Films and fine watchmaking have much in common: both are based on long traditions, both draw on pioneering spirit, and both use expertise and creativity to generate a continuous stream of new masterpieces.
With a passion for filmmaking demonstrated through its support of international film festivals in New York, Beijing, Zurich, London and Dubai, IWC believes the bonds between the worlds of watchmaking and filmmaking are strong.
Apart from these commitments, the company has maintained close relations over the years with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, including well-known actors such as Cate Blanchett, Sir Patrick Stewart, Rosamund Pike, Dev Patel, Zhou Xun and James Marsden, or director Marc Forster.
IWC watches have already featured in countless movies and U.S. TV series. More specifically, the main characters in the thriller Wall Street, box-office smash Ocean’s Thirteen, action comedy RED, and espionage-thriller The Bourne Legacy have all sported watches made in Schaffhausen. They are equally popular with the lead actors in the American TV series Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and The Good Wife.
Several years ago, with the express aim of promoting up-and-coming filmmakers, IWC founded the IWC Filmmaker Award to promote the vision of storytellers of all genres whose work demonstrates that they have gone beyond mere filmmaking. With meticulous attention to detail, they make use of unconventional, often signature, techniques to manipulate the medium and create an unforgettable sensory experience for their audiences. IWC presents the award as part of its commitment to the film festivals.
TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL®
April - New York
Tribeca Enterprises has a dual mission: it provides artists with a unique platform on which they can expand the audience for their work and makes it easier for consumers to experience independent film and media. Since its inception, the Tribeca Film Festival has screened more than 1400 films from over 80 countries and attracted an international audience of more than four million.
Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff founded the Festival in 2001, following the attacks on the World Trade Center, to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan. An annual celebration of film, music and culture, the Festival unites the industry and community through storytelling.
IWC has been Official ‘Festival-Time’ Partner of the Tribeca Film Festival® since 2013. Its role as partner to a major film festival in the U.S. also takes IWC back to its roots, for it was a young American engineer and watchmaker from Boston, Florentine Ariosto Jones, who founded IWC International Watch Co. back in 1868. Driven by a characteristically American pioneering spirit, he combined forward-looking U.S. production technologies with the skilled craftsmanship of Swiss watchmakers.
BEIJING INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Beijing – April
Targeting the “Share the Screen, Shape the Future” programme, the Festival was designed as a major, high-end film event with levels of innovation and professionalism to appeal to an international audience. Distinctly market-oriented, it provides a significant platform for the Chinese film industry to integrate with the world and to generate cooperation, exchanges and deals with the international film community. It is also a major cultural event that is helping Beijing to establish itself as China’s cultural metropolis.
The Beijing International Film Festival was first held in April 2011, and in 2014 attracted about 7000 film industry professionals, representing over 1000 film groups, both from China and abroad. The 2013 event also marked IWC’s first appearance as sponsor, a role that demonstrates both the company’s passion for the world of filmmaking and the significance of the Chinese market for the brand.
THE ZURICH FILM FESTIVAL
Zurich – September
The aim of the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) is to offer audiences an insight into the work of the most promising filmmakers from around the globe and to promote the exchange of ideas between established film workers, creative talent and the public. Emerging directors have an opportunity to gain publicity for their work throughout the entire German-speaking market. Participants come from all over the world and include both rising and renowned filmmakers as well as buyers, sellers, distributors, media professionals and industry leaders.
The ZFF was inaugurated in October 2005 and soon established a firm place for itself on the national and international film festival scene. The festival continues to grow rapidly. In 2014, about 79,000 visitors and more than 500 accredited journalists attended the screenings.
IWC’s first joint venture with the ZFF was the 2014 event, which coincided with the Festival’s tenth anniversary.
Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto - September
In 2017, IWC and the Toronto International Film Festival®(TIFF) announced a new partnership to strengthen TIFF’s ongoing mission of presenting the best international and Canadian cinema to film lovers. In 2017, IWC is proud to be the presenting sponsor of TIFF’s Short Cuts Award for Best Short Film, featuring 59 short films in 16 different languages from over 30 countries.
Founded over 40 years ago, the Toronto International Film Festival has gone on to become one of the world’s most important publicly attended film festival and grown to embrace programming 365 days a year.
® Toronto International Film Festival Inc., used under license.
BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL
London – October
The British Film Institute (BFI) combines various cultural, creative and industrial roles, bringing together the BFI National Archive and BFI Reuben Library, film distribution, exhibition and education at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX, publishing and festivals. The BFI is a charity governed by Royal Charter.
The BFI was founded in 1933. As the leading body for film in the UK, the BFI maintains a number of creative, strategic and funding relationships with industry and key stakeholders, investing in education and audiences, filmmaking and film heritage.
IWC made its first appearance as sponsor at the 2014 BFI London Film Festival. IWC Schaffhausen is a partner of the BFI and, jointly with American Express®, partnered the BFI London Film Festival in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
DUBAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Dubai – December
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), the leading film festival in the Middle East and Africa, is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and under the honorary chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. The DIFF has established itself as a major international festival, while continuing to serve as a premier showcase event for Arab cinema and contributing to the development and growth of the regional industry.
Since its inception in 2004, the festival has served as an influential platform for Arab filmmakers and talent at an international level by spearheading the cinema movement in the region. Every year, the DIFF presents new and exciting cinema from the Arab world and beyond, introducing audiences to fresh new talent and original, intelligent and distinctive filmmaking.
IWC’s extended commitment is the result of a successful partnership founded in 2010, in which IWC has served as the Official ‘Festival-Time’ Partner of the Gulf Film Festival and the DIFF. In 2012, IWC and the DIFF launched the IWC Filmmaker Award to support Gulf filmmakers. The $100,000 cash prize is awarded to support the production of a full-length feature film and help winners transfer their visions to the screen.
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Tribecca Film Festival Gala 2016
IWC Schaffhausen is Partner of the Tribeca Film Festival® (TFF) in New York and created the IWC Portugieser Edition Tribeca which is dedicated to the festival.
IWC Filmmaker Award at Dubai International Film Festival
Actress Olga Kurylenko presented the fifth IWC Filmmaker Award to Abdullah Hassan Ahmed from the United Arab Emirates for his project “Sunrise". Find out more.