BAK provides new impetus for Swiss film policy
At the Solothurn Film Festival, the Federal Office of Culture (BAK) set the course for film funding starting in 2026. The focus is on audiences, diversity, and sustainability, complemented by new approaches to international networking and the promotion of innovative formats.
At the Solothurn Film Festival, the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) presented the main features of a comprehensive further development of film policy. The aim is to realign the policy towards a global audiovisual policy that takes greater account of changing consumer habits and current challenges facing the industry. The resulting measures for the 2026 to 2028 funding period will be adopted in the fall of 2025 and should apply from January 2026.
Focus on audience, diversity and sustainability
The federal government's future film funding aims to take greater account of different audience groups. In addition to cinema releases, streaming platforms, festivals and other channels will also come into focus. In addition, genre diversity is to be promoted - productions aimed at a broader audience, such as family films, are to receive more support, as the BAK writes.
The transparency of funding decisions is also to be improved. Special coaching is planned for the promotion of young filmmakers in order to provide them with targeted support. In addition, the BAK would like to promote innovative projects such as XR (Extended Reality) and strengthen ecological sustainability and fair remuneration in filmmaking.
International networking and structural adjustments
The promotion of international cooperation plays a central role. New co-production agreements are intended to give Swiss productions greater visibility abroad. At the same time, better coordination between regional, national and private funding bodies is planned in order to realize larger projects more efficiently.
Response to the digital transformation
The strategic realignment is based, among other things, on the study "Swiss Film Funding in Transition", which was commissioned by the BAK 2023. It shows the extent to which digitalization has changed production and exploitation processes. The new measures are intended to ensure that Swiss film funding remains up-to-date and supports the industry in the long term. Until the measures are adopted in fall 2025, the FOC will conduct a consultation with the film industry as usual.
