CalTech, Alliance & Sunset Screening Room: Up Close and Personal with Swiss Actor Gilles Tschudi in LA!

Presented by the Consul General of Switzerland

Swiss actor Gilles Tschudi (IMDB, official) is a rarity of its kind – one of the very few actors who are not only 100% bilingual but also perform perfectly in both French and German language. Growing up in Basel with a French speaking mother and a Swiss German speaking father, Gilles Tschudi got immersed from early not only in two languages but also in two cultures.

After getting his training at the Schauspiel-Akademie Zürich, Gilles Tschudi performed on various theatre stages in the major cities of German and French speaking Switzerland. Among other roles he got fame with the Swiss public as the bad guy and scheming financer Michael Frick in the Swiss Chocolate Soap Opera “Lüthi & Blanc”, which has been a very popular show on prime time Swiss TV between 1999 – 2006. The Blockbuster “Grounding – the Last Days of Swissair” (IMDB, YouTube, YouTube), was another highlight in his film acting career. Tschudi, personifies the two-fisted Swiss Banker Marcel Ospel with an amazing alikeness not just because of some common features with the true persona, but also because his admiring ability to immerse himself completely in a role.

Tschudi regularly performs in German and French speaking productions in theatre and over 26 film roles. His roles vary. So far he has often played “the Bad Guy”. Playing in bigger and smaller roles, Gilles Tschudi is a very busy actor, always searching for new challenges also outside the Bad Guy spectrum.

In 2011 Gilles Tschudi is appearing in three theatre productions; at the Theater am Neumarkt Zürich he plays Rickard in the production “Ein Loch in meinem Herzen” by Lukas Moodysson. In “Katharina” by Heinrich Böll/Jerôme Richer, at the Comédie Genève, he is Commissaire Beitzmenne, and at the Klosterspiele Wettingen, he portrays Foulon in “Der Franzose im Aargau”.

The very likeable and environmentally conscious vegetarian Gilles Tschudi dedicates his time as president of the Swiss Actors Union (SSFV).

Take this unique opportunity to participate at the various events of the the Gilles Tschudi Week, organized by the Consulate General of Switzerland. Get up and close with this great actor and “see him conquer Hollywood”.

Congratulations Gilles Tschudi, You Made(it)in.LA+!

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Download a handy reference postcard of all Gilles Tschudi events shown here

►Grounding – The Last Days of Swissair (2006) IMDB
APRIL 11, 2011 – 7 pm

Directed by Michael Steiner, starring Hans-Peter Müller-Drossart, Michael Neuenschwander, Gilles Tschudi. Grounding – the Last Days of Swissair is the 6th biggest blockbuster hit from Switzerland. Most Swiss remember those tense days shortly after 9/11- some stuck on foreign airports, most just shocked about the historical grounding of the Swiss Airline, known for its great reputation. This film tells the story of the last days of Swissair and how its destiny was connected to the fate of Swiss top manager Mario A. Corti, the luckless chief of a tradition-rich airline, and the tragic fate of many people who lost almost everything: Job, house and the belief in Switzerland itself.

Join us to see this Swiss Blockbuster and admire the amazing performance of Gilles Tschudi. There will be refreshments prior to the screening and a Q&A will follow afterward. NO RSVPS NEEDED = Film will be shown in its original Swiss-German version, with English subtitles.

VENUE:
Théatre Raymond Kabbaz
10361 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064

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►In Celebration of Max Frisch 100th Birthday
APRIL 12, 2011 – 7 pm

Ron Sossi, artistic director of the Odyssey theatre Ensemble will talk about his staging of Frisch’s play “the Arsonists”. Swiss actor Gilles Tschudi will read excerpts from the novel “Homo Faber” in German and English. Snacks and Refreshments will be served. This event is organized in co-operation with the Goethe Institut Los Angeles.

Goethe Institut Los Angeles
5750 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036

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►Grounding – The Last Days of Swissair (2006) IMDB
APRIL 13, 2011 – 7 :30pm

Directed by Michael Steiner, starring Hans-Peter Müller-Drossart, Michael Neuenschwander, Gilles Tschudi. Grounding – the Last Days of Swissair is the 6th biggest blockbuster hit from Switzerland. A Q&A with Gilles Tschudi will follow the screening. This event is organized in partnership with the California Institue of Technology in Pasadena.

Caltech, California Institute of Technology
Campus Baxter Lecture Hall (PDF Campus detail map)
1200 E. California Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91125-3405

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►An afternoon dedicated to Jacques Chessex
APRIL 14, 2011 – 12 noon

Professor Jean-Claude Carron (UCLA) will talk about the life and the work of the Swiss author (1934-2009). Actor Gilles Tschudi will read excerpts from the novel “L’Ogre” in French. Snacks and refreshments will be served. This event is organized in co-operation with the Alliance Français Los Angeles.

Alliance Française de Los Angeles
10390 Santa Monica Blvd. Ste. 120
Los Angeles, CA 90025

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►Opération Casablanca (2011) (IMDB)
“THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT SWISS COMEDY OF 2011“
APRIL 14, 2011 – 5 pm

Directed by Laurent Nègre, starring Tarik Bakharri, Elodie Young, Gilles Tschudi and Jean-Luc Bideau. One day, Saadi finally snaps. His boss has mistreated him one time too many. But when the young dishwasher, a North African illegal immigrant dares to protest, he is summarily fired. Leaving the rundown hotel in the outskirts of Geneva, on foot and with all his belongings in a shoulder bag, he becomes entangled in a terrorist group’s attempt to kidnap the Secretary-General of the United Nations and is surrounded by a SWAT team battalion who has mistaken him for one of the Arab criminals. With both the terrorists and the police gunning for him, desperate to keep from going under in this vortex of insanity, Saadi has no choice but to play along with the fundamentalists and try to find his own piece of heaven. This screening is organized in partnership with Bord Cadre Films Geneva.
http://www.operation-casablanca.com

Sunset Screening Room (free Parking in the “Sunset Towers” office building (Sunset Plaza – NOT to be confused with the Sunset Tower Hotel!)
8730  W Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90069-2245