The Solothurn Film Festival is one of the longest-running film festivals in the country. It is regarded as the most important and prestigious festival for Swiss film productions (features, documentaries and shorts alike). The history of the festival began in 1966, when the Solothurn Film Guild organized a conference entitled Swiss Film Today. The conference was designed to provide emerging independent Swiss filmmakers with new ideas and inspiration.
Although the festival was founded more than six decades ago, it has had only three directors (as of 2017). Stephan Portmann was appointed as the festival’s first artistic director in 1967. He retired twenty years later and was replaced by Ivo Kummer. In 2011, Kummer accepted a position in the Film Department for the Swizz Federal Office of Culture and was succeeded by Seraina Rohrer as the festival director.
Between 1998 and 2008, the Solothurn Film Festival hosted the award ceremony of the Swiss Film Prize. The ceremony became an independent event and relocated to the city of Lucerne in 2009, but the nominees are still selected and announced during the festival.
The program of the festival is divided into several sections. Swiss Panorama is the main section which celebrates the best of contemporary Swiss cinema. It features current Swiss productions of all lengths and genres in all four national languages of Switzerland – German, French, Italian and Romansh. The program aims to reflect the diversity of Swiss filmmaking. It includes fiction, documentary, short, experimental and animation films, as well as music videos.
Other notable festival programs include Rencontre and Focus. The Rencontre program honors a film director, screenwriter, actor/actress, film composer or other industry professional who has made a significant contribution to the country’s film industry. The Focus program addresses topical issues. The supporting program of the Solothurn Film Festival includes panel discussions, workshops, special screenings, and more.
Several awards are presented at the festival. The main award is Prix de Soleur (Prize of Solothurn). It is awarded to an outstanding Swiss film noted for its impressive cinematic form and distinctive humanistic message. The Audience Award (Prix du Public) is another integral part of the program.
Photo: solothurnerfilmtage.ch
