Cinéforom turns fifteen: successes on screen, but funding barely grows

Cinéforom is celebrating its first fifteen years. The foundation supporting cinema in French-speaking Switzerland, created in 2011 and funded by the six French-speaking cantons and the cities of Lausanne, Neuchâtel and Geneva, marked the anniversary on Friday in Locarno, during the Film Festival.

Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider spoke at the ceremony. She described the foundation as «essenziale» (essential) in the Swiss audiovisual landscape and its creation as a «scommessa riuscita» (successful bet). «I film raccontano chi siamo» (films tell who we are), she said, recalling that support for cinema «non è un lusso ma un bene pubblico» (is not a luxury but a public good).

The artistic record is positive. «Ciò che abbiamo constatato in quindici anni, è che c'è veramente stato uno sviluppo qualitativo, con un vero successo» (what we have seen over fifteen years is a real qualitative development, with genuine success), says secretary general Stéphane Morey. Films backed by the foundation include "My Life as a Courgette", awarded at the César ceremony and nominated for an Oscar, as well as "Olga", "Sauvages" and "Le Procès du chien", shown at major festivals from Cannes to Berlin, Venice and Locarno.

International recognition, however, has not been matched by a comparable rise in resources. Over fifteen years, Cinéforom's budget has only grown from around 10 to 11 million francs, while production costs have risen sharply. The foundation supports around 80 projects a year, including feature films, series, documentaries and shorts, out of 150-200 applications received. Contributions to French-Swiss cinema from the Federal Office of Culture and the SSR have, by contrast, increased.

The gap with Zurich and the new rules

The gap with German-speaking Switzerland remains wide. «Un film di finzione svizzerotedesco può riunire relativamente facilmente cinque milioni di budget unicamente con fondi svizzeri. In Svizzera romanda, un film ben finanziato raggiunge tre milioni, generalmente con una coproduzione internazionale» (a Swiss-German fiction film can fairly easily assemble a budget of five million from Swiss funds alone; in French-speaking Switzerland, a well-financed film reaches three million, generally with an international co-production), Morey explains.

This is why Cinéforom has revised its rules and tightened the criteria for automatic support. «Non basta più essere originari della Svizzera romanda» (it is no longer enough to come from French-speaking Switzerland), the secretary general points out: filmmakers living in other regions must work with a production company based in the region. The regional spending requirement has also been raised from 100% to 150%: a contribution of 500’000 francs must now generate around 750’000 francs of spending in French-speaking Switzerland.

Finally, there is concern about the SSR reform, which could abolish regional funding. «Il fatto che non vi sia più uno stanziamento riservato alla Svizzera romanda è preoccupante» (the fact that there is no longer an allocation reserved for French-speaking Switzerland is worrying), says Morey, who fears consequences for the region's production companies. Some encouraging signs come from audiences: Baume-Schneider reported a 30% rise in cinema attendance in French-speaking Switzerland since the start of the year, while acknowledging that the sector remains «fragile» in the face of competition from streaming platforms and the difficulties of cinemas.