Zurich Film Foundation doles out $1m; Film Office plans afoot

The largest sum of USD 335,000 (CHF 330,000) was awarded to Paulus’ comedy Lass Springen, Baby about three adolescents who want to kill their teacher, while USD 305,000 (CHF 300,000) went to Zurich-based Hugofilm for its co-production with Germany’s Little Shark Entertainment of Isabel Kleefeld’s adaptation of Daniel Kehlmann’s latest novel Ruhm.

The fiction funding committee, which includes producer Peter Rommel, Bernie Stampfer, head of Deutsche Bank’s Expert Group Media, and Universal Pictures’ Andrea Willson, also gave funding to Friederike Jehn’s feature debut Klang der Stille, co-produced by Zurich’s C-Films with fledgling Berlin production house Polarlicht.

In addition, development support was given to four projects including Lovely Louise, the next feature by Bettina Oberli (Late Bloomers).

At the same time, the Film Foundation has introduced a new funding category to its guidelines to take effect from Oct 1 in order to support screenwriters in the further development of a treatment or first draft of a feature script. Successful applicants will be able to receive up to a maximum of USD 30,500 (CHF 30,000).

Meanwhile, the local film organization Zürich für den Film is still working to establish a Zurich Film Office to make the city more accessible as a location for national and international productions.

The Zurich Film Festival will provide the backdrop for a discussion on Sept 28 (7 pm at the Festival Centre) about the need for a film office to be proactive in enticing foreign producers to come and shoot here.

Christiane Raab, head of the Berlin Brandenburg Film Commission (BBFC), has been invited to speak about her experiences as a film commissioner and the importance of a film commission in promoting a region.

For example, in 2008, the BBFC had 2,500 enquiries from home and abroad and registered 1,800 shooting days in the Berlin-Brandenburg region. This increased to 3,000 enquiries and 2,100 shooting days in the area last year.