COUNTRY OF HONOUR
Swiss presence at Marché du film in Cannes 2024
05.12.2023
Switzerland will be honoured as the guest country at the Marché du Film 2024, the largest international film market in the world. The prestigious market will take place in conjunction with the 77th edition of the Festival de Cannes from May 14-22, 2024. Highlighted in various industry programmes will be Switzerland’s audio-visual creations in the field of film and innovation, with a focus on Switzerland as a coproduction country as well as the exchange with representatives of the film industry from all over the world.
Switzerland has a diverse, multilingual and internationally networked film industry that has gained considerable momentum in recent years. Swiss filmmaking is characterised by high-quality productions in the tradition of auteur cinema.
International awards and regular participation at A-list festivals underscore its status. Swiss films have captured millions of viewers around the globe, not only with such films as the César-winning and Oscar-nominated animation film MY LIFE AS A ZUCCHINI by Claude Barras and the Silver-Bear winning feature film SISTER by acclaimed director Ursula Meier, but also with the box-office hit HEIDI, which featured the international star Bruno Ganz and was sold in over 50 countries.
As a coproduction partner, Switzerland is involved in numerous high-profile European productions. Its role as a coproduction country is steadily increasing. In 2023, for example, the festival in Cannes presented Anna Novion’s drama MARGUERITE'S THEOREM (France/Switzerland) as a Special Screening, while Alice Rohrwacher’s film LA CHIMERA (Italy/Switzerland/France) was in the running for a Palme d’Or in competition.
Switzerland also has a cosmopolitan, vibrant festival landscape and a growing market in the field of innovation and new technologies. With its market presence in Cannes, it now has the opportunity to further raise its profile and forge networks internationally.
Inviting Switzerland as the guest country was initiated by the Cannes film market. It is being realised in close cooperation with SWISS FILMS, the promotion agency for Swiss filmmaking. Support for Switzerland’s presence is provided by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture and the Swiss media company SRG SSR. Several Swiss partners in the film and innovation sector are actively involved in the initiative, providing additional high-profile insight into the Swiss film industry. Further cooperation partners will be announced in the near future.
On several occasions in 2024, Switzerland will be in the spotlight of the European film industry: in addition to its presence in Cannes, it will also be hosting the European Film Awards in December 2024, which will be presented at the Culture and Convention Centre Lucerne (KKL).