Switzerland has been named the new country of honor for the upcoming Marché du Film, the 2024 Cannes Film Market, which will run May 14 to 22, 2024.
The small Alpine nation punches above its weight on the international film scene, in large part due to its positioning as an ideal co-production partner, with a skilled, multi-lingual workforce, top-end post-production facilities and competitive state support and tax incentives.
Cross-over successes, including Alice Rohrwacher’s La chimera, an Italian/Swiss/French co-production featuring The Crown star Josh O’Connor as a white-suited tomb raider; Anna Novion’s drama Marguerite’s Theorem, about a brilliant mathematics student (Raw actor Ella Rumpf) who decides to quit university; or Claude Barras’ Swiss-French stop-motion film hit My Life as a Zucchini (2016) point to the breadth and variety of the Swiss industry.
Switzerland is also strongly supportive of its new talent, including first-time director Carmen Jaquier, whose debut feature, Thunder, a period drama set in a small Swiss village in 1900, is the country’s official contender for the 2024 Oscars in the best international feature category.
“[Naming] Switzerland as our new Country of Honor demonstrates the remarkable evolution and impact of Swiss cinema,” says Guillaume Esmiol, executive director of the Marché du Film. “Their diverse activities planned for 2024 also emphasize their strong commitment to industry growth, and the Marché du Film is honored to be the key moment in Switzerland’s ambitious agenda. They are, most of all, a veryinnovative country in terms of creativity and technology, which aligns perfectly with the positioning of theMarché, the leading market at the forefront of innovation and industry trends.”
In addition to the Cannes spotlight in May, Switzerland will host next year’s European Film Awards inDecember 2024, in the city of Lucerne.
National promotion body Swiss Films, together with the Swiss Federal Office of Culture and the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR will organize a Swiss delegation as well as special events at next year’s Marché, which will focus on highlighting emerging Swiss talents and projects in development as well as nurturing further international partnerships. Switzerland’s high-tech sector will also have a chance to shine, with representatives of the country’s digital start-ups and technology companies attending to connect with Swiss and international creatives. The U.N. ranks Switzerland as the top country worldwide in its “global leader in innovation” survey, outpacing the U.S..
“Switzerland stands out for being an attractive hub for co-productions, which are becoming increasinglyimportant in Europe,” says Alain Berset, president of the Swiss Confederation. “Our nation is alsohome to innovative companies excelling in A.I. and animation, thus playing a key role in positioning theMarché du Film as a premier industry event for innovation and sustainability. This dual strengthunderscores Switzerland’s important role in shaping the future of the global film industry.”
Swiss representatives will participate in several of the market’s key programs, including those dedicated to fiction and non-fiction feature films, as well as immersive projects and innovation. The Marché will announce more details in early 2024. Switzerland is the third country to receive the country of honor title, following India in 2022 and Spain this year. This initiative aims to spotlight and celebrate the uniqueindustry contributions of a different nation each year in Cannes.
The Marché du Film, the world’s largest film market, attracted 14,000 industry professionals screening more than 4,000 films and projects in development.
