trigon-film

Overview

trigon-film is a Swiss non-profit film distribution company and home entertainment label founded in 1988 and based in Ennetbaden, near Zurich. The company is located at Limmatauweg 9, 5408 Ennetbaden, with phone contact at +41 56 430 12 30. trigon-film distributes cinema from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe in Switzerland, four regions whose films are systematically underrepresented in European theatrical distribution. The company's non-profit status reflects its mandate as a cultural rather than purely commercial operation.

trigon-film releases 12 to 17 films per year in the Swiss theatrical market, distributing across German-speaking, French-speaking, and Italian-speaking Switzerland through partnerships with arthouse cinemas and cultural venues. The company released 17 films in 2024, 12 films in 2025, and has 11 films scheduled for 2026. Its DVD and Blu-ray label has produced over 100 editions of films from the global south and Eastern Europe, creating one of the most extensive home video archives of world cinema available in Europe.

The company's geographic focus specifically excludes European and North American films that dominate Swiss theatrical distribution, creating a catalog that represents a genuine alternative to the mainstream theatrical market. trigon-film is the only Swiss distributor specializing exclusively in cinema from these regions.

2025 to 2026 Release Slate

trigon-film's 2025 and 2026 theatrical releases demonstrate the company's geographic and programming range:

2025 releases:

• The Seed of the Sacred Fig (February 2025) - Mohammad Rasoulof's film, originally premiered at Cannes 2024. Iran, Germany, France co-production.
• Agent of Happiness (March 2025) - Documentary from Bhutan.
• Gou zhen (April 2025) - Chinese cinema.
• Ernest Cole: Lost and Found (April 2025) - Documentary about the South African photographer, premiered at Cannes 2024.
• Where the Wind Comes From (September 2025) - Amel Guellaty's film from Tunisia, France, Qatar. 99 minutes.
• All That's Left of You (November 2025) - Palestinian cinema.
• Love on Trial - Koji Fukada's film from Japan, 124 minutes. About a J-Pop idol bound to a system of strict rules.
• Palestine 36 - Annemarie Jacir's film from Palestine, 119 minutes. Set during the British Mandate period.
• The Secret Agent - Kleber Mendonca Filho's film from Brazil, 160 minutes. Premiered at Cannes 2025.
• DJ Ahmet - From an unspecified territory, theatrical release.

2026 upcoming releases:

• A Sad and Beautiful World (August 20, 2026) - Cyril Aris's film from Lebanon, 110 minutes. A love story spanning three decades.
• The Secret Agent (2026) - Kleber Mendonca Filho, Brazil, 160 minutes.
• Films from Turkey (Emin Alper, 120 min), Bulgaria (Valeska Grisebach, 167 min), Central African Republic (Rafiki Fariala, 91 min), Singapore (Anthony Chen, 157 min), China (Jing Zou, 125 min), Afghanistan (Shahrbanoo Sadat, 103 min), and Nepal (Abinash Bikram Shah, 108 min).

Geographic Programming Focus

trigon-film's programming spans:

• African cinema from sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the francophone African tradition. Recent releases include Ernest Cole: Lost and Found (South Africa) and Where the Wind Comes From (Tunisia).
• Asian cinema from Iran, India, South Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, and other territories. Recent releases include The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Iran), Love on Trial (Japan), and Gou zhen (China).
• Latin American cinema from Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, and beyond. Upcoming releases include The Secret Agent (Brazil, Kleber Mendonca Filho).
• Eastern European cinema from territories including Bulgaria, Romania, and the Balkans. Upcoming releases include Valeska Grisebach's film from Bulgaria.
• Documentary features from the global south engaging political, social, and cultural subjects, including Ernest Cole: Lost and Found and Agent of Happiness (Bhutan).

The company's programming explicitly excludes the European and North American films that dominate Swiss theatrical distribution. This curatorial focus creates a catalog that fills a gap no commercial Swiss distributor addresses.

Non-Profit Distribution Model

trigon-film operates on a non-profit model supported by Swiss cultural funding, membership contributions, and commercial revenue from its distribution activity. This non-profit structure allows the company to release films that would not be commercially viable for a profit-seeking distributor, extending the range of global cinema available to Swiss audiences beyond what market forces alone would support.

For filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, trigon-film's non-profit mandate means the company considers films on cultural and artistic grounds rather than purely commercial ones. A film with strong critical credentials and genuine cultural significance from an underrepresented territory can find Swiss distribution through trigon-film even if its commercial potential is limited.

The company's funding model includes support from Swiss federal cultural agencies, cantonal cultural funds, and membership subscriptions. This mixed funding base provides stability that commercial distributors lack, allowing trigon-film to maintain its programming focus across decades without being driven by box office performance alone.

DVD and Blu-ray Archive

trigon-film's DVD and Blu-ray catalog is one of the most significant collections of global south and Eastern European cinema on physical media in Europe. Over 100 films from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe are available through the label, often as the only European physical media editions of films that were not commercially distributed on home video by any other company.

The DVD archive includes films from across the company's 38-year history, with editions that frequently include bonus materials, essays, and restored transfers. For cinephile audiences and academic institutions, the trigon-film DVD catalog is a primary resource for accessing world cinema that is otherwise unavailable on European home video. The company continues to produce new DVD and Blu-ray editions alongside its theatrical releases.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe seeking Swiss theatrical distribution, trigon-film is the primary specialist contact. The company's non-profit mandate and cultural mission make it more accessible for films without obvious commercial appeal than commercial distributors would be.

trigon-film acquires films at IDFA, Locarno (whose Swiss location gives it natural access to the festival), Cannes, Berlin, and through relationships with international sales agents and directly from filmmakers and national film institutes from the regions it focuses on. The company also acquires titles that have premiered at smaller festivals and have strong critical reception but limited commercial profile.

For filmmakers whose work has premiered at a major festival and comes from one of trigon-film's target regions, the company is a realistic and appropriate distribution partner for the Swiss market. trigon-film typically acquires Swiss theatrical rights and all-media rights for Switzerland, handling subtitles in German and French (and sometimes Italian), local marketing, and theatrical booking across Swiss arthouse venues.

The company's deal structures reflect its non-profit model: MGs are modest (typically ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 for Swiss rights), but the company provides genuine theatrical exposure and long-term catalog support through its DVD and streaming platforms. For filmmakers whose priority is reaching Swiss audiences rather than maximizing short-term revenue, trigon-film offers a distribution pathway that commercial distributors cannot match for films from underrepresented regions.

Contact: film@trigon-film.org, +41 56 430 12 30, fax +41 56 430 12 31.

See Also

For how non-profit and publicly supported distributors serve films that commercial markets underserve, see Distribution Deals Explained. For an overview of world cinema distribution specialists across different territories, see the broader Film Distributors Directory. To model the revenue from a multi-territory distribution strategy that includes small-market non-profit distributors, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For how festival premieres at Locarno and Cannes drive international distribution for global south cinema, see Streaming vs Theatrical Revenue.