Anka Schmid

Anka Schmid sees herself as a border-crosser between film and art and, in addition to narrative cinema and TV films, she also makes experimental films and video installations. She has won various prizes and awards and has made numerous exhibitions. Her films have been shown at international festivals such as Locar­no, Nyon, San Francisco and Sundance.

Anka Schmid was born in Zurich in 1961. After graduating from high school, she began her studies in German philology and she shot her first experimental videos and Super-8 films. In the turbulent 80’s she was active in a street theater and a music band. In 1984 she moved to Berlin when it was still a divided city because she had been accepted as a student at the German Film and TV Academy, (Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin - DFFB). Here she made numerous short films and videos. In 1989 she spent a year in the USA, shooting the Hopi documentary TECHQUA IKACHI, LAND – MEIN LEBEN with the Hopi Indi an James Danaquymptewa and the artist Agnes Barmettler. In 1991 she completed her studies at the DFFB with the feature film HINTER VERSCHLOSSENEN TÜREN, which won numerous prizes. After that, she worked as freelance cinematographer and director’s assistant in Germany, Switzerland, France, Argentina and the USA. In 1994, her son was born in Berlin and in 1998 she moved to Zurich with him. In Switzerland, in addition to her own creative work, she is a lecturer in film and heads animated film workshops. 

Filmography (Selection)

2011 – MIT DEM BAUCH DURCH DIE WAND
Documentary

2009 – ISA HESSE-RABINOVITCH, The Movie Game
Portrait of the artist

2008 – HIERIG – HEUTIG
Dance Film / Video Installation

2005 – YELLO - Electropop made in Switzerland
Portrait of the musicians 

2002 – ABC SOUND ALPHABET
Music Film

1998 – BLIND DATE, Part: LITTLE SISTER
Episode film

1995 – MAGIC MATTERHORN
Documentary  

1991 – HINTER VERSCHLOSSENEN TÜREN
Fiction Film  

1989 – TECHQUA IKACHI, LAND – MEIN LEBEN
Documentary 

1986 – HABIBI - EIN LIEBESBRIEF
Short Film

DIE REISE ZUR SÜDSEE
Animation Film 

HERZENS-FREUDE
Animation Film