Frédéric Maire, 63, will shortly step down as head of the Cinémathèque suisse (Swiss Film Archive) as agreed with the Lausanne-based institution’s Board of Trustees, and in accordance with the terms of his contract. The recruitment process for a new director will begin in the coming weeks.
Born in Neuchâtel in 1961, Frédéric Maire has worked as a filmmaker, journalist, curator and festival director. In 1992, he was one of the co-founders and co-directors of the children’s film club, The Magic Lantern. In September 2005, he took over as artistic director of the Locarno International Film Festival, before being appointed head of the Cinémathèque suisse in November 2009. Frédéric Maire succeeds Freddy Buache and Hervé Dumont. In 2017, he was elected by his peers to serve a 6-year term as President of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF).
Under his leadership, the Cinémathèque suisse underwent major national and international expansion, marked by the construction of the new Research and Archiving Centre in Penthaz, which opened in 2019, and by the purchase by the City of Lausanne of the Capitole cinema in 2010, which was transformed and extended before opening in February 2024. The number of employees at the institution - which also has a presence in Zurich - has more than doubled since 2010.
Under his leadership, the Swiss Film Archive has also integrated and developed digital interfaces, specifically for archiving, cataloguing, restoration, digitisation, promotion and projection. Films from Switzerland’s cinematographic heritage have been selected several times at prestigious festivals (Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Cinémathèque suisse Locarno, Rotterdam, etc.), released on streaming, DVD and BluRay, and are the subject of numerous retrospectives abroad.
From 2010 onwards, the Swiss Film Archive has collaborated closely with the academic world, and more specifically with the University of Lausanne, which has led to the launch of several research projects supported by the SNSF. It has also redesigned its corporate identity and its digital presence on the internet and social networks, developed its programming and invited a host of film personalities from Switzerland and abroad.
The Swiss Film Archive is now a cutting-edge institution with internationally-renowned competencies. The FIAF Congress, held in Lausanne in April 2019, put the spotlight perfectly on it, confirming its place among the ten most important film libraries in the world in terms of the extent, diversity and quality of its collections.
Following the introduction of a new governance structure designed to support its growth, the institution must now consolidate its achievements in a complex environment constrained by restrictive budgets. Against this backdrop, the arrival of a new director will aim to give the institution fresh impetus in tackling current challenges.
The Board of Trustees warmly thanks Frédéric Maire for his years of commitment to the Swiss Film Archive and is pleased to be able to count on an institution with highly qualified and efficient staff.
