Swiss Films
Swiss Films is a non-profit foundation established in 1975 as Switzerland's national film promotion agency, headquartered in Zürich with 11-50 employees and government-funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture. It promotes Swiss cinema domestically and internationally through festivals, a curated database of 8,000+ Swiss works, and the Swiss Film Award.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Swiss Films does
Swiss Films is a non-profit foundation established in 1975 as Switzerland's national film promotion agency. Headquartered in Zürich with a Geneva office, the organization operates with 11-50 employees and is primarily funded through grants from the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC/BAK). It serves Swiss filmmakers, producers, distributors, and rights holders by promoting Swiss cinema domestically and internationally, functioning as a public-good intermediary rather than a commercial enterprise.
The organization operates several core assets: the Swiss Films Portal (a searchable database cataloguing over 8,000 Swiss film works), the Short Film Library (a curated collection of approximately 800 hand-picked Swiss shorts), and the administration of the Swiss Film Award in partnership with the Swiss Film Academy and SRG SSR. It runs annual preview screenings at Nyon (Visions du Réel), Locarno, and Winterthur, and maintains a presence at major international festivals including Cannes, Berlin, Annecy, and Locarno. In 2025, it launched Campaign Booster, a domestic marketing support tool for Swiss film releases. Additional focus areas include Swiss Immersion, Swiss Series, and Swiss Classics initiatives.
The business model is grant-funded rather than revenue-generating. Swiss Films operates as a promotional intermediary between Swiss film producers and international gatekeepers (festival programmers, sales agents, distributors). Through a partnership with European Film Promotion (EFP), it extends Swiss film reach into North American and Asian markets. The organization reports reaching approximately 1.5 million contacts annually, positioning itself as Switzerland's mandated national film promotion infrastructure with no private-sector competitor in its core remit.
Swiss Films firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Swiss Films
- Legal name
- Swiss Films
- Website
- https://swissfilms.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Swiss Films is a non-profit foundation established in 1975 as Switzerland's national film promotion agency, headquartered in Zürich with 11-50 employees and government-funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture. It promotes Swiss cinema domestically and internationally through festivals, a curated database of 8,000+ Swiss works, and the Swiss Film Award.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Swiss Films industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Film Promotion Services
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)
- SIC
- Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Programming, Booking & Repertory Exhibition Services (MPADAKAL)
Keywords
Where Swiss Films is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Swiss Films business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Government Funding (Swiss Federal Office of Culture): Swiss Films is a government-supported organization funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC/Bundesamt für Kultur BAK). It operates as a non-profit promotion agency rather than a revenue-generating commercial entity.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Swiss Films product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Swiss Films is the official national information and promotion agency for Swiss cinema, providing consulting, publishing, and film promotion services to Swiss rights holders and international film professionals. It operates the Swiss Films Portal database (8,000+ works), the Short Film Library (~800 shorts), SWISS FILMS Previews at major festivals, support measures, and domestic promotion including the Campaign Booster marketing tool.
Product overview
Swiss Films operates as a national film promotion organization offering a platform of interconnected services rather than a single software product. The core platform consists of the Swiss Films Portal (database for film registration and data management) and Short Film Library (video viewing platform). Supporting services include SWISS FILMS Previews (preview screenings), Festival Planner (calendar tool), Award Agenda, Film Search, and My Favorites features. The organization provides consulting and support services for rights holders, international industry professionals, and festival participation. Additional offerings include Domestic Promotion and Campaign Booster (marketing tools), News & Publications (content channels), and Film Programmes (curated retrospectives). The platform maintains data on over 8,000 Swiss works and reaches over 1,500,000 contacts annually through various channels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Swiss Films Portal
Quantifiable outcome
- Reaches over 1,500,000 contacts annually interested in cinema through various channels
Companies that use Swiss Films
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Swiss Films technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Swiss Films partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.
- Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC/Bundesamt für Kultur BAK)corePrimary government sponsor and mandating body for Swiss Films. Provides funding and strategic direction for national film promotion activities.
- Swiss Arts Council (Pro Helvetia)coreCollaborates on large-scale projects with specific focus on priority countries for Swiss cultural promotion abroad.
- European Film Promotion (EFP)majorEuropean network for film promotion. Swiss Films participates under EFP umbrella for market presence in North America and Asia including Filmart Hong Kong, ACFM Busan, Toronto TIFF, Sundance, and Miami Film Market.
- Swiss Film AcademymajorCollaborates with Swiss Film Academy for Swiss Film Award administration, streaming platform management during nomination phase, and annual awards ceremony.
- SRG SSRmajorSwiss Broadcasting Corporation. Collaborates in organization of Swiss Film Award, providing broadcast and media support.
- National Film Archive (Cinémathèque Suisse)supportingFilm data made available to the National Film Archive for archiving purposes.
- Federal Statistical OfficesupportingFilm data provided for statistical evaluation purposes.
- Solothurn Film FestivalmajorCollaborates in organization of Swiss Film Award ceremony.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Swiss Films competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Swiss Films social profiles
Digital presenceSwiss Films financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Swiss Films leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Swiss Films funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Swiss Films M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Swiss Films
What does Swiss Films do?
Swiss Films is the official national information and promotion agency for Swiss cinema, providing consulting, publishing, and film promotion services to Swiss rights holders and international film professionals. It operates the Swiss Films Portal database (8,000+ works), the Short Film Library (~800 shorts), SWISS FILMS Previews at major festivals, support measures, and domestic promotion including the Campaign Booster marketing tool.
Is Swiss Films a public or private company?
Swiss Films is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Swiss Films founded?
Swiss Films was founded in 1975. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Swiss Films based?
Swiss Films is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Swiss Films make money?
One revenue line is on record: government Funding (Swiss Federal Office of Culture).
Does Swiss Films have an API?
No public API is recorded for Swiss Films.
What industry is Swiss Films in?
Swiss Films's product category is Film Promotion Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAKAL, Programming, Booking & Repertory Exhibition Services. Its NAICS code is 51213 and its SIC code is 7819.