Between the end of 1995 and the beginning of 1996 the Proiecto Lumière-Recherche des films perdus has been working on the unidentified collections of the Cinémathèque Suisse, discovering the surprising wealth of a collection which is unique in all the world. The films presented on the occasion of Il Cinema Ritrovato are only a small taste of the treasures which the Lausanne archive has collected and conserved.

Cinémathèque Suisse / Schweizer Filmarchiv / Cineteca Svizzera

The Association Cinémathèque Suisse – Schweizer Filmarchiv – Cineteca Svizzera was legally formed on the Nov, 3,1948 in Lausanne on the initiative of various members of the local film club, among whom Claude Emery, René Favre and the art critic Freddy Buache. The local Council made available an office, funded an annual contribution of 6,000 francs and a (rather modest) sum of money for the installation of a film deposit. The new institution, of which Buache assumes the direction, was prestigiously patronised by Erich von Stroheim, who was present at its inauguration. The new Swiss museum of cinema was supported on one side by Langlois’ Cinémathèque Française, which made its films available, while contemporaneously it inherited some collections from the Archives du Film in Bâle, a section of the Museum of Fine Arts created in 1943 and later abandoned due to lack of funds. In 1981 the Cineteca became a foundation and left its tiny premises alongside the cathedral for the new offices at the Casino of Montbenon. Tens years later, construction of a great conservation centre was terminated at Penthaz, 12 km north of Lausanne, where the films can be finally stored and conserved satisfactorily (the shelves run to 23 km). Cineasts of international fame, such as Claude Autant-Lara, deposit all their works there. In 1996 the cinema historian Hervé Dumont succeeded Freddy Buache as the head of the Archive. The institution currently employs 21 staff, 14 full-time and 7 part time, divided between Montbenon and Penthaz.

Collections and activities

The majority of the films held at the Cineteca come from the old Emelka deposit, going back to 1943. The archive possesses an important stock of French and German films from the Thirties and Forties. 20th Century-Fox has deposited its films there since 1965, Warner since 1974 and Columbia since 1975. From 1985 onwards, approximately 90% of the films distributed in the country (especially those of American production) are kept at Penthaz. There is also a legal deposit reserved for Swiss works which have obtained quality prizes. Alongside Ufa, Fox and Gaumont newsreels, the archive conserves 600 hours of “Ciné-Journal suisse”, with news from 1940 to 1975. Up to the present day, 48.700 copies of films have been catalogued on computer, between short and full length films; 15% of the ancient sources has not yet been computerised (owing to delays mainly due to moving the archive in 1991), while approx. 10% of the material (mainly nitrates) is waiting to be identified. Completing this work, which has been interrupted all too often for various reasons, constitutes the archive’s main objective for the moment. As well as films, Penthaz today houses a collection of a million and a half photographs, 35.000 posters (relating to the whole history of cinema) and 650 pieces of old equipment. At the Casino di Montbenon 15.000 volumes and magazines, together with a collection of 50.000 press dossiers (critiques and other material) are available to researchers. The Cineteca has two projection rooms which daily offer three sessions of programming: the “Cinématographe”, with a capacity of 100 seats, and the “Paderewski” room (500 seats, active two days a week). Currently, the institution is engaged in the restoration of its own collections, with absolute priority being given to the safeguarding of nitrate materials. It is also attempting to open up more in the direction of the German and Italian-speaking cantons.