Industry Lab

Kino Cameo, Lagerplatz 19

09:45–11:00

SWISS FILMS Preview

An exclusive opportunity for industry professionals from the distribution, sales, and festival sectors to see excerpts of new Swiss shorts and discover new talents from Switzerland.

By invitation only

Alte Kaserne Winterthur, Technikumstrasse 8

09:30–10:00

Welcome with coffee and Gipfeli

Swiss Industry Information: Automatic Funding for Swiss Short Films (de)

Could automatic funding make film financing simpler, faster, and more predictable? Instead of relying solely on recurring selection processes, automatic models allocate support according to clearly defined criteria. This panel asks what such models could mean for short films. Can they reduce bureaucracy, free up resources and give producers greater planning certainty? What are the risks of replacing subjective decisions with automatic criteria? And where might a combination of the two work best? Looking at current Swiss examples, the discussion explores whether automatic funding could become a stronger part of the film financing landscape – regionally, nationally, or both.

Speakers: Geneviève Rossier, Cinéforom (CH); Simon König, BAK (CH); Tamara Mattle, SRF (CH)

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Keynote: What Role Can Art and Culture Play in Democracies under Pressure?

In a time of political polarization, information overload and disinformation, what role can art and culture play in creating spaces for reflection and democratic deliberation? What can artists offer at a moment when public attention and resources are increasingly shaped by questions of security, conflict, and division? This year’s keynote takes a broader look at the state of democracy in Switzerland and around the world and asks what this might mean for the cultural field - inviting us to rethink the spaces we create, the conversations we enable, and the role culture can play in a democratic society.

Speaker: Flurina Wäspi, Lead for Democracy, Stiftung Mercator (CH)

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The Future of Shorts: Artistic Freedom for Festivals in an Age of Polarization

What happens when artistic freedom meets political pressure, public controversy, and increasingly polarized debate? Film festivals are expected to remain independent cultural spaces while also responding to public institutions, funding bodies, and wider social debates. Yet recent cases show how quickly curatorial decisions can come under pressure through criticism, funding threats, or direct interference in programme choices and guest selection. Drawing on the experiences of EMAF (European Media Art Festival) Osnabrück and 2ANNAS in Riga, this panel examines two concrete cases of such pressure. What happened, what were the consequences, and how did the festivals respond? The discussion considers where responsibility ends and interference begins, what we can learn from these experiences, and how festivals can navigate controversy without limiting artistic expression. Ultimately, the panel explores how to defend curatorial independence in practice when institutional support and artistic freedom come into conflict.

Speakers: Laima Graždanoviča, 2ANNAS (LV); Katrin Mundt, European Media Art Festival (DE)

An event in collaboration with Short Film Conference.

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Soup’n’Group

A warm invitation to soup, bread, and conversation.

Co-hosted by Pro Short.

Creative Outlet vs. Traditional Funding – Is Sustainable Filmmaking Utopian?

What happens when filmmakers stop waiting for funding and make the film anyway? Working outside traditional funding structures can offer speed, independence, and artistic freedom. But it can also mean unpaid labour, self-exploitation, and working conditions that are difficult to sustain. This panel looks at the opportunities and risks of making short films beyond the established system. What becomes possible when filmmakers work more freely – and what becomes harder? Which stories can be told, and which remain out of reach? And above all: how can short films be made in ways that are both creatively ambitious and fair to the people making them? What role can funders, producers, and broadcasters play in creating more sustainable paths forward?

Speakers: Damien Hauser, Filmemacher (CH); Inja Korac, Produzentin (HR); Catherine Colas, ARTE/ZDF (FR)

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Engaging in the Story – When Films Meet Games

Films and games approach audiences in very different ways – but they increasingly share tools, talent, and ways of thinking. What can the two fields learn from each other? Looking at nearly two decades of exchange between film and game development in Denmark, the panel explores where the industries overlap, and where they challenge each other. How does storytelling change when the audience can influence what happens? Which filmmaking skills transfer naturally into game development, and what new approaches are needed? And what can filmmakers learn from how games build worlds, structure narratives, and engage audiences? Using concrete experiences from both industries, we move beyond the idea of film and gaming as separate worlds and look instead at the creative space connecting them. At the centre of both is the same question: how do we tell stories that truly engage an audience?

Speakers: Simon Løvind, Cultural Director & Head of the Games Scheme, NIMBI (DK); TBD

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Labüsch Bar, Zur Kesselschmiede 27

Market Meetings: Meet & Mingle

The Market Meetings offer filmmakers an opportunity to make valuable contacts in a casual setting. At Labüsch Bar, 20 to 25 international festival and distribution/sales experts are ready to meet filmmakers in short one-to-one meetings, speed-dating style. There is no matchmaking and no preregistration – just show up and start the conversation. Whether for presenting projects or for informal encounters, the Market Meetings open doors to new networks and opportunities.

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Short Drink – der Branchen-Apéro

The full list of speakers and guests will be published shortly before the festival in our Industry Guide.