Cows on the Roof directed by Aldo Gugolz won a special prize at ATIEFF Apricot Tree IDFF / Ujan IDFF - The Folk Arts Hub Foundation Special Award (Feature-Lenght Competition 2021).
Fabiano is haunted by nightmares. They are a reflection of his life as the heir of his father’s small-scale agricultural business, located in an isolated valley of Southern Switzerland. He owns fifty goats and eight cows and is trying his best to produce the special alp cheese that first made his hippie parents back in the 1980s. But nothing is going the way it should... He is in debt, the alpine hut that he rents for the summer is dilapidated, and the goats cheese business is no longer profitable. His thoughts wander back to a fatal accident occurred the previous year to a Macedonian illegal worker. His death is haunting him, because he feels that he is at least in part responsible for it. Fabiano is not exactly in a good place to start a family, but will be a father soon. His girlfriend Eva is expecting – and is hoping to fulfill her dreams of a simple life surrounded by nature and animals. But how can they build a life together in such difficult circumstances?
Apricot Tree Ujan International Film Festival
Established in 2015 by Filmadaran Film Culture Development NGO, Apricot Tree (ATIEFF) is an annual documentary film festival that takes place in September in the Armenian village of Ujan. Not only do selected participants get to see their films projected on the big screen in Ujan’s park under the open sky, but they live among the villagers in their houses, share bread and watch films with them and get to experience Armenian culture first-hand. With the stated aim of decentralizing the cultural life in Armenia, where most cultural events take place in the capital, by making the rural population an active part of it, we value creativity and genuineness, and the authentic setting of the village is perfect for film professionals to share ideas in a free and friendly environment, resulting in a true intercultural dialogue. Guests and participants are invited to take part in discussions, Q&A’s, folk concerts and daily excursions to various historical-cultural monuments in Armenia.