It could be interesting times ahead for promotional agency Swiss Films. The group’s government backing is currently in place, but Francine Brücher said: “At the moment there is a lot of talk and debate concerning the film law. There might be some possibly changes, the subsidy is in discussion, we’ll know at the end of the year.

Nicolas Bideau is leaving as head of the film department at BAK. “So things always change with a new

administration,” she added.

It’s a strong year for Swiss film, with La Petite Chambre representing the country in the Foreign-Language Oscar race, and also Christian Frei’s documentary Space Tourists being prepared for a potential Oscar bid in the documentary category.

Closer to home, Swiss Films will host a public talk today at 15:30 at the Zurich Film Festival’s Festival Centre. Brücher, who is in charge of international promotion at promotional body Swiss Films, says the discussion will be about “how filmmakers can prepare for the future, working with media, what producers will have to change about the way they work, and how new changes can also impact film promotion.”

Although Brücher herself is in charge of promoting Swiss films at international events like Cannes and Berlin, she is bullish about the Zurich Film Festival. She said: “It’s important for fimmakers to have a festival in their own town.”

The theatrical market share of Swiss films at home is only about 3-5% “but distributors are very courageous and very dedicated [to support Swiss films],” says Francine Brücher of Swiss Films, who also noted that government subsidies to support local product distribution also helps.

She noted that almost every documentary gets a theatrical run, for example in 2009 there were 31 Swiss non-fiction films that had theatrical runs, which is certainly a bigger percentage than most territories. “That’s thanks to both the distributors and the cinemas,” Brücher said.

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