Swiss president underlines film’s power in a ‘post-fact’ world

Alain Berset is Switzerland's culture minister and current sitting president Keystone

Switzerland’s Culture Minister and President Alain Berset opened the 53rd edition of the Solothurn Film Festival, one of the country’s top cinematic showcases, by highlighting film’s role in combating fake news and misinformation. 

As a “post-fact wave” sweeps the world, Berset said that “film can turn us into participating observers, without commentary or ideological coding”. 

As an example, he cited this year’s opening film for the festival, the French-language documentary “A l’école des Philosophes” or “At the philosophers’ school”, which explores everyday life at a school for children with disabilities.

Berset said he views film as a way to bring Swiss society together, adding that the upcoming so-called “No Billag” initiative to do away with radio and TV license fees endangers that coherence. The outcome of the vote will affect the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, of which swissinfo.ch is a part.

+ More on the upcoming vote issues in Switzerland

The Solothurn Film FestivalExternal link will show 159 films over eight days, of which 28 will be world premieres. The festival is considered the year’s main event for featuring and debuting Swiss-made films.