©Alessandro della Valle


The 2024 Swiss Film Honorary Award pays tribute to film producer Robert Boner, a key figure in Swiss filmmaking.  The accolade will be presented at the Swiss Film Award ceremony on Friday 22 March.

Robert Boner was born in Lauerz in 1949. After initially working as a producer at the film collective in Zurich, he set up his own production companies, SAGA Production and Ciné Manufacture in Lausanne and Paris.

In his long career as a filmmaker, Robert Boner has produced over fifty movies, including Les petites fugues by Yves Yersin and the films by Christine Pascal and Lionel Baier. Boner has also been involved in documentaries and animated films. Among others, he produced the documentary films by Richard Dindo and Jean-Stéphane Bron, including the major audience hit, Mais im Bundeshaus.

Besides his eclectic work as a producer, he campaigned for the development of Swiss film policy and was co-founder of the GARP Association (a collective of authors, directors and producers). He was also involved in the creation of the Pacte de l’audiovisuel and the launch of Succès Cinema. In 2011, he became the first general secretary of Cinéforom, the film foundation in French-speaking Switzerland. He held the post until 2015 and shaped the organisation through his experience and vision. Robert Boner’s longstanding commitment to Swiss film policy has made him a leading light of the film industry.