Tanz der blauen Vögel

Two communities in Europe in 1992: Vechigen in Switzerland, Trhové Sviny in the Czech Republic. On the surface these two villages have no connection, but filmmaker Lisa Fässler brings them together. As people in Vechigen are contemplating Switzerland's entry into the European Community, people in Trhové Sviny are searching for a new identity after the disappearance of the communist regime. As the inhabitants of Trhové Sviny watch the Russian troops leave, the Swiss army thunders through Vechigen as part of an exercise. Tanz der Blauen Vögel is a cinematographic essay on the new relations within Europe. Lisa Fässler is especially concerned with the human aspect of this process. The film examines the worries, hopes and dreams of people in two villages, that are geographically close but which are socially, economically and psychologically separated - thanks to history. In Vechigen there is a rigid satisfaction, Trhové Sviny is dominated by uncertainty. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)