As part of the ‘Swiss Films on Wheels’ project, children’s films – Heidi and My Life as a Zucchini – were screened at the Siliguri International Film Festival and Modela Caretaker Centre and School respectively. The ‘Swiss Films on Wheels’ is a friendship bus that carries, throughout India, a message of friendship, trust, respect and endurance. The event was organised under the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation funded CapaCITIES project.

My Life as a Zucchini, directed by Claude Barras, was screened at the Siliguri International Film Festival, which is a first under the CapaCITIES project.

Heidi, which is based on an 1849 novel written by Swiss author Johanna Spyri and directed by Alain Gsponer, was played at the Modela Caretaker Centre and School.

About Heidi

A story of about a young girl “Heidi” from the Swiss Alps, who is put in service as a good “friend” to a sick girl Klara in Frankfurt, an urban area. The film has many layers of information, juxtaposing and at the same time removing the barriers of class, cultural background, taking friendship, kindness as the very essence of humanity, understanding and impacting lives around us.

About My Life as a Zucchini

The story revolves around young children from broken families brought to an orphanage. The protagonist of the movie is Ikar, a young boy who calls himself Zucchini. Sensitively done, this film is a beautiful insight in the life of children, what they dream of, what they think and an eye-opener for all on what kind of sensitivities one can try to have with children.