Christoph Schaub's Happy New Year garnered four nominations for the 2009 Swiss Film Prize QUARTZ in the categories of best fiction film, best screenplay, best actor and best film score.

The five episodes intertwine the fates of people of a disparate group of people during Zurich's New Year's Eve celebrations.

The film features Berlinale Shooting Stars Johanna Bantzer, Nils Althaus (nominated for best actor), Joel Basman, Bruno Cathomas and

Denise Virieux.

Meanwhile Ursula Meier's Home earned three nominations for best film, best screenplay and best emerging actor or actress. Home had its world premiere at last year's Cannes Film Festival.

Also nominated for best film were: Vincent Pluss's Du Bruit Dans La Tête; Oliver Paulus's Tandoori Love; and Lionel Baier's Locarno favourite Another Man (Un Autre Homme).

Nominations for Best Documentary went to Olivier Zuchuat's Au Loin Des Villages; Danilo Catti's Giù Le Mani; Fernand Melgar's La Forteresse; Yves Scagliola's The Beast Within; and Fanny Bräuning's No More Smoke Signals.

This year was the first time that the nominations were made by a committee comprising members of the recently created Swiss Film Academy.

In another first, the QUARTZ film prize will be awarded at a gala event in Lucerne on March 7.

A complete list of the nominations is available at www.swissfilmprize.ch.

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