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Spotlight on Switzerland
"We look forward to seeing new Swiss-Balkan coproductions emerge from these collaborations and, in the near future, premiere at the Sarajevo Film Festival.”, said Marcel Müller
Organized in partnership with SWISS FILMS and the Embassy of Switzerland in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this year's Swiss delegation brings together producers recognized for their strong international perspective and longstanding co-production culture.
Throughout CineLink Industry Days, participants will have the opportunity to discover promising new projects, build strategic partnerships, and connect with industry professionals from Southeast Europe and beyond. Through curated meetings, networking events, and co-production forums, the delegation will actively engage with the region's dynamic audiovisual landscape, fostering collaboration and opening new pathways for international cooperation.
“SWISS FILMS, the promotion agency for Swiss filmmaking, is very honored to be the Country in Focus at the Cine Link Industry Days. As SWISS FILMS highlights the Balkan region through its curated film programmes this year, it is especially meaningful to take part in one of the region's leading film festivals. Switzerland has always had a strong connection with the region, especially with Bosnia and Herzegovina. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Swiss Embassy in Sarajevo, making this collaboration especially significant. A Swiss delegation of filmmakers, producers, and industry professionals with a strong international outlook will attend the Industry Days to connect with colleagues from Southeast Europe, explore new partnerships, present projects, and strengthen the dialogue between the film industries of Switzerland and the Balkans. Being invited as the Country in Focus represents another step toward deepening the cultural exchange between regions. We look forward to seeing new Swiss-Balkan coproductions emerge from these collaborations and, in the near future, premiere at the Sarajevo Film Festival.” - Marcel Müller, SWISS FILMS – Head of Geneva Office, Consultant for Features & Programmes
Meet the Swiss Delegation
Gregory Catella, SRG SSR – Senior Co-production Manager
Gregory Catella earned a humanities degree from the University of Bologna. During his student years, he began a career in film criticism and journalism, while also working in film club organization and teaching film studies. Since 2012, he has served as Senior Co-production Manager for Film and Series at SRG SSR in Bern. Since 2019, he has also been Senior Content & Acquisitions Manager of Play Suisse, the SRG SSR streaming platform. From 2010 to 2012, he was executive producer of the feature film Vielen Dank für nichts by S. Hillebrand and O. Paulus (CH/DE, 2013), and Head of the Summer Academy at the Locarno Film Festival, a training programme for young film professionals. From 2005 to 2009, he was Head of the BA Programme in Visual Communication at SUPSI, where he also worked as a lecturer and researcher and led the development of the pilot two-year Master's programme Network Cinema CH (2006–2008). Between 2000 and 2009, he lectured in Cinema History and Film Analysis at SUPSI – University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Lugano, while also working as a freelance producer on TV films and feature films co-produced with SRG SSR until 2005.
Azra Djurdjevic, Producer
Azra Djurdjevic is a Swiss-Croatian producer with a master's degree in German, English, and Comparative Literature. She began her career in 2009 as a freelance assistant director, production manager, and line producer before moving into advertising, where she produced award-winning campaigns. Since 2020, she has focused on feature films, documentaries, and series. Her credits include the documentaries ROGER FEDERER – THE REUNION and IMMORTALS, as well as the Oscar campaign for the short film ALA KACHUU. She is currently producing and developing feature films and series as a freelance producer. She is an alumna of Series' Women (2023/24) and Emerging Producers (2025/26).
Stefan Ivančić, Locarno Film Festival – Selection Committee Member
Stefan Ivančić is a film director, producer, and festival programmer. His short films have been selected for numerous international festivals, including Cannes, Rotterdam, FIDMarseille, San Sebastián, Visions du Réel, and Torino. He produced the feature film The LOAD (2018) by Ognjen Glavonić, which premiered in the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes, and WIND, TALK TO ME (2025) by Stefan Đorđević, selected for the Tiger Competition at IFF Rotterdam. He is a member of the Selection Committee of the Locarno Film Festival and programmes the Belgrade Auteur Film Festival. He also teaches at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade and is a member of the European Film Academy.
Rajko Jazbec, Catpics – Managing Partner & Producer
Rajko was born in Slovenia in 1982 and grew up in the mountains of Switzerland. In 2004, he began directing and producing short films before founding the production company CognitoFilms in 2012. In 2021, CognitoFilms merged with Catpics, where Rajko has served as co-owner and co-managing director ever since. He is a member of the European Film Academy and the Swiss Film Academy, an alumnus of Inside Pictures and the ACE Producers Network and serves on the boards of Cinéconomie Switzerland and FOCAL. He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration.
Francisca Lucero, Visions du Réel – Selection Committee Member
Born in Chile, Francisca Lucero is based in France and has worked for film festivals since 2008. Since 2012, she has worked at FIDMarseille, first as coordinator and currently as manager of FIDLab, the international co-production platform. She was also programme coordinator for Cinélatino – Rencontres de Toulouse until 2021. She is currently a member of the selection committees of Visions du Réel and Cinélatino's documentary section and is also part of the programming team for the online documentary platform Tënk.
Marcel Müller, SWISS FILMS – Head of Geneva Office, Consultant for Features & Programmes
As a film consultant at SWISS FILMS for more than 20 years, Marcel Müller has organized and curated programmes worldwide in collaboration with festivals, film archives, and various partners, with the aim of promoting and increasing the visibility of Swiss film productions and the Swiss film industry.
Aline Schmid, Beauvoir Films – Producer
After graduating from the University of Fribourg, Aline Schmid studied scriptwriting in Stuttgart. Following several engagements at film and music festivals, she became Head of Distribution at Cineworx in Basel in 2006. With Intermezzo Films (Geneva), she produced several acclaimed documentaries and fiction features, including SONITA (Sundance, IDFA), BROKEN LAND (Locarno, Rotterdam), CANTOS (Dok.München, Mostra São Paulo), and HORIZONTES (Karlovy Vary). She participated in the Emerging Producer programme (Jihlava, 2013) and Producers on the Move (Cannes, 2015). In 2016, she founded Beauvoir Films in Geneva.
Julia Schubiger, Langfilm – Producer
After studying Ethnology and Communication, Julia Schubiger began her career as a programmer at several film festivals, including the Locarno Film Festival. Since 2023, she has worked as a producer at Langfilm, based in Zurich, Switzerland.
Andrea Štaka, Okofilm Productions – Director
Andrea Štaka graduated from the MFA Film programme at Zurich University of the Arts. Her films HOTEL BELGRAD and YUGODIVAS brought her international recognition at festivals including Locarno and Sundance, winning several awards. Both films were nominated for Best Film at the Swiss Film Awards and received theatrical releases. Her first feature film, FRAULEIN, won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival, the Heart of Sarajevo at the Sarajevo Film Festival, and the Swiss Film Award for Best Screenplay.
In 2007, she founded Okofilm Productions together with Thomas Imbach. Her second feature, CURE – THE LIFE OF ANOTHER (2014), received awards at the Max Ophüls Film Festival. MARE (2020), her third feature film, premiered at the 70th Berlinale and went on to win numerous awards. In 2022, she directed a television series for Swiss Public Television and Netflix. Andrea Štaka is a member of the European Film Academy.
Niza Lou Waldburger, VEGA Film – Managing Director & Producer
Niza Lou Waldburger is the managing director and producer of VEGA Film, the independent production company founded in 1988 by her mother, Ruth Waldburger. With experience in film production and distribution, she focuses on Pan-African themes and perspectives, as well as socially engaged stories. She is an alumna of the Creative Producer Indaba and the Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris. Niza Lou lives and works between Zurich and the islands of Guadeloupe.
Jasmin Basic, Head of Fiction programming - INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AND FORUM ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Jasmin Basic, film historian and curator, Master of Arts in Cinema History. She has collaborated as programmer with several festivals, in Switzerland and abroad : Visions du Réel (Nyon), GIFF (Geneva), Ambulante (Mexico), Split International Film Festival (Croatia), NIFFF (Neuchâtel), Animafest Zagreb (Croatia), International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights FIFDH (Geneva), Solothurn Film Festival, International Animation Festival Fantoche, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, among others. Jasmin curated retrospectives on Michael Mann, Charles Burnett, David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan and the Yugoslav Black Wave. She worked with the Cinemathèque of Tangier-Morocco, the Centre for the Image La Virreina Barcelona, the Croatian Audiovisual Center HAVC, the French Cinémathèque, the Centre Pompidou and the Forum des Images in Paris. Co-founder and board member of Pro Short, the Swiss association for short films. She was an appointed expert for the Swiss Federal Office of Culture and a board member of the Geneva Film Commission. She also worked on different films as associate producer with the production companies Alva Film and La Bête, focusing on emerging talents with strong personal and artistic stories. She is a regular consultant for film projects in development and/or editing stage. Currently, she's in charge of the Master in Film Studies joint program of the Universities of Arts ECAL Lausanne and HEAD Geneva. In parallel, she is responsible for the fiction programme at FIFDH Geneva and is part of the Industry selection team at Visions du Réel.
Nevena Milašinović, Ligtdox
As part of the Lightdox team, Nevena oversees distribution and sales in Central & Eastern Europe, Asia, LATAM and Africa. She embraced the challenge of mastering the most promising and excitingly evolving markets with worlds of creativity and innovativeness. She graduated in Painting from the Academy of Arts in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and holds a Master’s degree in Stage Design from the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno. Nevena has been working in sales and distribution of documentary films since 2015, with a deep focus on VOD and festival distribution.