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The Picture of Dorian Gray
Directed by Georges Schwizgebel
Country Switzerland
Year 2026
Runtime 6′ 40”
Dorian Gray, envious of the beauty of a portrait newly painted by his friend Basil, wishes to reverse the situation: to remain eternally young while the portrait ages in his place. The wish comes true, and he is forced to hide the painting. Lord Henry, another friend, exerts a major influence on Dorian, encouraging him to enjoy life to the fullest before old age sets in. Dorian falls in love with Sibyl, an actress in a modest theater, but abandons her when her acting declines after experiencing real love, leaving her unable to feign emotion on stage. Sibyl, devastated, takes her own life; years later, her brother James seeks out Prince Charming to avenge her. Dorian eventually meets a young country girl, Hetty Merton, whom he also abandons to protect her from the corruption into which his previous lovers have fallen. Yet, faced with her grief, he decides to destroy the portrait, which he holds responsible for all his misdeeds.
Georges Schwizgebel
Born in 1944 in Switzerland. 1960–65: Fine Arts and Decorative Arts School. In 1970 he founded Studio GDS and began producing and directing animated short films. From The Flight of Icarus (1974) to From One Painting… to Another (2023), he has directed around twenty films, almost all of which have won awards at international festivals. Two of them feature on the list of the 100 most significant animated films compiled at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2006: 78 Tours (1985) and The Ride to the Abyss (1992). Filmography: 2023 From One Painting… to Another / 2020 Darwin’s Notebook / 2017 The Battle of San Romano / 2015 Erlkönig / 2012 Along the Way / 2011 Romance / 2008 Retouches / 2006 Game / 2004 The Invisible Man / 2000 The Girl and the Clouds / 1998 Fugue / 1996 ZigZag / 1995 The Year of the Deer / 1992 Ride to the Abyss / 1989 The Subject of the Picture / 1986 Nakounine / 1985 78 Rpm / 1982 The Abduction of Frank N. Stein / 1977 Offside / 1975 Perspectives / 1974 The Flight of Icarus
