Switzerland and Canada enter into cooperation for films
Published: Thursday, Aug 1st 2024, 13:20
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In the film sector, a new cooperation between Switzerland and Canada is intended to facilitate the financing of films and improve distribution in both countries. The new co-production agreement was signed in November last year and comes into force on Thursday.
The new agreement replaces the previous one from 1987, as the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) wrote on its website on Thursday.
"Currently, one or two films are co-produced each year, mainly feature films and documentaries," Laurent Steiert, co-director of the FOC's film section, told the Keystone-SDA news agency on request. "The aim is to increase co-productions with the English-speaking part of Canada, which has different financing methods to the French-speaking part," added Steiert.
The agreement also enables the financing of new co-production models such as series and improves collaboration between filmmakers on joint projects, according to the FOC website. It would also make it easier to start filming co-productions in Switzerland, which would have a positive impact on various sectors.
Regular exchange
"The projects between the two countries are constant," said Steiert. Specifically, the exchange has been taking place for more than 20 years. Producers from both countries usually meet three times a year: in Berlin, at the Cannes Film Festival and then alternately in a French-speaking city as part of the meeting of the various national development funds of the French-speaking countries.
Switzerland is represented there by the FOC and exchanges ideas with delegations of authorities from France, Canada, Luxembourg and the French-speaking part of Belgium. The next meeting will take place from November 5 to 8 in Montreal, Canada.
In the last ten years, six co-productions with a total budget of over CHF 19.3 million have been completed between Switzerland and Canada, as can be read on the BAK website. The most recent co-produced films include "Until Branches Bend" by Swiss-Canadian Sophie Jarvis, which was awarded the Prix de Soleure last year. In 2024, "Hotel Silence" by Léa Pool was released in cinemas.
©Keystone/SDA
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