Swiss Mountain Canton Offers Payout To Be Featured In Films

2022-08-19 02:12:33

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) The hairpin bends of the Furka Pass road featured in the 1964 James Bond film 'Goldfinger'. Now the canton is paying producers to come and film in its spectacular landscapes. Keystone/ Valentin Flauraud

The southwestern Swiss canton of Valais has become the first to pay producers to film its landscapes and villages.

This content was published on August 19, 2022 - 12:56 August 19, 2022 - 12:56 RTS/jc

Valais is ready to pay up to CHF100,000 ($104,000) per project, Swiss public broadcaster RTS reports on Friday. The Valais Film Commission has set aside CHF1.9 million over four years to be featured in films. Two-thirds of the budget is financed by the canton and the rest by the federal government.

Valais Film Commission head Tristan Albrecht told RTS that it was a good investment.“We already estimate a ratio of 1 to 3 between what we give to the production and the direct economic benefits in terms of accommodation, catering and equipment rental in a given region,' he said, pointing to the findings of a study. 'Then there are the indirect spin-offs in terms of image when the film is released.'

Such spin-offs are often cited by public authorities that fund productions, says RTS. For example, one in five tourists still travels to New Zealand because of The Lord of the Rings, while Indian films shot in Switzerland have boosted the number of Indian tourists to the Alpine country.

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