CLAWS, 2025, DCP 4K/2K/HD projection, surround 5.1 (no dialogues), 38 min., edition of 5 + 1AP

A hypnotic cinematic journey through deserted, architecturally charged landscapes—where dust, structure, and nature collide.
Claws is a cinematic work exploring the tension between built structures and natural topography. Filmed in various regions of China, the film moves through largely empty, architecturally charged landscapes shaped by construction and dust.
Without dialogue and unfolding in a slow, contemplative rhythm, the camera traces human curiosity, greed, and spatial presence—revealing a visual afterimage of intervention and expectation.
Maintaining a deliberate distance, Claws creates subtle friction between observation and stance. A choreography of space and presence emerges: where absence resonates, structures impose, and nature responds.
As the final part of a trilogy on human-shaped environments, Claws reflects on the aesthetic and political dimensions of transformation—how landscapes become sites of desire, memory, and uncertainty.

Credits:
Script, DOP, Editing: Aurèle Ferrier
Sound Design: Peter Bräker
Third Eyes Editing: Sandra Bühler, Eman Hussein
Colorgrading: Dominik Zietlow
VFX: Gregg Langlois
Consulting: Andreas Müller, Wade Shepard, Marcel Bächtiger, Yunlong Song
Production: Aurèle Ferrier

Support:
Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia
Canton of St.Gallen, Arts Council / Swisslos
Embassy of Switzerland Beijing
Consulates of Switzerland Guangzhou and Shanghai
City of Zurich, Cultural Affairs, Covid Work Grant
Erna and Curt Burgauer Foundation
Foundation Anne-Marie Schindler
Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundattion
Gwärtler Foundation
Else v. Sick Foundation

Technical details for presentation:
— DCP data for cinema sreening (4K/2K, 1 : 1.85, colour, surround 5.1)
— HD projection, horizontal line min. 3.5m, surround 5.1 (stereo available)

ISAN: 0000-0007-5118-0000-U-0000-0000-L
SWISS FILMS short/midlength films