Solothurn Film Festival

The Solothurn Film Festival (SFT) is the most important festival for Swiss film productions. Founded in 1966 in the Swiss city of Solothurn, the annual festival presents a representative selection of Swiss feature, documentary and short film productions. In a series of public talks and panel discussions, the audience meets with members of the film industry to discuss the screened films and the culture of film in Switzerland. With over 60,000 visitors every year, the Solothurn Film Festival ranks among the most renowned cultural events in the country.

The Solothurn Film Festival ranks among the oldest film festivals in Switzerland and is the most important festival for Swiss film productions. In 1966 the Solothurn Film Guild organised a conference called “Swiss film today.” The aim was to generate new ideas and inspiration for young, independent Swiss filmmakers. From this evolved the association called “Schweizerische Gesellschaft Solothurner Filmtage” (SGSF), which is responsible for organising the festival.

Although the Solothurn Film Festival has already existed for nearly half a century, there have only been three directors throughout its history: Stephan Portmann was the festival’s first director in 1967; in 1987 he was replaced by Ivo Kummer. When Ivo Kummer accepted the position as head of the Film Department for the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (SFOC) as of August 1, 2011, Seraina Rohrer was appointed as his successor.

Between 1998 and 2008, Solothurn hosted the award ceremony of the Swiss Film Prize during the festival. In 2009 the award ceremony was relocated to the KKL Luzern (Culture and Convention Centre Lucerne). The nominees for the Swiss Film Prize are selected and announced in Solothurn during the festival.

The "Swiss Panorama" section is the centrepiece of the Solothurn Film Festival. It presents a selection of current Swiss film productions of all genres and lengths from all four linguistic regions of Switzerland. The program reflects the diversity of filmmaking in Switzerland, encompassing documentary, fiction, experimental, short and animation films, as well as music clips.

Every year the special “Rencontre” program honours an individual whose work has played a significant role in Swiss filmmaking. The program presents a selection of film productions, while also enabling personal encounters. With “Rencontre,” the Solothurn Film Festival offers the opportunity to gain in-depth insight into the works of well-known Swiss cineastes and to meet with them.

Previous honoured individuals:

2014 Peter Liechti

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