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SWISS FILMS Industry Information in Solothurn
24.01.2025
At the Solothurn Film Festival, SWISS FILMS presented the results of this year's industry survey and outlined its goals and priorities for the new year. SWISS FILMS explained how Swiss filmmaking can gain further visibility both internationally and with domestic audiences in 2025. The focus is on developing new domestic promotion activities, for which a team is currently being set up.
Around 480 Swiss filmmakers (compared to 350 last year) from various professional fields participated in the non-representative, open online survey about the activities of SWISS FILMS. With this annual survey, SWISS FILMS aims to take the pulse of the Swiss film industry and offers filmmakers the opportunity to provide feedback and input. Over 75% of participants (5% more than last year) said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the work of SWISS FILMS. Less than 25% of participants expressed criticism. The strong promotional focus on current, internationally successful productions and the marginal integration of Swiss film heritage were some of the criticisms voiced.
As in previous years, the biggest challenges for 2025 are international competition, the decline in cinema audiences, the streaming boom and relations with the EU. Of the SWISS FILMS activities, appearances on international markets are particularly valued, followed by advisory activities, networking opportunities and communication services. The SWISS FILMS website is predominantly rated positively, as are the newly launched newsletter formats, which are already showing solid key figures. The positive outcome of Switzerland’s guest participation at the Cannes Film Market in May 2024 has already been highlighted in previous news releases (here). The many positive feedbacks from the survey motivate SWISS FILMS to carry the positive momentum from last year into the new year.
The presentations on the «Domestic Promotion» pilot project were met with great interest. The goal of the pilot is to increase the visibility of Swiss films within Switzerland and reach a wider audience. Nadja Scherrer, Head of Marketing & Partnerships at SWISS FILMS, explained how the new promotion activities will be implemented. As a first step, SWISS FILMS intends to bring on board committed partners and increase the initial financial resources made available through collaborations and additional funding contributions. National B2C marketing partnerships are planned around selected Swiss films, series or talents. These collaborations will be supplemented with the “Campaign Booster”, a tool designed to reach additional target groups for film campaigns with a broad audience potential. A Sounding Board of experts from various sectors of Swiss filmmaking will accompany the pilot project.
PDF Industry Information with results of the online survey.