Life and career
Schocher was born in Pontresina in the Upper Engadin valley. His father was a Swiss photographer and documentary filmmaker. He attended high school in Samedan and apprenticed as a photographer in Chur. Rather than taking over his father's photographic shop, as it was expected from him, the twenty-one-year-old opted for Cinéma Rex instead, a local movie theater equally owned by his father. For his first experimental film, self-taught Schocher set his sights on the objects of Swiss artist Corsin Fontana. His first documentary feature, entitled ''Die Kinder von Furna'' (''The children of Furna'', 1975) was inspired by ethnographic films such as Fredi M. Murer's mountaineer documentary. In 1979, Schocher started shooting ''Reisender Krieger'' (''Traveling Warrior'', 1981). He cast the film almost entirely with non-actors, including the leading part. A lot of the dialogue was improvised. It premiered at Locarno International Film Festival in 1981. His next feature ''Lüzzas Walkman'' (1989) was shot without a screenplay and with no written dialogue. Most characters were portrayed by non-actors who played themselves. Between 1998 and 2011, Schocher made three films in the Romansh-speaking