Switzerland is set to take the spotlight as the new Country of Honour of the upcoming 2024 edition of the Marché du Film. This prestigious designation not only acknowledges Switzerland’s outstanding contributions to the audiovisual industry but also provides a unique platform to nurture international partnerships and spotlight emerging Swiss talents, projects in development as well as its innovation prowess in the film industry.
Organized by the promotion agency Swiss Films, in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Office of Culture and the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR, Switzerland’s participation in Cannes promises to be a major highlight of the film market event. Guillaume Esmiol, Executive Director of the Marché du Film, said “Switzerland as our new Country of Honour demonstrates the remarkable evolution and impact of Swiss cinema. Their diverse activities planned for 2024 also emphasize their strong commitment to industry growth, and the Marché du Film is honored to be the key moment in Switzerland’s ambitious agenda. They are, most of all, a very innovative country in terms of creativity and technology, which aligns perfectly with the positioning of the Marché, the leading market at the forefront of innovation and industry trends.”
Due to Switzerland's status as a Country of Honor and the associated greater attention at the festival, Swiss Films has decided to focus on innovation and to have an innovation stand (“Swiss Hub”) at the Marché for the first time. In addition, the startups will be part of various Cannes Next showcases to present their products.
The selected startups are:
Largo.ai | Lausanne(VD), 2018 - offers AI-bases product suites for film producers and distributors. Features include screenplay analysis, character analysis, casting proposition, sales estimates as well as financial forecasts.
Copresence | Zurich, 2021 - digital avatar generation software to create photorealistic 3D avatars using just a smartphone.
Superposition | Zurich, 2018 – is able to provide highly specialized solutions to unique motion control and visual engineering problems in the film industry. The company has built up a strong technical expertise in customizing robotics and automation platforms for creative applications.
Sensoryx | Zurich, 2015 - patented micro-sized, high-precision hard- and software solutions for 3D motion-tracking for the extended reality industry.
Udimu | La Grande Béroche (NE), 2015 - develops full service digital solutions for interactive and immersive media for events and retail.
(SK/RAN)
Image by Alexandra Fleuratine