Swiss mountain canton offers payout to be featured in films

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.

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.

Strong competition

Valais is no stranger as a backdrop to feature films. For example, James Bond tracked down the murderer of one of his lovers on the steep bends of the Furka Pass in the 1964 movie Goldfinger,. However, natural beauty is no longer enough to win over cost-conscious producers. 

 “In the 2000s, we had a lot of Indians coming to film in Valais. But they left our canton for Tyrol, which offered this financial incentive,” answers Tristan Albrecht. “Now, with this incentive, we will be able to bring productions back to Valais.”

The feature film “Laissez-moi”, a Swiss, French and Belgian co-production, is currently being shot in Valais, which has provided CHF100,000 of funding. Director Maxime Rappaz told RTS he did not choose the setting because of the financial incentive but “it certainly has its advantages”.