Patrizia Pesko
Head of Film funding | Federal Office of Culture (Bern)
Head of Film funding | Federal Office of Culture (Bern)
After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Catholic University of Milan, Patrizia Pesko worked at the Locarno Film Festival for seven editions. She was then Commissioning Editor at RSI – Radiotelevisione svizzera in Lugano and Coordinator of the “Pacte de l’audiovisuel” (coproductions) at SSR SRG in Bern. From 2012 to June 2022, she was Head of Film funding and Deputy Secretary General of Cinéforom, Fondation Romande pour le cinema (Geneva). Since August 2022, she is Head of the Film Funding Department at the Federal Office of Culture (Bern).
The Federal Office of Culture (FOC) supports the diversity of film in Switzerland from the development stage, production, distribution and theatrical release of a project to supporting film heritage and the access to cinematographic culture (festivals, publications, training). International promotion is assured by the promotion agency “Swiss Films”.
Due to its small size and language diversity Switzerland must rely on an international network and regular co-productions. FOC supports around 20 international coproductions every year. Most of these include a clear artistic and technical cooperation between coproducing partner countries (most European Council countries as well as Canada and Mexico. The funding schemes are based on selective, automatic or on cash rebates criteria.