Distribution Support
More applications, fewer funds
12.03.2026
In order to increase visibility of Swiss films abroad, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC) promotes the global distribution and export of films made in Switzerland. SWISS FILMS is responsible for the administrative implementation of this measure and provides consultation to foreign distributors in advance. Decisions are made by a commission of experts appointed by the FOC.
Prior to the pandemic, applications for export promotion were primarily accepted from Europe and a limited list of countries outside Europe. Ab 2021, applications from all over the world could be supported and the evaluation process was changed to a simplified procedure of single expertise. As a result, the number of applications receiving support rose steadily each year. This led to an overbooking of FOC’s annual funds for export promotion and is reflected in the figures from 2023 (budget CHF 550,000, funds allocated: CHF 1,066,745) and 2024 (budget CHF 536,800, funds allocated: CHF 727,861). Consequently, the FOC had to stop receiving applications on July 23, 2025, because the budget had already been exhausted.
Since 2025, CHF 500,000 has been available for the export promotion of Swiss film productions in accordance with the FOC’s distribution plan. Working together with the FOC, SWISS FILMS sought practical solutions that would enable somewhat broader and more consistent support for applications under the new conditions. As of 2026, the FOC will now hold five commission meetings, which can award an average of approximately CHF 100,000 per meeting. These limited funds will inevitably lead to greater competition among applicants. Due to the postponement of applications from 2025, a higher number of applications was expected, particularly for the first meeting in January 2026. At the recommendation of SWISS FILMS, the amount available for the first meeting was increased slightly, but even so, it was not possible to support all of the dossiers that were eligiblein terms of quality and coherence: a total of 18 applications were submitted, requesting a total of CHF 380,000. Much to the regret of the expert commission, only seven applications could ultimately be supported, with a total of CHF 125,000 granted.
If the high number of dossiers per submission deadline continues, it will not be possible to support all eligible applications in future commission meetings. SWISS FILMS therefore recommends that distributors do not necessarily apply for the maximum contributions.