Sebastian Klinger (born October 28, 1993) is a Swiss cinematographer and producer. His critically acclaimed feature film Sew Torn premiered at South by Southwest Film Festival and screened on the Piazza Grande at Locarno Film Festival and Camerimage in 2024.Sew Torn at SXSW 2024 In: sxsw.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.Sew Torn at Locarno Film Festival In: locarnofestival.ch. Retrieved July 11, 2024.Contemporary World Cinema at EnergaCamerimage. In: camerimage.pl. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
Life and career After graduating from high school, Klinger completed his education at the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons with the feature film Zoe under the guidance of Emmy winner Heiner Gatzemeier and Oscar-nominated cinematographer Peter Indergand, SCS.. Retrieved March 3, 2024 Since then, Klinger has worked internationally as a freelance cinematographer. With the winner of the Student Academy Award, Freddy Macdonald, he shot the feature Sew Torn, which premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival 2024, then headlined the Piazza Grande at the Locarno Film Festival and was selected at Camerimage. The feature film had a theatrical release in May 2025, and became available to stream on Netflix in December 2025. Zac Ntim: SXSW & Locarno Title ‘Sew Torn’ Lands North American Distribution Deal In: deadline.com. Retrieved June 14, 2025.Sew Torn on Netflix In: netflix.com. Retrieved December 1, 2025. Kulwant Singh: 7 Best Movies Coming to Netflix in December 2025 (With Above 90% Rotten Tomatoes Score) In: cinemablind.com. Retrieved November 30, 2025
The film is based on a 2019 short film of the same name, also shot by Klinger, which was acquired by Searchlight Pictures and qualified for an Academy Award.Greg Evans: Fox Searchlight Acquires Freddy Macdonald 'Sew Torn' Short In: deadline.com. Retrieved March 4, 2019.Heidi Troisio: The Sarganserland-Werdenberg region is the setting for the Hollywood film "Sew Torn". In: sarganserland-werdenberg.ch. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
Klinger enjoys a long-standing collaboration with Macdonald that has spanned numerous projects, including the award-winning short film The Father of Art and three music videos for three-time Grammy winner Fantastic Negrito.Musictalkers. Retrieved June 28, 2019 Klinger's work has been recognized with the White Dolphin at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV AwardsWerbewoche: Seed wins Grand Prix. Retrieved September 29, 2023 and earned him a place in the American Society of Cinematographers' ASC Vision Mentorship Program.About Sebastian Klinger. Retrieved February 3, 2024 In addition to his work as a cinematographer, Klinger also works as a producer and regularly collaborates with the Swiss production company ORISONO, among others.ORISONO. Retrieved March 25, 2024Crew-United. Retrieved March 28, 2024
Selected filmography Year Title Director Notes 2018 The Father of Art (short film) Freddy Macdonald 2018 Zoe (feature film) Johannes Thüring first feature 2019 Sew Torn (short film) Freddy Macdonald executive produced by Peter Spears 2020 Maiensäss (short film) Sven Schnyder also as producer 2021 Paxmal (short film) Sven Schnyder also as producer 2024 Sew Torn (feature film) Freddy Macdonald also as producer
Accolades Year Award Category Title Result Ref. 2018 Beverly Hills Film Festival Best Student Film The Father of Art 2018 Winners Beverly Hills Film Festival. Retrieved April 4, 2024 2021 Jaipur International Film Festival Best Political Film Maiensäss JIFF Awards Archive. Retrieved April 3, 2024 2021 Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival LGBTQ Paxmal Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival on SWISSFILMS. Retrieved April 4, 2024 2024 South By Southwest Film Festival Visions Sew Torn 2024 Locarno Film Festival Piazza Grande Sew Torn 2024 Camerimage Contemporary World Cinema Sew Torn
References
External links
Website Sebastian Klinger Sebastian Klinger on SWISSFILMS