Jonas Schaffter works as a film director, lecturer, and photographer.
For years, his creative work has been centred around socio-cultural exchange. In his predominantly documentary pieces, he explores subjects like home, migration, and identity.
Jonas completed a bachelor's degree in "Visual Communication" at the University of Art and Design in Basel and is now active as a film lecturer there. During a one-year stay in Istanbul, he studied photography at the Mimar Sinan University and has been strongly connected to Turkey since then. From 2016 to 2020, he completed his Master's degree at the Zurich University of the Arts in the specialisation "Realisation Documentary Film", where he realised his first feature-length film "Arada".
At point de vue, Jonas is responsible for production, acquisition and communication. He is a cooperative member of point de vue and a board member of the Basel film association Balimage.
Filmography | Function: Director
2020 | FLURIN – an episode of the documentary series FUTURA! | short documentary | 17 min | Production: Dschoint Ventschr, Akka Film, Cinedokke, Swiss Television
Position: director, sound
2020 | ARADA – verbannt in eine fremde Heimat | Documentary | 83 min | Production: soap factory GmbH / Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK)
Position: director, sound
2015 | OFFSIDE ISTANBUL | Documentary film | 52 min | Production: point de vue
Position: director, camera, sound
2013 | CLARAMATTE – FRÜHJAHR 2013 | Short documentary | 17 min | Production: Bachelor diploma thesis at the HGK (FHNW) in Visual Communication: director, camera, production
Filmography | Function: Producer
2023 | MISSING TIME | Short documentary| Director: Simon Jäggi
11 min | Production: point de vue
2023 | FITTING IN | Documentary | Director: Fabienne Steiner and Michael Bolliger | 90 min | Production: point de vue | Co-Production: Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), Swiss Television, Unexplored Realities
Grants
2016 | Landys & Gyr Turkey Travel Scholarship, Istanbul, Turkey
2018 | Solothurn Film Promotion Prize, Office for Sport and Culture, Solothurn
Awards and nominations
2015 | For OFFSIDE ISTANBUL
o Nomination for Basel Film Prize 2015
2020 | For ARADA
o Documentary Film Award of the Alexis Victor Thalberg Foundation 2020
o Nomination for Basel Film Prize 2020
o Nomination for Prix du Soleure, Solothurn Film Festival 2020
Exhibitions
2017 | In the focus of young filmmakers, group exhibition, Künstlerhaus S11, Solothurn