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Ed. note: GenevaLunch will be covering the festival, and bringing you reviews starting Saturday morning on our Guest bloggers page, by Jared Bloch and Jillian Hudson.

Nyon, Vaud, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The growing popularity in recent years of the documentary film festival in Nyon, Visions du réel, is likely to continue in 2009, with 49 international films being shown this year, in addition to dozens of other short and long films.

The festival opens Friday 24 April and runs until 29 April. Films are open to the public and cost CHF14 for a single screening or CHF35 for a day card, with special rates for students and other groups. Four cinemas in the town show the films but the festival is also famous for lively debates surrounding the films, food on offer in several locations but with the busy Usine a Gaz on the lakefront as the hub, and in general an international mix of people and cinema.

Friday night’s main film is “Hunting the Hunters,” about a high seas chase and confrontation between Greenpeace and Japanese whaling researchers, 88 minutes.

An international jury of four will be judging some of the films for prizes as will the Regards Neufs jury of five, which screens new filmmakers’ work. The festival offers nearly CHF85,000 in prize money to filmmakers.

Less well known to the public is the other face of the festival, the international documentary film market, which brings together more than 700 producers and film buyers for television and large-screen, from 35 countries, the Doc Outlook-International Market (DOCM).

Ticket information

Programme

Related: Swiss Post page (main sponsor) and additional films reviews by regional blogger Catherine Nelson-Pollard