Founded in 1995, the Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF) is Geneva’s oldest film festival and one of the first in the world to include television in its programs. A crossroads of genres and disciplines, a place of experimentation, encounters and celebration, it offers every year for ten days, films, series, interactive installations and virtual reality works to some 50,000 festival-goers. The largest space in Switzerland dedicated to immersive arts, the GIFF has become one of the major events in Europe.
At the heart of the event is the Geneva Digital Market, a unique event in Switzerland dedicated to audiovisual innovation. Professionals of the image, industrialists and theoreticians from all over the world meet, debate and exchange on what makes the audiovisual universe of today and what will cross it tomorrow.
GIFF is also active throughout the year through its mediation program and its GIFF UNLIMITED program, which brings together each year a series of events organized in partnership with other Swiss and foreign institutions, festivals and markets.
Recognized as a strategic player in the development of the audiovisual sector in Switzerland, GIFF is supported by the City and State of Geneva, the Federal Office of Culture, SRG SSR, MEDIA Desk Suisse, Focal, SWISSPERFORM, as well as numerous private actors.
Follow the Festival on facebook, instagram, twitter and linkedin.
eDITOS
Gilles Marchand & Pascal Crittin
Director General of SSR Director of RTS
The Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF), a crossroads of genres and audiovisual disciplines, once again brings together the public, be they professionals or enthusiasts, to experience and share emotions around creations from around the globe.
As historical partners of the festival, the SSR and the RTS are proud to continue their support to the GIFF. The festival has established itself as an essential rendez-vous for digital productions. SSR and RTS also encourage these new audiovisual forms, and in an even more committed way through the Foundation for Digital Creation. On November 9, the Foundation will present its objectives during the Geneva Digital Market (GDM) and the Digital Night.
This year again, we are pleased to offer you a preview of the following series: La vie Devant, Les Enquêtes de Maëlys and the second season of Tschugger. On Play Suisse, a selection of GIFF films will be available on all your screens. Finally, RTS will have the pleasure of hosting the GDM in its Geneva studios for unique professional meetings in Switzerland.
We are looking forward to sharing this 28th edition which promises to be rich in discoveries.
Thierry Apothéloz
State Councillor in charge of the Department of Social Cohesion
Each year, GIFF positions itself a little further as an essential platform for exchange and experimentation for both the public and professionals. In a world in perpetual motion, GIFF is also a precious tool for understanding the challenges of digital creation, and they are manifold. In this spirit, the canton of Geneva supports the professional arm of the festival, the Geneva Digital Market, in order to continue to support and strengthen the development of the creative industries in Switzerland and in Europe. It is also with a view to supporting the creators of the industry that the canton makes a financial contribution to the programming of GIFF Unlimited, which takes place internationally throughout the year, as well as to the three Reflets d’Or awarded jointly with the City of Geneva. It is this approach, which includes all the components of research and cultural production, that I defend so that Geneva can fully play its role as a crossroads of ideas and innovation.
Sami Kanaan
Administrative Councillor in charge of the Department of Culture and Digital Transition
A festival? A platform? A nerve center? The Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF) is all this and more. It’s a time open to experiences, to diving into the world of immersive arts, to discovering the fusion between art and cutting-edge technology.
At the beginning of November, the festival returns with a program that we owe, in its entirety, to its director Anaïs Emery. Its first edition away from the clutches of the coronavirus. But an edition marked by the accelerated development of new technologies, consequence of this pandemic.
The GIFF continues its journey, accompanied by the new RTS Digital Creation Center, the Plaza, which is shaping its future, and Dreamscape, which opened during the summer. As a pioneer in this field, GIFF is today a central piece in the construction of an innovative and creative Geneva, a Geneva that is consolidating its know-how and skills in this field on the international scene.
Enjoy the festival!
éditos du Geneva digital market
Corinna Marschall
Managing Director of MEDIA Desk Suisse
From film to digital installations, immersive worlds, and decentralized finance – from different types of storytelling to imaginary spaces and reliable, transparent ways of sharing rights: Geneva Digital Market (GDM) is the industry event in Switzerland that aims at bringing together professionals from all these domains, and across borders. GDM tries to break down the buzzwords into real-life encounters between you and me, between creators, producers, and techies.
I hope that the renewed support of the MEDIA Compensating Measures for GDM contributes to a great number of “ideas having sex”, the phrase Matt Ridley famously coined: That’s how innovation starts.
Stay curious!
MEDIAS KIT
Anaïs Emery
executive and artistic director
As a festival whose program explores contemporary audiovisual formats, the GIFF is focused on the major challenges facing the film industry. The program for the GIFF and the Geneva Digital Market (GDM) includes reflections on the contribution made by new technologies to the creative process, on the seeds of narrative innovation, and on the creation of a dynamic link with diverse audiovisual audiences.
The program’s convergence, which is a unique offering in Switzerland, provides a gateway from which to explore current developments in storytelling. The program draws together a fascinating and diverse web of artists at the vanguard of audiovisual creation, who are harnessing the potential of the tools offered by developments in image technology and turning them into opportunities. This inclusive positioning builds bridges with the pioneers of innovation and representatives of the creative industries. The GIFF aims to create a space for collective experimentation at the intersection of formats and trends.
Why are we motivated to get involved with these challenges? With the explosion of screens and the imaginary worlds they convey, I believe it is necessary for a public and professional event to act as moderator on the theme of the development of the film industry in Switzerland. The evolution of the narrative and the revolution in the cinematographic experience are the beating heart of our festival. The GIFF team invite their various audiences to celebrate the magic and fluidity of the images that shape our perception of the world.
Thierry Apothéloz
State Councilor of the Republic and Canton of Geneva in charge of the Department of Social Cohesion
GIFF is an essential Festival for Geneva, celebrating digital innovations and cinema from all over the world, while observing societal evolutions.
In the fertile context of French-speaking Switzerland, with prestigious institutions such as HEAD-Geneva, as well as numerous start-ups and leading cultural institutions, digital creation thrives.
This year, the festival will once again present ambitious works. In parallel, and with the support of the Canton of Geneva, the Digital Market will focus on key topics such as artificial intelligence and digital feminism. GIFF will extend to the recently inaugurated CERN Science Gateway.
This edition of GIFF is also of particular importance. Indeed, the new Law for the promotion of culture and artistic creation will come into force on January 1, 2024, and marks a historic turning point. The canton will be able to support artistic creation, promote social and cultural transition, and increase the budget allocated to both institutions and creation, with the notion of co-financing at its heart.
What wonderful prospects! Culture belongs to everyone, artists and audiences alike. Bravo to the GIFF team, and congratulations on this superb program, which we look forward to discovering.
Sami Kanaan
Administrative Councilor of the City of Geneva in charge of the Department for Culture and Digital Transition
Keeping up to date with the latest in digital creation is like getting into a whirlwind. Because the evolution of its formats, its tools and its universe, is really moving at full speed. The city that supports it is well aware of this, with its facilities adapting over time to its metamorphoses. This is why it is so irresistibly attractive – and, at the same time, maybe a little frightening.
Now, for its 29th edition, GIFF is taking the mischievous pleasure of placing us, its audience, between yesterday and tomorrow. With Darren Emerson’s event installation In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats propelling us back to 1989, and the Film & Beyond prize awarded to Jean-Michel Jarre, not only does GIFF create a dialogue between eras, but it also deliberately opens the door to a universe where sounds, images and pixels mutually oxygenate each other. Add to this the choice of Daaaaaali! by Quentin Dupieux – Mr. Oizo when he’s handling sounds – to kick off the festival, and we’re back to GIFF’s vocation of advocating the multiplicity of media and technologies.
It’s a safe bet that with its film and series programs, and of course its Geneva Digital Market, the 2023 edition of GIFF will confirm its status as a cutting-edge event open to all audiences. Enjoy the Festival!
Gilles Marchand
Directeur général de la SRG SSR
Pascal Crittin
Directeur de la RTS
The Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF) will once again bring together the public and audiovisual professionals to experience a rich, varied and contemporary program. Moreover, as historic partners of the festival, SSR and RTS are delighted to reaffirm their commitment to the Genevan festival for its 29th edition.
Strengthened by this partnership, we are pleased to offer you this year again a wide range of preview content: Les Indociles, the second season of Les Enquêtes de Maëlys, Alter Ego, Sidonie au Japon (Sidonie in Japan), season 3 of Tschugger and a retrospective on film director Yvan Butler. The festival is also featuring two live broadcasts from Couleur 3. RTS is pleased to be hosting the Geneva Digital Market at its Geneva studios. Finally, we have selected a range of GIFF films that you can enjoy on your screens via Play Suisse.
In line with our public service aims, we are proud to be able to continue to support Swiss cinema, with several promising co-productions including Winter Palace, produced for the first time in association with Netflix, with filming scheduled for 2023 and 2024.
We look forward to welcoming you to a fascinating and memorable 29th edition of the GIFF.
Delphine Bachmann
State Councilor of the Republic and Canton of Geneva in charge of the Department of Economy and Employment
In just a few years, the Geneva Digital Market has become one of Europe’s leading events for the creative industries. It offers a rare opportunity to explore the latest trends in the field and forge fruitful partnerships. For the Department of Economy and Employment, it’s a matter of immense pride to support this event, which enables both the exchange of knowledge and the showcasing of talent.
This is a sector that is developing more and more in our canton, which is already home to a multitude of companies active in the audiovisual field, and we can note the dynamism shown by the players in the sector. As State Councillor for the Economy and Employment, I can only welcome an initiative that combines creativity and entrepreneurship. May the bold aspirations that will have emerged during these meetings be transformed into concrete opportunities for all participants!
