Films
2024
IDDU – ISLAND STORIES
Documentary, 107 min
They live in its shadow, venerate and fear it. Its whims dominate their destiny: the volcano “IDDU” has determined the lives of the inhabitants of Stromboli for centuries. Tourist streams and trekking queues to the volcano fill the coffers, but a violent eruption like the one in 2019 abruptly tears the island into a different reality. The force of nature confronts the population with drastic changes and questions about sustainability and mass tourism.
Film production: Recycled TV https://rectv.ch/
Festivals
- Solothurn Film Festival, Panorama 2025, CH
- Internationales Frauen Film Fest Dortmund, Panorama, D
2022
THE FOOL ON THE HILL (Narrenbühl)
Documentary, 86 min
When does a family heritage of creativity become a burden?
In this personal, whimsical documentary, Miriam Ernst accompanies her father, the Swiss artist Jürg U. Ernst, as he spends eight years building the strange sculpture park called Gnomengarten, which has become famous throughout Switzerland. Suffering from various health problems, Jürg Ernst decides to close his garden for good, although he doesn’t abandon the creativity that lives within him. The film imaginatively recounts the life of this artist who is both ordinary and extraordinary.
World premiere
Competition FIFA, Festival Internationale du Film sur l’Art Montréal/Canada, 2022
2016
THE SUNFLOWER INN
Documentary, 40 min
„La Locanda dei Girasoli“ (The Sunflower Inn) in Rome serves great food. But there is one difference from other Roman pizzerias: most of the staff have Down's Syndrome.
This 40-minute film observes a special corner of the Italian capital where ordinary human beings achieve the extraordinary. We witness a life-giving experiment in integration – moving, funny and somehow heroic. We enter into the interior worlds of the characters to share their joys, sorrows and dreams for the future; dreams that sooner or later will be confronted with the realities of the outside world.
Festivals/Nominations
- Official Selection Otherfield Documentary Film Festival 2016 UK
- Official Selection/Best of the Fest AmDoc Festival 2017, Palm Springs USA
- Nomination Best Student Documentary Film, Grierson Award 2016
- Nomination Best Student Film Factual, Winner for Best Editing Royal Television Society Awards 2017, London UK
2015
ROADS TO HEALING
Documentary, 33 min
In the Western world the process of healing is often reduced to dosing patients with drugs and rationalising a course of treatment.
This 30-minute film takes a holistic approach, exploring some of the factors which contribute to the healing process, including the power of self-regulation and belief.
2013
APARTMENT 9
Short film, 7 min. A film by Miriam Ernst and Andi Hofmann
You stand with both feet firmly planted on the ladder of success, nothing can alter your daily routine. But suddenly and annoyingly, a neighbour forces you to see yourself, and the nightmare unfolds....
This experimental short film about a successful businessman and his odd neighbour uses black humor to highlight themes recurring in our everyday life and in the workplace. How does the "self-optimized" man navigate the continuum between the demands of career and the experience of mental boundaries?
This quirky film re-interprets the 1993 song of the Bernese songwriter Daenu Brueggemann and outlines a surreal story in the conflicting interaction between reality and illusion, between self-perception and perception of others.
Nominations
- Nomination Bernese Film Award Festival 2014
- Nomination Swiss Made, Shnit Shortfilmfestival 2014.
Jury-Statement (PDF)
DVD available
This DVD is part of the limited art edition with artwork, CD and DVD by Daenu Brueggemann, Pesche Aeschbacher, Miriam Ernst and Andi Hofmann.
- Miriam Ernst, info@miriamernstfilms.com
2012
FROM THE MOUNTAIN INTO THE VALLEY
Documentary, 46 min
The „Alpabzug“ from the Bire Alp is one of the most impressive and diverse in the area. At the end of the summer on the Alp, and with the commitment and support of many experienced helpers, 90 animals are led 36 kilometers in one day from the foot of the Gantrisch mountains over Schwarzenburg to the village of Albligen.
The documentary of the 2011 Alpabzug, supplemented with flashbacks from the Mäder alp hut along with specially composed music, is a particularly athmospheric film about a special tradition.
As a child, waiting on the Milkenstrasse in Schwarzenburg, I experienced the „Alpabzug“ from the Bire. I was happy when I was in the right place at the right time, and I was moved by the ancient power of roving herds and the magic of those fleeting moments. With this film I would like to bring the public closer to the small, and at times large, world of an „Alpabzug“ – a tradition which touches our technical, everyday world with its authenticity.
Miriam Ernst
