09/07/2011 - Dan Wechsler founded Bord Cadre films in 2004 with Laurent Nègre. He has recently co-produced Cristi Puiu’s Aurora and Isaki Lacuesta’s The Double Steps.

With a degree in audiovisual management and film production under his belt, Dan Wechsler founded Bord Cadre films in 2004 with film director Laurent Nègre. After the latter’s acclaimed debut feature, Fragile, Wechsler co-produced Cristi Puiu’s Aurora [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Clara Voda
film profile], which picked up several awards at international festivals, and Isaki Lacuesta’s The Double Steps [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. This year, he also wrapped up the second feature by his partner Laurent Nègre, Operation Casablanca, which has just been released in Swiss theatres.Cineuropa met with Dan Wechsler in Paris.

Cineuropa: How did you become a producer?
Dan Wechsler: I wanted to set up a business in a sector that has always fascinated me, cinema. But I also needed this business to have an entrepreneurial side. By getting into the nitty-gritty of this job, I realised how complex and varied it is. More than a career choice, it’s a life choice.

What does it mean, in practical terms, to produce films for a market as small as Switzerland?
Our desire, at Bord Cadre films, is to work on projects that have a chance of being exported, crossing borders, and being seen internationally. But, let’s be clear, Switzerland isn’t a place conducive to creating this type of film. Not only does the country have only 8 million inhabitants, but it is also split into three linguistic regions. If we take only the French-speaking population, that only makes 2 million people. It is impossible to make a profit from such a small population pool, except with very, very low-cost films. Consequently, we inevitably have to think about larger-scale projects. So we bank on co-productions.

Which means generating interest from European partners. How do you do this?
With unusual, original content. We have to explore our specificities and emphasise them. We have strong literature and interesting original scripts. But we must also manage to fit that content into an international outlook.

You co-produced Cristi Puiu’s film Aurora. Why did you make this choice?
I had a particular interest in Cristi Puiu’s films. Then, due to life’s fortunes, we got the chance to meet each other. I should say that Cristi studied film studies in Geneva, where I live and work, and for my part, I have family connections with Romania. Moreover, I’m very glad to have been able to bring Swiss expertise into this production. We really contributed to the technical quality of the film.

What have you gained from the Producers on the Move programme?
I find it difficult to gauge the exact impact of the programme on my projects, insofar as it is aimed at producers who already have a certain volume of production behind them, and therefore a certain track record. Having said that, the idea of putting us together and encouraging meetings is excellent. It also enables more seasoned professionals to discover the new generation of producers.

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