Daniel Schmid

Daniel Schmid was a Swiss film and opera director and screenwriter, born on 26 December 1941 and active until his death on 6 August 2006. He became internationally known through feature films such as La Paloma in 1974, Schatten der Engel in 1976 and Beresina oder Die letzten Tage der Schweiz in 1999. The Federal Office of Culture selected Beresina as Switzerland's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His career crossed from cinema into opera staging, which makes him a useful example of a European auteur who moved between screen and stage. He received the Leopard of Honour at the Locarno International Film Festival in 1999 and a lifetime achievement diploma at the Kyiv International Film Festival Molodist in 2002.