Sixteen new Swiss projects plus one Swiss minority co-pro will be presented across the VdR-Industry programmes in 2024. These are in addition to the 25 Swiss (co)productions that feature in the festival’s official selection.
VdR-Pitching selection
VdR–Pitching is the Festival’s international co-production and financing platform showcasing 15 projects with artistic ambition and international potential ready to be launched in production. This selection of projects is designed for commissioners, streamers and funders, as well as other decision makers looking to join projects in the late development stage.
Three Swiss (co)productions projects have been selected for the VdR–Pitching showcase:
- Totemic (Intermezzo Films)
- To the Moon and Back (Rita Productions)
- The Last Days of the Hospital (Box Productions in co-production with French TS Productions)
RTS Prix de soutien à la création documentaire
Eight new documentaries in early development have been selected to pitch for a prize of CHF 10’000 as part of the RTS Prix de soutien à la création documentaire. This pitch, open to all accredited industry professionals, will be judged by a jury that includes Steven Artels, Co-Head of Documentary Unit, RTS (Switzerland); Isabelle Christiaens, Head of Documentary Co-Productions, RTBF (Belgium); Philippa De Roten, Director of the Society and Culture Department, RTS (Switzerland); Stéphane Gobbo, Cultural Journalist, Le Temps (Switzerland); Bettina Hofmann, Co-Head of Documentary Unit, RTS (Switzerland) and Catherine Le Goff, Deputy Head of the Documentaries and Magazines Unity, ARTE (France).
The projects are (click here for details):
- Who Killed Jackie Oh? By Sophia Farantatou
- White Fury by Daniel Schweizer
- The Fire After Us by Chamsi Diba
- M by Sarah Kiani
- Virtual Violence by Fisnik Maxville
- Les Cèdres by Lauren Dällenbach
- Rue du Pré-de-la-Reine by Juan Manuel Vegas
- Kidstalgy by Aurelie Cuttat & Christine Gonzalez
Switzerland Meets… Austria and Germany
This year, VdR-Industry focuses on the doc industries of Austria and Germany, in collaboration with Austrian Films and German Films. Switzerland Meets… is a special event for both Swiss producers and public financing representatives, providing co-production and networking opportunities alike. The Festival welcomes the following production companies: 8horses (Switzerland), Bandenfilms (Germany), DokLab (Switzerland), Electric Shadows Films (Austria), Golden Girls Film (Austria), Horse & Fruits (Austria), Langfilm (Switzerland), Pink Shadow Films (Germany) and Rosen Pictures (Germany). Industry guests interested in co-producing are invited to come learn about these producers at the Producer-to-Producer Pitch before taking one-on-one meetings to discuss new collaborations. Click here for more information.
A rapid-fire session on Co-Producing with Germany, offered by Managing Director of German Films Simone Baumann, will also be open to producers and filmmakers wanting to know more about working with one of our largest co-production partners. There will also be a host of opportunities to network with our German-speaking neighbours at various events, including two VdR–Magic Hours with both the DACH delegation presented by the Federal Office of Culture, and the German delegation presented by German Films.
SWISS FILMS Previews (click here for details)
The Festival will once again present SWISS FILMS Previews in partnership with SWISS FILMS, which will present six Swiss documentary films which are nearing completion, ready for launch onto the Festival circuit. SWISS FILMS Previews offers sales agents, international distributors and festival representatives the opportunity to discover these new documentaries.
The projects are:
- The Boy from the River Drina by Zihad Ibrahimovic
- Iceman by Corina Gamma
- Quir by Nicola Bellucci
- Dom by Svetlana Rodina & Laurent Stoop
- Kalari – The Martial Art of Female Power by Maria Kaur Bedi & Satindar Singh Bedi
- Spheres by Daniel Zimmermann
