Up to $20 million could be pumped into independent film production in Switzerland thanks to revisions to the country’s Film Act, which will compel streamers such as Prime Video and Netflix to invest in the local film business.
A roundtable during the Locarno Film Festival titled “Swiss Film Industry – New Film Act and New Opportunities” outlined the changes that would come into force in the new year with the implementation of the revised act.
According to Swiss law, local television companies must invest 4% of their revenue generated in Switzerland on independent film production. The amendment, which was approved by a referendum and was voted into law, extends this obligation to streamers, as well as mandating a 30% quota for European content.
The act will also oblige streamers to provide data transparency to the authorities, though the authorities will not be allowed to publish the data.
“The regulation will say it’s okay for you to make money, but you have to give something back to the culture you are making money with,” Matthias Bürcher from BAC (Switzerland’s Federal Office of Culture) commented.
The money, estimated to be €18 million ($19.7 million) a year, will be dispensed by the companies involved rather than a government fund. The money can be released in three ways: one, by licensing films which are already made; two, financing films completely; or three, participating in co-productions. The fund will be available for all kinds of films including fiction features, documentaries and shorts.
Chairing the discussion, Enrico Vanucci of European co-production funding agency Eurimages welcomed the news of these additional resources, but Gabriella Bussmann, a Swiss producer also on the panel, sounded a note of caution.
“This new financing possibility will shake up the Swiss production landscape, that’s for sure,” she said. “But it will be a minority of producers who are willing and also able to co-produce with Netflix and company. As a producer, I have also to be aware that with such co-productions, you become a minority. That also means giving up certain freedom, and handing over leadership to large platforms.”
With more minority co-productions, she argued that it would be important to ensure the preservation and growth of existing funds.
Katrin Renz, a producer at Tellfilm, also remarked that she was already involved in a co-production as a result of the amended law. “It’s not that much money, it’s also very expensive money, because I’ll get the money only three months after the delivery to Netflix. So it’s very, very late.”
Marschall also gave a presentation explaining the work of Media Desk Suisse, a national fund which had been set up as a way of encouraging international co-development following the Swiss withdrawal from Creative Europe in 2014.
Modeled on the rules of Creative Europe, Media Desk Suisse fosters international co-productions at the development stage where Swiss producers have a majority share or are, in a new development, a minority partner. The development fund is worth €1.2 million ($1.3 million) per year and funds between 23 and 25 projects a year, of which two-to-three can be funded in the new minority Swiss co-development funding scheme.
“This new funding scheme is intended to facilitate the Swiss joining projects that are initiated by and led by a foreign partner. And it’s not limited to countries that are signatories of the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-productionbut open to Mexico and Canada, which have bilateral agreements with Switzerland.”
As well as the obvious financial benefits of the funds, Bussmann also insisted that “co-production is always an added value to a film, because you bring the project from the beginning to an international level. This means more visibility and also more possibility for explanations. In this sense, I really welcome this new fund and this opens up a new possibility for us as partners and makes us more interesting for co-production partners abroad.”
Although complexities and teething problems were anticipated – a young producer from the audience asked why experience was one of the criteria – there was a sense of cautious optimism that these new sources of funding would encourage further European production.
