Two more Swiss cantons have joined the country’s growing network of regional production incentives, as Geneva and Neuchâtel have unveiled plans for cash-rebate programmes aimed at attracting both domestic and international shoots.

The Canton and City of Geneva used this year’s Locarno Film Festival (6-16 August) as a platform to announce the creation of the Geneva Film Commission, which will be developed in two stages. The first, now active, is the Geneva Film Office, operating under the Geneva Tourism & Congress Foundation. It will act as a central point for facilitating productions – handling shooting permits, streamlining administrative procedures, and promoting Geneva’s audiovisual ecosystem at professional events in Switzerland and abroad.

The second stage, set to launch in 2026, will introduce a cash rebate reimbursing up to 30% of eligible local spend, capped at CHF 500,000 (€520,000) per project. Samuel Mellot, economic affairs officer at the Cantonal Office for Economy and Innovation, noted that each Swiss franc invested is expected to generate 3.5 to 4.5 CHF in economic return.

Geneva, which hosts nearly half of all film shoots in French-speaking Switzerland, has welcomed both national productions such as Laurent Nègre’s Operation Casablanca [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]. The region’s industry base includes production outfits Akka Films, Close Up Films and Rita Productions, and post facilities like Masé Sound Studios, alongside training institutions HEAD – Genève and SAE Institute, professional association Fonction Cinéma and public broadcaster RTS.

Marie Barbey-Chappuis, head of the city’s Department of Security and Sport, hailed the initiative as a boost to Geneva’s economic and cultural appeal. Cléa Redalié, head of the Cantonal Cultural Service, stressed the scheme would complement, rather than replace, the Cinéforom fund, which supports culturally driven projects across French-speaking Switzerland with an annual budget of around CHF 10 million (€10.4 million).

Neighbouring Neuchâtel will introduce a more modest incentive: a pilot cash rebate of up to 15% of eligible expenditure, capped at CHF 150,000 (€156,000) per project. The move follows four years of lobbying by the professional association Neuchâtel Films.

The pilot was sparked by Rita Productions’ interest in shooting Léa Fazer’s six-part psychological thriller Placée in the canton. The production, currently shooting, with a second block of filming slated for September, is expected to spend around CHF 1 million (€1.04 million) locally, triggering the maximum rebate. Neuchâtel Films vice-president Florence Adam confirmed that the canton has commissioned a report on the series’ economic impact, which will inform the creation of a permanent film commission and rebate scheme.

Geneva and Neuchâtel join the cantons of Ticino, Valais and Zurich, which already operate regional rebate systems. Valais became Switzerland’s first region to launch an automatic rebate in 2022, offering between 15% and 35% of eligible costs, capped at CHF 100,000 (€104,000). Zurich targets international projects and minority co-productions with a rebate of up to CHF 30,000 (€31,000), while Ticino assesses disbursements case by case, covering costs from pre-production to post.

These local programmes complement Switzerland’s national cash rebate, PICS (Production Incentive Cash Rebate Scheme), which has a CHF 6 million (€6.2 million) annual budget. PICS supports around 30 projects a year, offering 20%-40% of eligible expenditure, with the higher rate reserved for minority co-productions. The maximum amount payable is CHF 600,000 (€623,000) per project, and PICS can be combined with regional incentives.

With the addition of Geneva and Neuchâtel, the Swiss incentive framework aims to become increasingly competitive, positioning the country as a more attractive location for high-value audiovisual productions.