Festival Black Movie

What Festival Black Movie does

Festival Black Movie is an annual international independent film festival organized as a non-profit cultural association based in Geneva, Switzerland, operating from the Maison des arts du Grütli. The festival runs for 10 days each January — the 2026 edition was held 16–25 January 2026 and the next edition is scheduled for 22–31 January 2027 — and screens curated independent fiction and documentary films from a broad international footprint (Cuba, Spain, Iran, Poland, France, Belgium, Lithuania, Portugal, Colombia, USA, India, Palestine, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Netherlands, Argentina, Singapore, China, among others), with thematic programming around migration, conflict, feminist struggles, and postcolonial issues. Programming is distributed across a network of partner cinema venues in Geneva (Cinélux, Spoutnik, Fonction:Cinéma, Les Salons, Grütli Langlois, Grütli Simon, MEG, Alhambra), with the Alhambra hosting the closing ceremony.

The organization's product portfolio centers on the main festival, plus the Petit Black Movie children's/family program and the Mini Black Movie early-childhood initiative (operated in partnership with Maison de la Créativité since 2007). Adjacent media products include Black FM (radio/podcast emissions), Black TV (video content), Critiques enherbe (a young film critics program hosted at ceh.blackmovie.ch), and daily festival photography. The festival also runs cultural mediation programs for children, youth, and accessibility audiences (including 'Relax' screenings), as well as round tables on citizenship and postcolonialism co-organized with emp'ACT.

Revenue is generated through two primary streams: individual ticket sales for screenings via the Ticketack online platform, and the Festival Pass / 5 Entries package enabling multiple screenings at a reduced per-film cost. The organization is supported institutionally by the Ville de Genève and Canton de Genève, alongside media and commercial partners including Payot Libraire (sponsor of children's awards), Le Courrier, Radio Vostok, and SoFilm. The festival operates with a lean team of 9 employees and is not a technology product company; no AI/ML capabilities, proprietary software, or app products are disclosed.

Name

Festival Black Movie

Legal name

Black Movie Festival

Website

https://blackmovie.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Festival Black Movie is a Geneva-based non-profit that runs an annual 10-day international independent film festival each January, plus year-round youth, family, and cultural mediation programs (Petit Black Movie, Mini Black Movie) serving cinephiles, children, families, and film professionals in Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival and Cultural Events

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG)

Keywords

• Independent film festival
• Cultural film events
• Children film programming
• Cultural mediation programs
• International cinema screenings

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales: Individual ticket sales for film screenings at various cinema venues during the 10-day festival period
2. Festival Pass: Bulk pass offerings (Pass/5 entrées) allowing multiple screenings at reduced per-film cost

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Festival Black Movie is an annual 10-day international independent film festival held in Geneva, Switzerland, featuring curated competitive and non-competitive film sections, filmmaker encounters, panel discussions (tables rondes), and awards. The festival also operates the Petit Black Movie children's and family film program (with the Mini Black Movie early-childhood sub-program active since 2007), cultural mediation programs, and multimedia content (Black FM radio, Black TV video) for general audiences, youth, and families in the Geneva region.

Product overview

Festival Black Movie is an international independent film festival based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization operates primarily as a cultural event rather than a technology product company. Its portfolio consists of the main annual film festival (held January 16-25, 2026 for the current edition, with the next edition scheduled for January 22-31, 2027), the Petit Black Movie children's program, media products (Black FM radio and Black TV video content), the Critiques en herbe youth critics platform, and ticketing services via partner Ticketack. The festival also operates cultural mediation programs, publishes festival photography, and organizes special events including round tables and encounters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Petit Black Movie: Children's and youth film program within the Black Movie festival featuring age-appropriate animated and short films
• Mini Black Movie
• Black FM
• Black TV

Products and services

• Festival Black Movie Annual 10-day international independent film festival in Geneva featuring competitive sections, filmmaker encounters, panel discussions (tables rondes), awards, and accessible screenings, targeted at adult film enthusiasts and cinephiles.
• Petit Black Movie Children's and family film program featuring age-appropriate animated and short film screenings and educational content, including Mini Black Movie for children up to 6 years; targeted at families with children aged 3 to 10.
• Black FM Radio-style multimedia program covering festival content, filmmaker interviews, and film discussions for festival audiences and the general public.
• Black TV Video content platform featuring festival-related video content, filmmaker interviews, and bonus materials for festival audiences.
• Critiques en herbe Young film critics platform where youth write and publish reviews of festival films, engaging adolescents in film criticism and cultural participation.
• Festival Pass / 5 Entries Multi-entry pass (Pass / 5 entrées) allowing attendees to access multiple festival screenings at a reduced per-film cost versus single-ticket purchases.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mini Black Movie program active since 2007

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Ville de GenèvemajorOthersMunicipal government partner providing institutional support and funding for the festival operations
• Canton de GenèvemajorOthersCantonal government partner providing regional institutional support
• Maison de la CréativitécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2007 for Mini Black Movie program targeting early childhood institutions. Programs presented at their venue for families.
• emp'ACTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of tables rondes (panel discussions) on social and political themes including citizenship education and postcolonialism
• Fédération genevoise de coopérationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting partner for educational discussions on citizenship and engagement
• Payot LibrairecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Petit Black Movie children's film awards
• CinéluxcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner cinema venue for festival screenings
• SpoutnikcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner cinema venue for festival screenings
• Fonction:CinémacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner cinema venue for festival screenings
• Le CourrierminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner supporting festival coverage
• Radio VostokminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRadio media partner for festival promotion
• SoFilmminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench film media partner

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Visions du Réel: Annual international documentary and independent film festival held in Nyon, Switzerland. Directly comparable to Festival Black Movie as a Swiss-based, independently curated film festival focused on socially engaged cinema for a similar Francophone Swiss audience.
• Sheffield DocFest: UK-based international documentary and independent film festival with industry and public programming. Comparable to Black Movie as a festival combining public screenings with filmmaker encounters, industry events, and thematic curatorial focus.
• Edinburgh International Film Festival: Long-running international film festival in Edinburgh with independent, documentary, and arthouse programming. Comparable to Black Movie as a curated international film festival with public and industry components.
• Solothurn Film Festival: Swiss national film festival focused on Swiss independent productions, held annually in Solothurn. Comparable to Black Movie as a Switzerland-based independent film festival with a similar curatorial mandate around non-mainstream cinema.
• Locarno Film Festival: Major annual international film festival held in Locarno, Switzerland. Comparable to Black Movie as a Swiss film festival operating in the same country and serving overlapping cinephile audiences, though significantly larger in scale and prestige.
• Festival International du Film Francophone de Bruxelles (FIFF): International Francophone film festival held annually in Brussels. Comparable to Black Movie as a festival dedicated to Francophone and international independent cinema with similar cultural and social themes.
• Cinéma du Réel: Annual international documentary film festival held in Paris at the Centre Pompidou. Comparable to Black Movie as a festival focused on independent and documentary cinema addressing social and political themes, serving a similar cinephile audience.

Regional players

• États généraux du documentaire (Lussas): Major documentary industry and public event held annually in Lussas, France. Comparable to Black Movie as a Francophone documentary and independent film gathering with cultural mediation and filmmaker encounter programs, though primarily operating in France.

Broad incumbents

• International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA): World's largest documentary film festival held annually in Amsterdam. Comparable to Black Movie as a documentary and independent film festival with curated thematic programming, though much larger in scale, budget, and international prestige.
• Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival): One of the world's leading international film festivals with broad programming across independent, arthouse, and politically engaged cinema. Comparable to Black Movie at the category level, but operates at vastly larger scale and serves a global market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/damla_sy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/festival-black-movie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Festival Black Movie