16/05/2011

Swiss federal advisor Didier Burkhalter and Luxembourg’s Minister for Communications and the Media François Biltgen signed a co-production agreement between the two countries in Cannes on Sunday. The text holds particular significance for the Swiss film industry, as it stipulates that Luxembourg-based companies can now invest up to 100% in Swiss co-productions, depending on the type of project co-produced. This move places Switzerland on an equal footing with EU Member States that, to date, have been the sole beneficiaries of such a clause.

In another good piece of news for the Swiss film sector, the agreement also modifies the required quota between each co-producer’s contribution to a project. At present, the legal quota is that fixed by the European Convention of Film Co-production – which makes provision for a minimum quota of 20-80% between majority and minority co-producers. It will now be between 10% and 90%.

This reduction in the minimum contribution allowed a company wanting to enter a co-production agreement is expected to create a significant rise in the number of new projects made by Switzerland and Luxembourg. Switzerland currently benefits from similar treaties with France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Belgium and Canada.

A number of co-productions show the solid links that exist to date between Switzerland and Luxembourg. The most recent of these is the recently, critically acclaimed The Little Room [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Véronique Reymond, Stéphan…
film profile] by Lausanne-based directors Véronique Reymond and Stéphanie Chuat, which won two Quartz Awards, Switzerland’s top film honours, for Best Film and Best Screenplay last March (see news).

(Translated from French)