The Miraculous Transformation of the Working Class into Foreigners

“As a child of the generation of ‘68, I have always actively participated in social events. In my documentary films, I engage with the question of whether and how I can integrate my personal experiences and political reflections into my artistic work. The starting point for this documentary is the famous slogan from the 60s, ‘The personal is political.’

In Die wundersame Verwandlung, I wanted to turn my experiences as a migrant in Switzerland not just into a personal résumé. For me, it was important to process the history of the Swiss labor movement—of which I was once a part—and to depict it in all its contradictions. I am one of many eyewitnesses to significant historical events and belong to the migrant workforce that has fundamentally changed Switzerland’s infrastructure and culture over the past 70 years. Research revealed that the roots of xenophobic policies lie in the fascist movement of the 1920s and 1930s. The film distinctly adopts the perspective of the so-called ‘guest workers,’ which forms the narrative thread.”

Samir