"We want to produce sellable films"
Hans G. Syz on His Plans for a New Hollywood in Switzerland
Hans G. Syz on his plans for a new Hollywood in SwitzerlandWith the feature film "Das Fähnlein der sieben Aufrechten" ("The Little Ensign of the Seven Uprights"), based on a novella by Gottfried Keller, Turnus Film has just celebrated a double premiere. The film was shot without any subsidies. "Das Fähnlein der sieben Aufrechten" is a real film adventure. As a producer, do you also expect a happy ending behind the scenes?
Hans G. Syz: After the press screenings these days, we were able to experience a very positive response. We have tried to bring together a hit music, an interesting film material and prominent names under one hat. And we are confident that the calculation could work out.
It is said in the industry that your Turnus Film wanted to realize a "journeyman's piece" with the first feature film of this kind, in order to be able to recommend itself as a production house also for the international market. There are also rumors of an eight-million project called "Bibi Balù.
Syz: It's my conviction that there has to be an audience in Switzerland for domestic entertainment films, the kind we want to make in the future. In the meantime, we have therefore also bought the rights for the film adaptation of another very popular Helvetic story. For this material, I expect a potential audience of one million in Switzerland - provided the film is well made.
Only Rolf Lyssi has achieved this with "Die Schweizermacher"...
Syz: Exactly. But I think with the right film, that must be possible once again today. With our "Fähnlein", such a broad audience was not yet the declared goal. With this kind of film, we are thinking more of an interesting secondary exploitation in the European television market. "Bibi Balù", on the other hand, we are planning from the outset in English and thus also with international stars.
Switzerland as a kind of remake of Hollywood?
Syz: You can't just make funded films. You can make partially funded films. But you can also produce completely unsubsidized films. In this case, you have to deliver usable products for an international market. And we want to position ourselves in this segment with the restructured rotation. We also hope to revive the film industry in Switzerland a bit. After all, we can have foreign stars come to Switzerland as actors, directors or screenwriters.
And where does the money come from?
Syz: When Swiss television and the Swiss Federal Film Fund announced in Bern last year that there was no more money and consequently there would be no more Swiss films in the year 2000, I felt downright provoked for "Das Fähnlein der sieben Aufrechten". Thanks to the unconventional idea, we found investors. Thanks to the promising name, we found a distributor who also invested.
Will the new Turnus Film also produce TV series?
Syz: We have corresponding projects. But that is not our main goal. We want to find commercial money to produce saleable films for international cinema.
The world of cinema has its own magic. What is it that lures you here more than advertising?
Syz: When I took over Turnus Film in 1989, I restructured the company. During the preparations for "Fähnlein," I realized that after about 1,000 commercials, I felt like doing something new. Reiner Roduner, who now wants to take over the advertising of the former Turnus in his own responsibility, wants to bring another breath of fresh air into the company. And I have found an ideal partner for feature films in Lukas Erni. Together with him, I discovered: It can work.
Interview: Andreas Panzeri
Hans G. Syz: After the press screenings these days, we were able to experience a very positive response. We have tried to bring together a hit music, an interesting film material and prominent names under one hat. And we are confident that the calculation could work out.
It is said in the industry that your Turnus Film wanted to realize a "journeyman's piece" with the first feature film of this kind, in order to be able to recommend itself as a production house also for the international market. There are also rumors of an eight-million project called "Bibi Balù.
Syz: It's my conviction that there has to be an audience in Switzerland for domestic entertainment films, the kind we want to make in the future. In the meantime, we have therefore also bought the rights for the film adaptation of another very popular Helvetic story. For this material, I expect a potential audience of one million in Switzerland - provided the film is well made.
Only Rolf Lyssi has achieved this with "Die Schweizermacher"...
Syz: Exactly. But I think with the right film, that must be possible once again today. With our "Fähnlein", such a broad audience was not yet the declared goal. With this kind of film, we are thinking more of an interesting secondary exploitation in the European television market. "Bibi Balù", on the other hand, we are planning from the outset in English and thus also with international stars.
Switzerland as a kind of remake of Hollywood?
Syz: You can't just make funded films. You can make partially funded films. But you can also produce completely unsubsidized films. In this case, you have to deliver usable products for an international market. And we want to position ourselves in this segment with the restructured rotation. We also hope to revive the film industry in Switzerland a bit. After all, we can have foreign stars come to Switzerland as actors, directors or screenwriters.
And where does the money come from?
Syz: When Swiss television and the Swiss Federal Film Fund announced in Bern last year that there was no more money and consequently there would be no more Swiss films in the year 2000, I felt downright provoked for "Das Fähnlein der sieben Aufrechten". Thanks to the unconventional idea, we found investors. Thanks to the promising name, we found a distributor who also invested.
Will the new Turnus Film also produce TV series?
Syz: We have corresponding projects. But that is not our main goal. We want to find commercial money to produce saleable films for international cinema.
The world of cinema has its own magic. What is it that lures you here more than advertising?
Syz: When I took over Turnus Film in 1989, I restructured the company. During the preparations for "Fähnlein," I realized that after about 1,000 commercials, I felt like doing something new. Reiner Roduner, who now wants to take over the advertising of the former Turnus in his own responsibility, wants to bring another breath of fresh air into the company. And I have found an ideal partner for feature films in Lukas Erni. Together with him, I discovered: It can work.
Interview: Andreas Panzeri
