Switzerland will be the country of honour at next year’s Marché du Film in Cannes
- Following in the footsteps of India and Spain, Switzerland is set to be the guest country at the world’s biggest international film market
The Marché du Film, organised within the Cannes Film Festival which last year drew in 14,000 professionals who discovered 4,000 films and projects in development and were treated to 200 networking events, might be said to be an unmissable appointment in the diaries of industry professionals. This coming year, Switzerland is set to lead the dance unspooling 14 - 22 May 2024, showcasing the richness of the country’s cinematography.
As stressed by Swiss Films, Swiss audiovisual creation in the fields of cinema and innovation will be showcased through various programmes, which will highlight the importance of Switzerland in the domain of co-production and the free and easy exchanges and contact it enjoys with other representatives of the global film industry. When it comes to co-productions, Switzerland is involved in a number of high-flying European movies, including Marguerite’s Theorem [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anna Novion
film profile] by Anna Novion (selected for a Special Screening in Cannes 2023) and La chimera [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Alice Rohrwacher (which competed for Cannes’ Palme d’Or this year). Switzerland also boasts a vital array of prestigious festivals which are always open to the world, and a keen eye for innovation and new technology. As emphasised in the festival’s press release, "Switzerland has always enjoyed a strong presence in Cannes, regularly ranking among the ten main participants in the Marché du Film".
Switzerland further boasts a varied, dynamic and multilingual film industry, which is incredibly active on the global stage, not to mention highly qualified professionals and state-of-the-art post-production facilities. The productions put forth by the country are decidedly high in quality and lean towards the tradition currently described as arthouse cinema. Scores of its films have won awards in leading international festivals, such as Claude Barras’ animated feature film My Life As A Courgette [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claude Barras
film profile], Ursula Meier’s Sister [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kacey Mottet Klein
interview: Ursula Meier
film profile], and Alain Gsponer and Anuk Steffen’s Heidi [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile], starring Bruno Ganz, which proved a cinematic success sold in over 50 countries. The Marché du Film’s deputy director Guillaume Esmiol stresses that "Switzerland is, first and foremost, an incredibly innovative country in terms of creativity and technology, which ties in perfectly with the Marché du Film’s position as the market leader on the cutting edge of innovation and industry trends. We’re very much looking forward to this fruitful collaboration".
Switzerland’s invitation to be a country of honour is a Cannes Marché du Film initiative, facilitated in close collaboration with Swiss Films and with the backing of the Federal Office for Culture and the Swiss media company SRG SSR. In addition to its presence in Cannes, Switzerland is also due to take centre stage in the European Film Awards of December 2024, unfolding in Lucerne. The presence of Switzerland in Cannes’ Marché du Film won’t only serve to demonstrate the richness and diversity of the country’s film productions, it will also encourage international partnerships and shine a light on emerging Swiss talent and any projects in development.
(Translated from French)
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