What Trigon-Film does

Stiftung trigon-film is a Swiss private foundation (CHE-101.514.213), established in 1988 and headquartered in Ennetbaden with its registered seat in Basel, that acquires, distributes, promotes, and archives films from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe for the Swiss market. The foundation operates four interlocking product lines: theatrical distribution of carefully selected world cinema to Swiss cinemas (with films shown in their original languages and German, French, and Italian subtitles), a self-published DVD/Blu-ray edition program for long-tail availability, the filmingo (filmingo.ch) video-on-demand streaming platform for online viewing after the theatrical window, and the bilingual TRIGON magazine (German and French) that accompanies current releases. It also produces pedagogical materials and runs school screenings for the Swiss education segment.

The organization runs a multi-channel commercial and mission-driven stack: a trilingual website (German/French/English) on standard web infrastructure with Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel remarketing, Vimeo video embedding, and Mailchimp newsletters; a SIX Payment Services-backed online shop for DVDs, Blu-rays, publications, posters, and soundtracks; and a dedicated booking and communications function ([email protected], [email protected]). Co-directors Meret Ruggle and Stefanie Rusterholz lead operations under a foundation board chaired by Martin Fässler, with governance supported by the Friends' Association (Förderverein, founded 1986) that supplies membership and donation funding, and the visions sud est film fund, co-founded in 2005 with the Fribourg Film Festival and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) to finance productions in trigon-film's sourcing regions.

The revenue model blends transaction fees (cinema distribution), one-time product sales (DVDs, Blu-rays, posters, merchandise at CHF 15-20 unit pricing, magazine issues at CHF 7), recurring streaming revenue (filmingo subscriptions, terms not publicly disclosed), and donations, with ZEWO quality certification (achieved December 2018 as the first sociocultural institution) providing third-party assurance on use of donated funds. The foundation primarily serves Swiss cinema audiences, film enthusiasts/home viewers, Swiss schools, and a donor/member community, with a recent extension of licensing into Liechtenstein observed on catalog titles.

Name

Trigon-Film

Legal name

Stiftung trigon-film

Website

https://trigon-film.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stiftung trigon-film is a Swiss foundation established in 1988 that distributes curated world cinema from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe to Swiss cinemas, schools, and home viewers via its filmingo streaming platform, DVD editions, and the bilingual TRIGON magazine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

World Cinema Distribution

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Distribution (51212), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Theatrical Distribution (Domestic) (MPADAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Non-Theatrical Distribution (Educational, Airlines, Cruise, Community) (MPADAJAJ)

Keywords

• World cinema distribution
• Film distribution services
• Video on demand
• Independent film curation
• Educational film programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Ennetbaden

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cinema Distribution: Distribution of carefully selected films from Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Eastern Europe to Swiss cinemas, showing films in their original language with German, French, and sometimes Italian subtitles.
2. DVD/Blu-ray Sales: Sale of DVDs and Blu-rays through the company's own online shop (shop.trigon-film.org). Products include their own DVD editions as well as publications, film posters, and soundtracks. Prices vary by product (e.g., Lunana DVD at CHF 19.90).
3. Streaming Platform (filmingo): Video-on-demand streaming service providing access to the trigon-film collection online, allowing films to remain visible after their cinematic release.
4. Membership/Donations: Friends' association membership contributions and donations support the foundation's work. The foundation received ZEWO quality certification in December 2018 as the first sociocultural institution, demonstrating responsible use of donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Trigon-Film acquires distribution rights for carefully selected world cinema films from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe and brings them to Swiss audiences in their original language with German, French, and sometimes Italian subtitles. Distribution occurs through three channels: theatrical booking to Swiss cinemas, an own DVD/Blu-ray publication program, and the filmingo video-on-demand streaming platform. The foundation also develops pedagogical materials and delivers educational screenings to Swiss schools, and publishes the bilingual TRIGON magazine accompanying current releases.

Product overview

trigon-film is a Swiss film foundation operating as a multi-platform film distribution company. The core offering is the trigon-film distribution platform, which brings carefully selected films from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe to Swiss cinemas in their original language with German, French, and sometimes Italian subtitles. Complementing the theatrical distribution are three key modules: the DVD Edition for physical media publication, the filmingo streaming platform for online viewing, and the TRIGON Magazine for editorial content. The company also operates an online Shop for merchandise sales and has established the visions sud est film fund to support filmmakers in producing regions. Founded in 1988, the foundation operates from Ennetbaden, Switzerland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Swiss Cinema Distribution Service Licensing and theatrical booking of curated world cinema films from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe to Swiss cinemas, with films presented in their original language and German, French, and sometimes Italian subtitles. Includes DCP and Blu-ray print delivery, promotional materials, and booking contact via [email protected].
• filmingo Streaming Platform Subscription-based video-on-demand streaming service at filmingo.ch providing on-demand access to the curated trigon-film collection of world cinema with German, French, and Italian subtitles, including titles that remain available after their theatrical cinema run.
• DVD/Blu-ray Edition Program Own-publication DVD and Blu-ray editions of selected world cinema films, with German, French, and Italian subtitles, sold to individual film collectors and enthusiasts via the trigon-film online shop. Examples include 'Lunana – A Yak in the Classroom' (CHF 19.90) and 'Fatal Assistance' (CHF 17.90).
• trigon-film Online Shop E-commerce storefront at shop.trigon-film.org selling trigon-film's DVD/Blu-ray editions, film posters (e.g., A2 format CHF 15.00), publications, and soundtracks directly to consumers, with payment processing by SIX Payment Services.
• TRIGON Magazine Bilingual (German and French) editorial magazine accompanying current trigon-film releases, containing texts, interviews, and references to new DVD and VoD releases. Sold at CHF 7.00 per issue, distributed in cinemas and to Förderverein members.
• Educational School Screenings Film screenings for Swiss schools bundled with specially developed pedagogical materials covering themes such as tradition versus modernity, migration, childhood, and cultural exchange. Provides teachers with classroom-ready content tied to the curated world cinema catalog.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fribourg Film FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005In 2005, trigon-film co-founded the 'visions sud est' film fund together with the Fribourg Film Festival. The fund supports film productions from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
• Visions du Réel (Nyon)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the representatives in the visions sud est film fund's board and expert group for project selection.
• Locarno Film FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the representatives in the visions sud est film fund's board and expert group for project selection.
• Winterthur Short Film FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the representatives in the visions sud est film fund's board and expert group for project selection.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Praesens Film: Long-established Swiss film production and distribution company with theatrical distribution of international arthouse films. Closely comparable in mission and channel, also Swiss-based with similar curatorial breadth.
• X Verleih AG: German art-house film distributor releasing international independent films into German-speaking theatrical and home-video markets. Closest cross-border analog in business model and content focus.
• Frenetic Films: Independent Swiss film distributor handling theatrical and home-video release of arthouse and international films in Switzerland. Directly competes for Swiss cinema screen space and for acquisition of world cinema rights in the same territory.
• Neue Visionen Filmverleih: German independent distributor specializing in French and international arthouse cinema with theatrical release and curated home-video editions. Comparable curated approach to international/arthouse distribution in the German-speaking market.
• Alamode Filmverleih: German independent distributor focused on international arthouse and world cinema. Highly comparable content focus (Asia, Latin America, Africa), with theatrical and home-video distribution in a German-speaking market.
• First Hand Films: Zürich-based international sales and distribution company for independent and documentary cinema. Comparable content focus (international, often award-winning arthouse and documentary titles) and Swiss base, with overlap on world cinema rights.
• Filmcoopi Zürich: Swiss film distributor also bringing international and art-house cinema to Swiss cinemas and home entertainment. Most directly comparable peer — same geography, same channel mix (theatrical, DVD, VOD), same target audience of culturally engaged Swiss viewers.

Emerging players

• MUBI: Global streaming service dedicated to curated arthouse, classic and world cinema, with a subscription VoD model analogous to filmingo. Comparable as a digital distribution channel for the same content genre, though MUBI operates at much larger scale.
• Arsenal Distribution: Zurich-based independent distributor handling international art cinema in Switzerland. Overlaps in content and territory; smaller scale than Trigon-Film and broader in regional scope.

Regional players

• Cinéfile / cinefile.ch: Swiss VOD platform offering curated arthouse and world cinema for Swiss audiences. Functionally similar to filmingo as a subscription VoD access point for the same audience segment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/trigonfilm
• Instagraminstagram.com/trigonfilm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trigon-film

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trigon-Film