The Swiss film is not just about Tell
2008 was a bad year for Swiss films at the box office. Even at the major international film festivals, Swiss productions didn’t even make a minor appearance. Nevertheless, Swiss Films can look back on the year with a positive outlook. — Which isn’t a contradiction in terms.
"We can't make gold out of straw." This is how Micha Zhivov, director of the promotion agency Swiss Films, sums up the mood in current Swiss filmmaking. Production is taking place like never before. Nevertheless, the past cinema year lacked the highlights that usually create goodwill among audiences for the entire "Swiss Films" brand. The lack of a locomotive was also evident at the major international festivals. Neither in Cannes nor in Berlin was a Swiss film invited into the race - even though Swiss Films made all the decisive contacts. On the other hand, "Auf der Strecke" by Reto Caffi won a total of 50 prizes at smaller but finer festivals. The short film was even nominated for an Oscar - in the "Short Film" category. Budgets in Switzerland are kept short by international standards. And success is all the more impressive when a first film like "Home" by Ursula Meier has already been invited to 31 festivals around the world this year. This presence has "led to many international sales" as Swiss Films was able to inform the media at today's press conference. Other successes such as "Un autre homme" by Lional Baier, "La forteresse" by Fernand Melgar and "No More Smoke Signals" by Fanny Bräuning have also been continuously supported by Swiss Films on their careers abroad.
The foundation, which is independent of the production industry, is tasked with promoting Swiss film in Switzerland and abroad. For this mandate, Swiss Films receives CHF 1.4 million each from the Federal Office of Culture and Pro Helvetia. Teleclub must contribute a concession fee from the private sector. In addition, individual project contributions are available as part of export promotion as well as CHF 140,000 for background work relating to the Swiss Film Prize. The award will only be judged by the newly formed "Swiss Film Academy". Swiss Films still has the mandate to organize the award until 2010, while SRG has committed to broadcasting the gala until 2011. A working group is therefore now looking for the organizer for the missing year - and Swiss Films makes no secret of the fact that this task would be best performed "in-house".
The promotion agency Swiss Films is where all the information about Swiss films comes together. "Swiss Films is a well-known, networked and reliable address that provides information and promotion services for Swiss filmmaking in the service of the industry," says Josefa Haas, President of the Board of Trustees. Thanks to the mediation and support of Swiss Films, over 50 Swiss films were invited to international festivals in 2008. The visibility of Swiss films was actively supported with the purchase of film prints and contributions to festival participations. For example, four films are currently being shown in Shanghai. "The presence abroad - at international film festivals, crowned with awards or in the form of retrospectives - has a signal effect at home," Micha Zhivov is convinced. Swiss Films then reinforces this signal effect with events such as the self-curated Appellations Suisse series and the "Journée du Cinéma Suisse" at the Locarno Film Festival, as well as the Short Film Night, for example. This tour attracted over 17,000 visitors to the cinema in 2008.
Swiss Films attaches great importance to the collection of film data, which is published on www.swissfilms.ch and in annual catalogs. To this end, data sets on 360 films in various stages of production and exploitation were made available in 2008. The 15 issues of the electronic newsletter reach 1,800 film professionals and interested parties around the globe. "The Swiss Film Promotion Agency is now well positioned, recognized in the industry and is working more and more professionally," said the Board of Trustees at the end of the media conference, promising: "We want to be able to say the same about our website by the end of the year." The ten-year-old pioneering model from the days of silent film should also be able to be used interactively and audiovisually in the future.
The foundation, which is independent of the production industry, is tasked with promoting Swiss film in Switzerland and abroad. For this mandate, Swiss Films receives CHF 1.4 million each from the Federal Office of Culture and Pro Helvetia. Teleclub must contribute a concession fee from the private sector. In addition, individual project contributions are available as part of export promotion as well as CHF 140,000 for background work relating to the Swiss Film Prize. The award will only be judged by the newly formed "Swiss Film Academy". Swiss Films still has the mandate to organize the award until 2010, while SRG has committed to broadcasting the gala until 2011. A working group is therefore now looking for the organizer for the missing year - and Swiss Films makes no secret of the fact that this task would be best performed "in-house".
The promotion agency Swiss Films is where all the information about Swiss films comes together. "Swiss Films is a well-known, networked and reliable address that provides information and promotion services for Swiss filmmaking in the service of the industry," says Josefa Haas, President of the Board of Trustees. Thanks to the mediation and support of Swiss Films, over 50 Swiss films were invited to international festivals in 2008. The visibility of Swiss films was actively supported with the purchase of film prints and contributions to festival participations. For example, four films are currently being shown in Shanghai. "The presence abroad - at international film festivals, crowned with awards or in the form of retrospectives - has a signal effect at home," Micha Zhivov is convinced. Swiss Films then reinforces this signal effect with events such as the self-curated Appellations Suisse series and the "Journée du Cinéma Suisse" at the Locarno Film Festival, as well as the Short Film Night, for example. This tour attracted over 17,000 visitors to the cinema in 2008.
Swiss Films attaches great importance to the collection of film data, which is published on www.swissfilms.ch and in annual catalogs. To this end, data sets on 360 films in various stages of production and exploitation were made available in 2008. The 15 issues of the electronic newsletter reach 1,800 film professionals and interested parties around the globe. "The Swiss Film Promotion Agency is now well positioned, recognized in the industry and is working more and more professionally," said the Board of Trustees at the end of the media conference, promising: "We want to be able to say the same about our website by the end of the year." The ten-year-old pioneering model from the days of silent film should also be able to be used interactively and audiovisually in the future.
Andreas Panzeri
