🏔️ The Marché du Film Announces Full Cannes 2024 Program to Spotlight Switzerland, Country of Honour - Marché du Film (2024)

02 May 2024

Switzerland, named Country of Honour at the upcoming 2024 edition of the Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes, is set to captivate attendees from 14 to 22 May at the 77th Festival de Cannes.

Organized by the promotion agency Swiss Films and in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Office of Culture and the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR, Switzerland’s participation in Cannes promises to showcase the nation’s multifaceted contributions to the global film industry throughout the entire film and market event.

A series of enlightening conferences will be led by notable industry speakers from renowned Swiss institutions, including the Locarno Film Festival, Cinémathèque Suisse, ProHelvetia (Swiss Arts Council), Zurich Film Festival, as well as the European Film Academy to promote the upcoming European Film Awards Ceremony in Lucerne 2024. These sessions will offer invaluable insights into Switzerland’s rich film culture, global contributions, and its visionary outlook for the industry.

In addition to these discussions, Swiss Films will shine a spotlight on Switzerland’s most promising projects and talents across the Marché du Film’s key industry programs:

• The Producers Network, designed to boost networking and co-production opportunities, will introduce five promising Swiss producers and their latest works. (17 May, 9:00, Producers Club)
• Cannes Docs, the dedicated platform for documentary professionals, will showcase four Swiss docs-in-progress presented by Visions du Réel Nyon, aiming to grab the attention of doc decision-makers, festival programmers and sales agents. (19 May, 11:45, Lérins 4 Screening Room)
• Goes to Cannes will showcase five captivating fiction works-in-progress from Swiss talents, presented by Solothurn Film Festival. The showcase is aimed to connect up-and-coming projects with potential sales agents, distributors and festival programmers. (18 May, 12:00, Palais K)
• Cannes Next will host a new edition of “Producers Pitching Their Projects” (16 May, 14:00, Main Stage), where 15 producers pitch their film projects in a 3-minute format, supported by Largo.AI’s forecasts. Cannes Next will also host panel that will also explore the “The Future of Storytelling” by looking at the production and distribution of immersive works from a variety of perspectives. (16 May, 15:00, Press Conference Room, Palais des Festivals)
• Festivals Hub, an initiative designed to propose activities for global film festivals and markets, will host the panel “Swiss Film Fest Focus: Exploring Diversity & Collaboration,” featuring the artistic directors from Switzerland’s leading film festivals renowned for their strong international outreach: Locarno Film Festival, Visions du Réel Nyon, Zurich Film Festival, Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival and Geneva International Film Festival. (18 May, 15:00, The Viewpoint)

In support of Switzerland, Country of Honour, other notable Swiss institutions will contribute to this year’s celebration of Swiss talent:

• SONART (Swiss Musicians Association) has selected two Swiss music composers to join the roster of this year’s Spot the Composer. The networking program is designed to match emerging film composers with feature film directors and producers in Cannes for potential collaborations.
• ProHelvetia (Swiss Arts Council) has selected four literary works from Swiss authors as part of Shoot the Book! This year’s selection of literary IPs will be pitched in front of an audience of film & TV producers looking to make fresh film adaptations. (18 May, 12:00, Palais K)

To highlight Switzerland’s status as the “most innovative nation” (according to the 2023 UN study conducted by the WIPO) and underscore its commitment to advancements in technology, the Marché du Film will host the all-new Swiss Hub, a new dedicated space at the heart of the Palais des Festivals. Here, attendees will have the exclusive opportunity to explore and test out the latest cutting-edge tools and technologies (e.g. robo-dogs, spatial tools, interactive installations) from pioneering Swiss startups, while also connecting with Swiss visionaries, influential decision-makers and film funding entities at the Swiss Innovators co*cktail & Rendez-Vous event, co-hosted by Swiss Films & Cannes Next. (19 May, 15:00, The Viewpoint)

The Swiss Hub is also the place to meet and greet Swiss producers during the market. By showcasing all Swiss producer associations, the hub provides potential co-producers from all over the world to discover Switzerland as a reliable and successful co-producing partner. Attendees can also learn more about the Swiss film industry and its co-production incentives at their dedicated Swiss Pavilion (n°125), situated in the iconic Village International.

Morever, Switzerland’s recognition at the Marché du Film is underscored by the Festival de Cannes’ Official Selection. This year, the iconic section Un Certain Regard will proudly premiere two Swiss entires: The Shameless by Konstantin Bojanov and Dog on Trial (Le procès du chien) by Laetitia Dosch. Adding to the excitement, Claude Barras’ stop-motion animation Savages! will debut as a Special Screening within the Official Selection. Additionally, Elena López Riera’s Swiss short Las Novias del Sur has made it into the Short Film Selection of Semaine de la Critique, earning a coveted spot among in the Special Screenings category.

As Country of Honour, Switzerland will host the much-anticipated Opening Night (15 May), a celebratory evening at the prestigious Plage des Palmes – the official beachside venue of the Festival de Cannes & Marché du Film – to inaugurate the opening of the market event.