Swiss cinema legend Freddy Buache dead at 94

Freddy Buache, pictured here in 2008 Keystone / Dominic Favre

Freddy Buache, co-founder of the National Film Archive, has died at the age of 94.

He served as the head of the Lausanne-based institution from 1951 until 1996. In 1998, he received an Honorary Leopard at the Locarno Film FestivalExternal link, which he co-directed from 1966 to 1972.

Buache, who wrote numerous books on Swiss cinema, died on Tuesday. The National Film ArchiveExternal link announced his death on Twitter, writing, “A great figure in cinema and the soul of the National Film Archive, the man who was director of the institution for nearly half a century passed away peacefully on May 28.”

Nous avons l’immense tristesse d’annoncer le décès de Freddy Buache, à l’âge de 94 ans. Grande figure du cinéma et âme de la Cinémathèque suisse, celui qui fût directeur de notre institution pendant près d’un demi-siècle s’est éteint paisiblement le 28 mai dernier. pic.twitter.com/cjQHIf4joQExternal link

— Cinémathèque suisse (@cinemathequech) May 30, 2019External link

Born on December 29, 1924, the film enthusiast got his start as a film critic for the Nouvelle Revue de Lausanne (1952-1959). He then wrote for the Tribune de Lausanne, which later became Le Matin.

Buache is credited with leaving his mark in Switzerland and also abroad as a writer, poet, art critic, author, publisher, programmer, teacher, and passionate defender of new Swiss cinema and heritage preservation.