Faced with financial difficulties, Swiss cinema festivals are looking for solutions – rts.ch

While the Locarno Film Festival is in full swing. Moreover, the organizers of several major Swiss festivals bear witness to the same observation: completing a budget has become a perilous exercise.

The animation, documentary or author’s cinema are no exception to the logic of scarcity of resources. In addition, “We are serene about our finances. However, knowing that they are precarious,” confirms Philippe Clivaz, operational director of the Friborg International Film Festival (FIFF).

Increasingly complex funding – Faced financial difficulties, swiss cinema

“Funding becomes more demanding. In addition, more energy -consuming,” observes Mischa Haberthür, deputy director of the Festival of Fantoche Animation in Baden (AG). Meanwhile, The number of funding requests explodes, while the available faced financial difficulties, swiss cinema funds do not increase.

Some foundations can now only respond to a fraction of the requests received. In addition, “One of them told us that only 7% of the files were selected,” he said. Furthermore, Aid previously annual can for example turn into support every two or three years, forcing festivals to multiply the procedures.

As president of the Conference of Festivals. this time, Philippe Clivaz studied the distribution of revenues of eight of the nine events supported by the Federal Office of Culture in 2023. “Between Baden. Friborg, Geneva, Neuchâtel or Nyon, we observe that almost 42% of funding comes from subsidies, a little less than 20% of clean revenues and the rest of the foundations, sponsorships or others, “he notes.

Sponsors more difficult to convince – Faced financial difficulties, swiss cinema

On the side of the Soleur Days, the operational director Monica Rosenberg shares the same difficulties. Finding sponsors becomes a challenge. Culture is no longer a priority faced financial difficulties, swiss cinema in the face of competition from other causes: sport, climate, education. Soleure recently paid the price with the departure of Swisscom, its second main sponsor.

Since the start of the year, FIFF has hired an official to help the festival find private funds. “We have taken a financial risk. but today three-four foundations have already expressed their interest in the FIFF,” says Philippe Clivaz, without falling into euphoria.

Public support under tension

Even public subsidies become more uncertain. “In the best of cases, we manage to maintain existing contributions,” says Raphaël Brunschwig, director of the Locarno festival. For him, you must now activate other levers. The festival strategy relies on private, more interactive, but also more complex partnerships. New international prospects are also explored, with the ambition of attracting more funds to Switzerland.

Touched by the budget cuts led by the Confederation. the FIFF tries to reach balance and less depend on public aid. faced financial difficulties, swiss cinema By 2027. the festival hoped to increase its budget and finances, but knows that the global context can play tricks on it.

A fragile private-public balance

In Soleure, the balance between public funds, patronage and clean revenue vacillates. “Inflation and the drop in sponsorship disrupt our model,” deplores Monica Rosenberg. For her, reinforced support from the public authorities is crucial to guarantee the cultural mission of the festival.

Locarno, for its part, has managed to develop its financial structure. In ten years, its budget has increased by five million francs. The share of public funds increased from 44%to 38%, while private contributions now reach 35%.

For spectators, a film festival is above all a party. But behind the scenes, the organizers are fighting to keep the course. “It’s not just about surviving,” insists Raphaël Brunschwig. “We must demonstrate our public value with audacity and creativity.”

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