ZURICH FILMFUNDS
The Zurich Filmfunds supports film business on a high professional level in Zurich. With their annual business volume Zurich Filmfunds mainly finances script development, production and distribution of cinema films - fiction, documentaries, shorts, animations and experimentals. They also support projects in co-production with foreign partners.
To be eligible for funding you have to fulfill several conditions: eligible to apply for funding are directors and producers who are resident in the canton of Zurich for at least two years and who are having an author or director under contract who mainly live in the canton of Zurich also for at least two years.
With an application higher than CHF 100'000 the company must be registrated in the commercial register.
Only co-production contracts which fulfil the minimum standards concerning rights and duties are accepted. The recoupment must correspond to the financing shares. While producing a movie you have to spend at least 150% of the financial contribution for employing local creatives and filmmakers or for production facilities in the Canton of Zurich (so-called «Zurich effect»).
FEDERAL OFFICE FOR CULTURE
The Federal Office of Culture supports film production and access to film culture and helps ensure the diversity of offers in Switzerland. The film industry in multilingual Switzerland is too small compared to that in neighboring countries such as France or Germany to be able to survive on its own. The federal government's contributions to the production and distribution of films therefore strengthen and ensure the quality and diversity of the range of films in all regions of the state. The Federal Office of Culture also supports this offer with contributions to film festivals in Switzerland. These guarantee access to national and international film culture outside of the cinemas.
The selective film funding is intended to support those projects that contribute to the diversity of Swiss films or co-productions on offer. Specifically, these are screenplays and productions as well as project development for documentaries and animated films.
The applications submitted to the Federal Office of Culture are assessed by a commission of experts. They must be submitted on time and, above all, before the start of production.