Mad Heidi is set in a dystopian Switzerland under the fascist rule of an evil cheese tyrant. / Swissploitation Films
crazy heidiThe splatter comedy about Swiss literature icon Heidi going head-to-head with a cheese fascist went online December 8th.
This content was published on Jan 8, 2023 – 10:00
was a pretty good start for crazy heidiMoviegoers packed theaters at last September’s Zurich Film Festival, where the cheesy jokes and scenes in which a grown-up Heidi mows down his opponents blew their minds. After the screening, the cast and creators were welcomed to the stage and applause erupted.
In addition to appearing in Zurich’s official film selection, crazy heidi Screened at over 20 international film festivals.Winner of the Audience Award at the Brussels International Fantastic Film FestivalExternal link (BIFFF) is one of the world’s three major fantastic film festivals held in August last year, and screens highly entertaining works in various genres such as science fiction, fantasy, horror, action, and suspense.
Successful crowdfunding campaign
The film is set in a dystopian Switzerland under the fascist rule of an evil cheese tyrant. As an adult, Heidi is on a mission to liberate his homeland from a dictator.
This first-ever “Swissploitation” film project started in 2017.iron sky), Valentin Greutert (Paradise War: The Story of Bruno Manser), and Swiss film director Johannes Hartmann have created innovative business models for film financing and distribution.
exploitation movies
Exploitation films are usually low-budget films or Defined as a B movie.
They often evoke physical reactions in the audience, such as lust (sexual exploitation) and disgust, and are also said to exploit the desires of the audience for their guilty pleasure.
Ozploitation (mad max), Cursploitation (Tarantino’s death proof was a tribute) or sharksploitation (chin). In the United States, blaxploitation (films made in black settings, such as films with black actors for black audiences) shaft) flourished in the 1970s.
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Swiss icon Heidi was the perfect vehicle to make their dreams come true.When the teaser film was first released on the official website in September 2018, the storyline and production model made headlines. . Fans of the genre loved both the idea of an adult Heidi fighting a group of fascists and the proposed funding model that would allow them to do so. You can even invest in projects and earn returns.
The original purpose of the team behind crazy heidi It planned to raise two million Swiss francs ($2.12 million) through crowdfunding to finance filming and post-production. The plan was to release the film worldwide, but to skip the need to involve major distributors and to avoid copyright infringement, it was to be released only on his website for the film.
A cloud investment scheme relying on blockchain technology was launched in September 2020. By April 2021, the producers have reached their funding goal.
how crazy heidi A cloud investment piece?
the team behind crazy heidi aimed to raise 2 million francs for filming and post-production by selling 4,000 shares at 500 francs each.
Transaction records are stored on the blockchain, and profits are automatically returned to investors after the movie is released.
“All contracts are paperless, so there is no need for complicated paperwork,” he says. crazy heidiIt also ensures the transparency of the funds as it is difficult to falsify from the outside. “
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A total of 538 people from 19 countries invested CHF 2 million in the project. “The investment comes mainly from Switzerland and Germany, but also from Japan, where the Heidi anime series was born,” he said. crazy heidi.
hiccups on the way
But after that, not everything went smoothly.
Valentin Greutert. Valentin Guriert
The first victim was the lead actress. Jesse Moravec, who played Heidi in the teaser movie, left production in summer 2021 before filming began. Moravec wanted to devote more time to his film directing and producing career.
The bloody storyline was also frowned upon. The climax of the film is when Heidi, dressed in traditional Swiss costume, slashes her opponent with a halberd, a two-handed weapon from the Middle Ages.However, the Swiss Traditional Costume Association TrachtenvereinigungExternal link According to Greutert, the corsage on Heidi’s costume was considered “an affront to Swiss tradition”. [any material for making Mad Heidi costumes]the producer told SWI swissinfo.ch.
The film will be shot over 27 days in late 2021 at a studio in Bern and at the Roman Amphitheater in Martigny, in the south of the Valais. It’s unusually short for an action movie.
“A film like this would normally require at least 40 days to shoot, but budget constraints didn’t allow that,” says Greutert. “But I was blessed with a great crew.”
Filming took place in Switzerland last autumn. Due to Heidi’s popularity in Japan, a half-Japanese half-Spanish actor played Clara (third from left). ©Swissploitation Films/madheidi.com
A similar project failed
Institutional investors, film commissions, and public funding bodies typically shy away from hardcore movies that: crazy heidiAware of these limitations, producers are betting their chips on fan base strategies while keeping in mind the many potential pitfalls of this model.
Kaukoma’s 2012 film iron sky This is a successful example of crowdfunding. The idea of the Nazis invading Earth from space tickled the minds of his B-movie fans, and the film soon landed him €1 million (CHF 990,000) in funding.
However, the results were very disappointing for investors.The film failed financially due to a flawed distribution strategy that led to massive copyright infringement.External link, and its Blu-ray disc, which was offered as a gift to investors, was never delivered.Ultimately, the production company filed for bankruptcy in 2020External link.
An investor who wished to remain anonymous told SWI swissinfo.ch: .”
Some moviegoers expressed concern about Kaukomaa’s appearance on Facebook and Twitter. crazy heidi when crowdfunding started. However, Greutert said Kaukoma pulled out of the project a year and a half ago due to disagreements and is not involved in production decisions or financing.
“this crazy heidi Investing is based on trust and credit,” he says. “We kept our promise. We finished filming and delivered the film on time. We are proud of that.”
with fans
despite the planned release crazy heidi The Internet alone has turned film companies to the buzz surrounding movies. Fans, already enthralled by the advertising campaign on social media, also wanted to see it in theaters.
“So we agreed to show the film two weeks before its online release in our local theaters in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Spain,” says Greutert. “
Investors automatically receive so-called shared revenue (net revenue after deducting operating costs) when the film goes online. Greutert didn’t want to reveal how much profit he could expect at this stage, but said, “There was a very wide range of interest in film festivals. I’ve been involved in his filmmaking for 20 years. I can say that from my experience. [that] crazy heidi Fly. “
Greutert emphasizes good relations between producers and investors.
“They loved the ride with us,” he says. From the beginning of the project, the production team created a notable social media community and remained in close contact not only with investors, but also with a broad fanbase. Fans even helped the creators. Find the location and costume.
“For many of them, the behind-the-scenes of filmmaking is something they don’t normally know, and they were happy to be a part of this special journey.”
Greutert is also convinced that “we really need a silly movie in our time”.
“Climate change, war and the Covid pandemic: In these gloomy times, stupidity can save the world.”
Edited by Mark Livingston. English edited by Geraldine Wong Sak Hoi
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More information: SWI swissinfo.ch, accredited by the Journalism Trust Initiative
