As an active member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) and a partner in numerous film events, the Cinémathèque suisse is in permanent contact with various film archives and many cultural institutions throughout the world. It thus contributes to the promotion of cinema on a national and international scale.
In Switzerland and abroad, the Cinémathèque suisse collaborates with museums, universities, media, research teams, filmmakers, historians and publishers by giving them access to its archives. It also works with cinemas and festivals around the world by making available films and documents held in its collections.
Number of images 1 / 10
ECAL graduation film evening at Paderewski © ECAL / Santiago Martinez
Partner venues
The Cinémathèque suisse is associated in Switzerland with three cinemas - Les Cinémas du Grütli in Geneva, the Filmpodium in Zurich and the Kino Rex in Bern - and offers its services to cinemas and film clubs in Switzerland and elsewhere. As part of agreements signed with the Cinémathèque suisse, these cinemas have privileged access to its vast film catalogue.
Festivals
The Cinémathèque suisse is present at the leading film festivals in Switzerland and around the world. It regularly presents works that it has restored and numerous rare copies from its collections that are screened as part of retrospectives. Notable partnerships include collaborations with the Locarno Film Festival and the Journées de Soleure, as well as the Cannes, Berlin, Bologna, Lyon and Venice festivals.
Universities and colleges
As important historical sources for the study of cinema, culture and social development, the collections of the Cinémathèque suisse attract dozens of researchers from universities and colleges every year. Since 2010, the Cinémathèque suisse has also been collaborating actively with the University of Lausanne through research projects that are largely supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and are grouped under the name "Collaboration UNIL + Cinémathèque suisse". Other regular academic partners include the University of Zurich, the University of Basel and the Ecole cantonale d'Art de Lausanne (ECAL).
Memoriav
Memoriav is an association for the preservation of the Swiss audiovisual memory and has an active and long-term commitment to the preservation, enhancement and accessibility of Switzerland's audiovisual heritage. Its support has enabled Cinémathèque suisse to restore endangered Swiss works, fiction, documentaries, commissioned films and family films, as well as the Swiss Ciné-Journal, the contents of which can be accessed at memobase.ch.
FIAF
FIAF (International Federation of Film Archives) was founded in 1938 and as of today comprises 173 audiovisual archives worldwide. This network enables important exchanges of films and knowledge, develops standards and recommendations, and champions shared principles regarding the conservation and enhancement of audiovisual works. A member of FIAF since its birth in 1948, Cinémathèque suisse has held three of its world congresses in Lausanne and still plays a very active role, notably through its president, Frédéric Maire, who is also the director of our institution.