VOD STRATEGY

When we released our VOD Report 2025 this summer, one finding immediately stood out: only five to six Swiss films reach European platforms in the year following their theatrical release. For most titles, the distribution window remains long, often two to three years before becoming available for VOD.

To understand better how some Swiss films nevertheless manage to enter the VOD ecosystem sooner, we compared the trajectories of LET ME GO (2023) by Maxime Rappaz, DOG ON TRIAL (2024) by Laetitia Dosch and SEW TORN (2025) by Freddy Macdonald. Their paths differ, but their comparison reveals a landscape in which VOD is never an isolated destination; rather, it belongs to a continuum of theatrical releases, festival screenings, regulatory windows and territorial adjustments in which world sales act as key orchestrators.

Between theatres, festivals and platforms: The delicate art of maintaining momentum while respecting the chronology of media

If the three selected films appeared early on platforms, it is because their world sales teams approached VOD not as a final step but as an interconnected component of a broader strategy. As Francisco Zambrano (mk2) explains, “a VOD release only makes sense if it extends the momentum initiated in theatres or festivals.”

In the case of LET ME GO, whose visibility increased significantly after its ACID selection at Cannes in 2023, the strategy developed gradually, shaped by festival screenings and a measured theatrical rollout depending on the territory.

According to Cinthya Calderón (m-appeal), in some European markets even a parallel section can offer enough visibility to justify an expanded theatrical release, while in others attendance remains low. In those situations, an early VOD release becomes essential to maintain the energy generated by the press and to reach an already sensitised audience.

The trajectory of DOG ON TRIAL, also presented in Cannes, unfolded differently. The film had already attracted the interest of distributors when it was announced at the Rendez-Vous Unifrance in Paris (January 2024), before its Cannes premiere. Several territories had pre-bought the film during the Unifrance Rendez-Vous and at the Berlinale, so while the Cannes selection reinforced its international visibility, it did not have a major impact on European sales.

The chronology of media regulations did, however, dictate the rhythm of its circulation. In France, the law requires a minimum of four months between theatrical release and VOD. mk2 therefore synchronised the release dates in France, Belgium and Switzerland to avoid discrepancies that could encourage piracy, even though the latter two countries are not subject to the French timeline. The film then arrived on VOD as soon as regulations allowed, coordinated across francophone territories. For Francisco Zambrano, a VOD-only release would have weakened the indispensable word-of-mouth effect. In Japan, the strict media chronology requires a TV window before SVOD availability, delaying the film’s digital release. These adjustments highlight how VOD strategies remain dependent on regulatory frameworks that vary considerably from one country to another.

SEW TORN follows a different logic altogether. Shot in Switzerland with an English-speaking international cast, the film was conceived from the outset for global circulation. This Swiss-American thriller premiered at SXSW in March 2024 and later screened at more than thirty festivals, including on Locarno’s Piazza Grande, building sustained momentum that facilitated its territorial sales.

Its VOD strategy developed in parallel with festivals and theatrical releases, well before its planned Swiss release in September 2025. The film appeared on VOD in the United Kingdom in March 2025, even before its theatrical release in the United States, allowing it to establish early digital visibility and attract further distributors. In the U.S., its multi-city theatrical rollout by Vertigo Releasing was followed by its availability on major platforms such as Apple TV, Amazon Prime and, is now one of only three Swiss titles (THE AWAKENING OF MOTTI WOLKENBRUCH and NEUMATT) on Netflix in North America.

Tailoring films for each market: Between eroticism, comedy and international thriller

The early VOD circulation of the three films is closely linked to their ability to be repositioned for different markets, highlighting the increasing importance of “tailored strategies” in today’s streaming ecosystem.

LET ME GO, centred on the sexuality of an older woman played by Jeanne Balibar, does not lend itself easily to a global deal, particularly given its francophone dialogue and lack of internationally known actors. According to Cinthya Calderón, the outcome would have been very different had the film focused on younger characters or adopted coming-of-age codes, genres more easily embraced by major streamers. As she notes: “Major platforms increasingly observe that their core audience skews Gen Z, a public that gravitates either toward lighter, easily digestible content or, conversely, toward darker genres such as crime or body horror.”

The film was positioned as an arthouse work with erotic qualities sufficiently appealing for TVOD services, an approach adapted differently by each distributor. In Japan, it was presented in a more classical way, in the tradition of an elegant French romance highlighting the sensuality of an older woman, with the aim of attracting a mature audience familiar with European cinema and likely to recognize the lead actress.

In Germany, by contrast, it was the erotic dimension that was foregrounded, with promotion emphasizing the idea of a “sexy” film, an approach particularly suited to TVOD, a space where arthouse works dealing with sexual themes often find their largest audience. In fact, several arthouse distributors in Germany have developed successful side labels dedicated to genre or erotic films, a space in which the film naturally found its place.

For DOG ON TRIAL, mk2 Films primarily relied on the film’s subject matter, presenting it as a French-language comedy that is both quirky and offbeat, a genre that generally performs well internationally. Although the film was produced and shot in Switzerland, it features a French cast. According to Francisco Zambrano, this carries little weight outside French-speaking territories: Laetitia Dosch, Pascal Zadi, and François Damiens are well-known locally, but their fame remains limited abroad.

In many markets, the film is not identified as Swiss or French but simply as a French-language comedy, a distinction that does not play a decisive role in acquisition decisions. What truly convinced distributors, he adds, was the originality of the proposal: an unusual yet universal story, driven by a singular tone and supported by particularly effective promotional materials, especially the posters and trailer.

The fact that the protagonist is a dog also had a significant impact. The film furthermore won the Palme Dog (the prize for best canine performance in Cannes, all sections combined), a highly effective promotional asset that allows the marketing to focus on the animal and present it as a true lead character. This emphasis on the dog is clearly visible internationally, particularly in Asia, where posters consistently place the animal in the foreground.

This strategy proved especially effective in China and Japan, the two territories where the film benefited from a theatrical release: the focus on the canine protagonist played a major role in attracting audiences. The film’s success in China is particularly noteworthy, given how rare it is for a foreign-language film to secure distribution there. Francisco Zambrano is nonetheless surprised that the VOD release has not yet taken place, as China usually adjusts the digital window based on local box-office performance or sometimes chooses to delay it.

With SEW TORN, territorial adaptation takes a different form. Some countries emphasised the thriller aspect, others its comic elements or the presence of recognisable international faces. The use of English plays a central role, enabling the film to be identified differently depending on the market while also highlighting Swiss landscapes. As Sebastian Klinger explains, “the target audience of SEW TORN spans several groups, from young viewers seeking entertainment to older audiences drawn to the film’s more fanciful elements and its influences ranging from NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN to RUN LOLA RUN. Thanks to the English language and its thematic range, the film is not limited to any specific country or culture.”

SEW TORN was positioned as an American-leaning international thriller, which paid off: it quickly climbed platform rankings, outperforming titles such as ANORA and MIDSOMMAR on Apple TV and earning the “Certified Fresh” status on Rotten Tomatoes, a distinction extremely rare for a Swiss production, shared only with Petra Volpe’s THE DIVINE ORDER.

In France, the film was released directly on VOD under the title DE FIL ET DE SANG, with a French dub and newly created promotional materials. This flexibility was possible because the film was not sold through a global deal but through a network of independent distributors coordinated by The Playmaker in Munich, allowing each territory to tailor its strategy. As a rare feat, SEW TORN managed to reach a deal with Netflix, becoming one of very few Swiss films available on Netflix in North America. As Sebastian Klinger summarises, “this release strategy is rooted in a fine understanding of what works best in each territory and how to reach the broadest audience, resulting in impactful releases perfectly adapted to each country’s context.”

Learnings

These three trajectories show that internationally, films are seldom identified primarily as Swiss but instead circulate according to their language, genre and positioning. They also underline the essential role of world sales, whose decisions shape VOD circulation beyond national borders. Despite carefully planned and well-timed strategies, all three world sales professionals emphasise the persistent lack of transparency around viewing data, which continues to limit a comprehensive understanding of digital performance. These case studies represent only a few examples and do not reflect the full diversity of Swiss film trajectories.