Festivals receive new state aid
The Swiss Federal Office for Culture has redefined its priorities with regard to its support to Swiss festivals for the period of 2008-2010 by choosing to back three new A-Festival events.
The lucky candidates, who will share almost 80% of the funding, are the Locarno International Film Festival (1.35m per year), documentary showcase Visions du Réel (400,000 francs), and showcase for national production Solothurn Film Festival (330,000 francs).
Aside from this very exclusive club, the Un certain regard category brings together four events judged as “promising”, often quite young and dedicated to specific genres. Fantoche – Baden International Film Festival and the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival have also been supported (75,000 per year). The new Zurich Film Festival and the Winterthur Short Film Days received funding of 50,000 francs.
Four "specialised and innovative" events are gathered under the label Un nouveau regard: Videoex – International Video and Experimental Film Festival and Talent Screen in Zurich, Black Movie – Festival de films des autres mondes in Geneva, as well as the Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival. An annual sum of 25,000 francs is granted to each.
The Fribourg International Film Festival and Geneva’s Cinéma Tout Ecran – International Film and Television Festival have also received state funding. In a phase of reorganisation, the first receives a grant of 100,000 francs for its 2008 edition (compared to 230,000 francs in 2007), while support for the second (180,000 francs in 2007) was not renewed.
(Translated from French)
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