Swiss film education organisations will from now on be able to share experiences with European colleagues and join them in common actions, thanks to the approval of a new budget by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, supporting participation in film education projects funded by Creative Europe.
This move satisfies a long-standing demand. As Switzerland does not participate in the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, it has thus far been difficult for Swiss film education initiatives to collaborate with other European countries. Corinna Marschall, Managing Director of MEDIA Desk Switzerland, administrator of the Swiss MEDIA compensating measures, says: “I am very happy to introduce the new funding scheme ‘Film Education’, starting in 2021. This framework supports the exchange of best practices and common activities with players in other European countries. After all, Switzerland’s central position in Europe as well as the fact that it shares three of its national languages with neighbouring countries makes collaboration and mutual learning all over Europe an obvious choice. At the end of the day we all want to transmit the richness of European films to the next generations.”
Laurent Baumann, President of the Roadmovie mobile cinema, a well-known Swiss film education organisation active in rural areas, is looking forward to collaborating with European colleagues: “The exchange of experiences is key for good educational projects. Such projects should never be limited by regional or national borders. We can all greatly benefit from each other.”
More information on the new funding scheme can be found on the website of the Swiss Media Desk.