Donations and deposits

Donations, legacies and deposits

The Cinémathèque suisse collections are continually expanding by means of deposits and donations. These come from individuals or groups active in the field of cinema. These are mainly directors, production and distribution companies, festivals, film clubs, professional associations and cultural institutions. Proposals for donations and deposits are examined according to the missions and criteria defined by the institution's collection policy.

Depositing films supported by the FOC and/or other Swiss support funds

The Cinémathèque suisse has a duty to keep material associated with films that received financial support from the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) and/or other regional funds (Cinéforom, Berner Filmförderung, Zürcher Filmstiftung, etc.) in its maximum original quality.

In accordance with Article 63 of the Ordinance of the Federal Department of Home Affairs on the Promotion of Film of 21 April 2016, any recipient of federal financial support for film production is obliged to send the Cinémathèque suisse the master files used to produce the final version of the film (master file). Works supported by other regional funds such as Cinéforom, Berner Filmförderung or Zürcher Filmstiftung may also be subject to this obligation.

Photo and slide collections held at the Cinémathèque suisse © Cinémathèque suisse / Carine Roth