The Swiss Film Awards (French: Prix du cinéma suisse, German: Schweizer Filmpreis, Italian: Premio del cinema svizzero, Romansh: Premi dal film svizzer; also known as the Swiss Film Prize) are national film awards awarded in several categories of Switzerland, first given out in 1998.
Between 1998 and 2008 the prize was given during the Solothurn Film Festival in the Konzertsaal/Reithalle in Solothurn. From 2009 to 2012 it was held in Lucerne, and since then it has been held in a different city each year, apart from 2020, when it had to be cancelled owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] In that year, the winners were announced in a special programme and are supposed to be presented as part of the annual Locarno Film Festival in August.[2]
From 2009 onwards the festival has hosted the "Night of Nominations" announcement. Since then, every nomination film receives a cash prize. Also since 2009, the ceremony has been moved to March in a more glamorous atmosphere and with a broadcasting on television. 2009 was the last year where the jury was composed of people from the Swiss state and the Federal Office of Culture. Until that year, the award was called "Viewfinder" and changed its appearance every year with different designers being approached to give it a distinctive look. Since 2009 the prize awarded is a Cristal-like statue, designed by Alfredo Häberli, called "The Quartz".[citation needed]
From 2010 the prizes were awarded by the Swiss Film Academy.[citation needed] As of 2024[update], they are awarded by the Federal Office of Culture.[3]
In 2024, an honorary award was awarded to producer Robert Boner, who has produced more than 50 films, including Les petites fugues (1979) by Yves Yersin, films by Christine Pascal and Lionel Baier, and many documentaries and animated films.[4]