Public Film Policy and the Rise of Economic Principles: The Case of Switzerland

Film production in Switzerland is particularly challenging in view of the country’s geographical, cultural and political specificities. The country is small in size, consists of three linguistic regions with their own cultural specificities, each of which is deeply influenced by the film supply from large, neighbouring countries. On top, it was recently excluded from the European Union’s MEDIA programme, designed to support the European film and audiovisual industries. This stopped Swiss filmmakers to access important European funds. This chapter first contextualizes these problems as structural barriers that Swiss producers, distributors and policymakers are confronted with. Then, it provides data concerning the Swiss film market and it describes the national film policies adopted by the Federal Government to support film production. Finally, it analyses a new fund created in July 2016 to finance national films and international co-productions shot in the country. The chapter suggests that, through this policy innovation, Switzerland is cautiously shifting from a public funding policy scheme exclusively based on cultural premises towards one that values film production as a means for economic growth. This unprecedented policy shift brings Switzerland closer to other European countries, which have been following similar trends for many years.