture projects, Zurich, and FEKRA Cultural Center, Aswan / Egypt, and donkeyshot filmproduction, Zurich.
Sandra Gysi lives in Zurich and Cairo.

articles about …

Im Rhythmus der Bahnhofsuniversen (Aargauer Kulturmagazin, 20.2.2021, German)
How does Cairo compare with Zurich (article in swissinfo 6.9.16)

filmografie (selection)

• 2022 Searching for Tarab
  Co-directed with Ahmed Abdel-Mohsen
  documentary 52′ , Switzerland / Egypt
• 2021 Mahatah – Side Stories from Main Stations
  documentary 80′ , Egypt / Switzerland
  Co-directed with Ahmed Abdel-Mohsen
  Produktion: RECK Filmproduktion Zurich
  Cairo and Zurich. Suspended between space and time, their train stations are like islands, little cosmoses that people breathe passion and life into. And until the next train pulls into or out of the station, the world is united in Mahatah.
• 2019 Kush etfarag – Doudou
  Videoclip 2’13” (Arabic/english), Egypt (director, DOP, editing, animation)
• 2016: From local grassroots to global action – Womens’ International Meet on Non-violence and Peace
  documentary report, 39′ (English), India (director, DOP, editing)
• 2015 Comédie Humaine – An encounter between art and architecture
  documentary 52′ (Swiss German), Switzerland
  (Co-directing with Ahmed Abdel Mohsen)
• 2015 Trombose
  Videoclip 3’36”, Flurina Rothenberger & MC Sacerdote, Angola (Editing)
• 2012 Laila, Hala and Karima – A Year in Revolutionary Cairo
  Documentary for Television by Ahmed Abdel Mohsen and Eduard Erne, 52′ (English /german, arabic), Egypt / Switzerland
  (producer) in Coproduction with the Swiss Television SRF (Sternstunden) and 3sat.
• 2012 NDOX (Water)
  Videoclip 3′, (Wolof/english), Flurina Rothenberger & Gora Mbaye aka Goormak, Senegal
  (Editing), Winner of the public award of Greenpeace Photo Award
• 2011 Sira – Songs of the Crescent Moon
  Documentary for Cinema, 77′ (Arabic/ german, english, french), Egypt / Switzerland
  (Co-directing with Ahmed Abdel Mohsen; cinematography, editing, executiv production Egypt)
  Production: Reck Filmproduktion Zürich
  www.sira-film.com
  World Premiere: Visions du réel, Nyon, Switzerland ; International competition (2011)
  Prizes: International Film Festival Innsbruck, Austria; Winner Dokumentarfilmpreis (2011), Al Jazeera Film Festival, Doha, Qatar; Nomination “Best Film” (2011)
  Over 25 Festivals worldwide
• 2010 Rithaa – Tales of the Hereafter
  Multimedial Music-Theater by Mela Meierhans about Islamic dead rituals, 60′, Switzerland
  (director)
  Premiere: Berliner Festspiele, Märzmusik, Haus der Kulturen Berlin, Germany (28.3.2010)
  Further Shows: Gare du Nord, Basel, Switzerland (13. – 18. 10. 2010)
• 2008 Erster Eindruck
  Clip for agent-provocateur.ch, 30”, (Arabic / german), Switzerland (director)
• 2007 Madson Junior – Kinderstar in Afrika
  documentary, 7′ (French/german), Burkina Faso, (director, DOP, editing)
• 2007 La vie es courte, mais assez large by Isis 1919
  videoclip, 3’36” (French), Switzerland, (director, DOP, editing)
  realised for an exhibition project in Lenzburg, Switzerland
• 2005 Away to God
  documentary about holy festivals in Egypt, 22′ (Arabic / german)
  (assistant director, DOP)
• 2005 Erzähl mir etwas, irgendetwas
  experimental 4′, Switzerland, (director)
• 2003 Aufbruch unter dem Morgenstern, ein Fest bei den Dani auf West Papua
  documentary, 47′ , Indonesia/Switzerland
  (director, DOP, editing)
  Premiere: Entwicklungspolitische Filmtage Linz, Österreich (2004)
• 2003 Salah Hassouna, an Egyptian artist
  documentary, 28′, Egypt (Arabic / german)
  (director, DOP, editing), Projektion anlässlich der gleichnamigen Ausstellung im Völkerkundemuseum der Universität Zürich 2005

further works

• 2017/2018:  Artist (working title), a project by Mats Staub (Interviews, editing)

• 2017 2018: Swiss Trail, Application on Swiss legacies in Cairo (download for Smartphones). A project by the Swiss Embassy in Egypt (concept, texts, researches)

• 2017:  Verboten – Arabische Pornografie , 6’13”, SRF Kulturplatz (interview)

• 2015:  Sira: ein uraltes Epos, modern interpretiert, 5’28”, SRF Kulturplatz (director, editing)

• 2014: Wild Women – Gentle Beasts, a documentary by Anka Schmid (line producer Germany)

• 2013/2014: multi-media projects by order of RECK Filmproduktion (project manager/conception)

• 2002-2012: DVD-Productions by order of RECK Filmproduktion (project manager)

• Since 2001: production of over 100 short documentaries (EinBlicke, Reports, etc.) by order of SDBB and vum (project manager)

publications / texts

• Arabische Pornografie: Der wahre Aufstand? In: SRF Kultur online, 25.11.2017

• Die Sira: fantastische Geschichten für mehr als 1001 Nacht. In: SRF Kultur online, 2.12.2015

• Filmbrief… aus Ägypten (PDF). In: Cinema 57, Begrenzungen, 2012

• …aus Kairo (PDF). In: Juli, Kulturmagazin Aargau, Januar 2012

• NILE’S LINES, by Noyau, Cairo and Aswan. book (French/Arabic/English) 2009 (publisher)

• Geschichten, Bilder – Die Welt des Salah Hassouna. exhibition publication, 2005

• Alle Augen richten sich auf Ouagadougou (PDF). Zur Eröffnung des FESPACO. In: Trigon Magazin n.30, 2005

• Eine Welt voller Geschichten. In: Entwürfe , Zeitschrift für Literatur, Ausgabe 37, 2004

• Die emotionale Geografie. In: Dossier Partnerschaft, Helvetas, 2000

• Afrikanische Gesellschaften südlich der Sahara. Für: EDA, Interkulturelle Kompetenz, 2000

• Es geschehen afrikanische Paketwunder. In: Tages-Anzeiger, 1999