Our film kit (from CHF 350)
Public screenings are subject to fees and all copyrights must be respected. With our film kit you can be sure that all rights are respected, and you save time.
- We clarify all copyrights and obtain the screening and SUISA rights.
- We send you the screening DVD, BluRay or digital file (MP4).
Film kit costs start at CHF 350, depending on the film distributor and the number of visitors. The costs include:
- the screening licence (CHF 150 – 200)
- the SUISA fee (CHF 9)
- our labour costs (CHF 200 for clarifications, correspondence, collection, and provision of the film file).
Please note
- The offer is only valid if no admission fee is charged (voluntary collection possible).
- Additional costs may be incurred for screenings in cinemas.
- The offer is provisionally invalid until the rights holder agrees to the screening.
- Please contact us as soon as possible. It takes about two weeks until everything is settled.
Frequently asked questions about the film kit
Every film has one or more film distributors per country or language region who own the screening rights.
In Switzerland, films may be shown privately among relatives or close friends and in class without a licence (i.e., without having to pay anything to the film owner).
Public screenings are subject to a fee. This applies even if no admission fee is charged.
If a film is to be screened, the rights holders must be found, and a licence requested. The costs vary (flat rate, per person CHF 3-5) with special rates for NGOs, and non-profit events).
In addition, SUISA must be paid a licence fee of CHF 19 per screening day for the film music included in the film.
Films for the Earth does not take any legal responsibility if you screen a film yourself. You can read more about copyright law in the Swiss Federal Law here.
As soon as you charge admission, most film rights holders change the billing method. Instead of a fixed price per person or event, the calculation is then based on a percentage. For example, the film rights holder can demand 40% of all revenues and a detailed revenue accounting.
However, a voluntary collection is possible. You can expect to collect CHF 3 – 5 per visitor.
It helps to communicate to the visitors what collection amount per person is necessary to pay for the event.
The film kit costs start at CHF 350, depending on the film distributor and the number of visitors. We pay the film licence fees (CHF 3-10 per person or CHF 150 – 200), the SUISA fee (CHF 9) and our workload (clarifying rights, providing, and sending the film file).
In Switzerland, films may be screened privately among relatives or close friends and in class without a licence (i.e., without having to pay anything to the film owner). It does not matter where the screening takes place, whether it is free of charge or not and what legal form the venue or the organiser has.
All screenings outside the private setting are public. Public screenings are subject to a fee. This applies even if no admission fee is charged.
Learn more about the copyright law here.
No, performances for educational purposes in class are exempt from licensing under Swiss copyright law.
However, if a performance is held in a school auditorium for several classes and other visitors, for example, the performance is public. Film and SUISA fees are then due. In Germany, a so-called Ö-Lizenz must be purchased in both cases, which is usually sold together with a special DVD version for schools.
We recommend that you first visit our film page. It holds a lot of information, including film trailers and other clips. You can also get inspiration from our festival nominations. These are the films that shown at our festival and are of great quality.
If you would like to watch the film beforehand, there are various providers who have the films available as video on demand. We also hold selection of films that you can watch for free.
