First Hand Films is a Swiss independent film production, sales agency and theatrical distribution company based in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1998 by Esther van Messel, the company is known for its work with international documentaries and selected fiction projects, representing films to distributors, platforms, broadcasters and festivals worldwide.

As a theatrical distributor, First Hand Films releases fiction and non-fiction films across Switzerland, operating in the country's three main language regions.

History First Hand Films was founded in Zurich in 1998 by Esther van Messel as a documentary sales and distribution company. In its early years, the company established itself in the international non-fiction market through worldwide sales acquisitions, including early titles such as The Long Way Home, which later received the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

During the 2000s, First Hand Films became active in representing documentaries premiering at major international festivals. In 2008, the company handled international sales for Corridor #8 and Brides of Allah, both presented in the International Forum at the Berlin International Film Festival.

In 2009, First Hand Films handled international sales for Burma VJ - Reporting from a Closed Country, an IDFA-winning documentary directed by Anders Østergaard. The film later received an Academy Awards nomination for Best Documentary Feature at the 83rd Academy Awards. In the same year, the company launched Filmsbazaar.com, an online platform designed to connect independent filmmakers with buyers and financiers. In 2011, First Hand Films expanded into in-house production with the creation of Kiss the Frog Films GmbH, focusing on original documentary and transmedia projects alongside co-productions and executive production work.

In 2019, First Hand Films had entered a strategic partnership with Austrian investor Hansjürgen Schmölzer of BSX Austria, who acquired a minority stake in the company. The investment supported the company in international documentary sales, production, and co-production activities. In 2020, First Hand Films launched the First Hand Fund in partnership with BSX Graz to support larger documentary, series and feature productions with social and political themes.

Through the 2010s and 2020s, the company continued to handle international sales for documentaries premiering at festivals including IDFA, Venice, Berlinale, CPH:DOX and Hot Docs. Titles represented by the company during this period included Ambulance (2016), Hobbyhorse Revolution (2017), A-ha: The Movie (2020), Lost Boys (2021), Trust Me (2021), Name of the Game (2021), 300 Trillion – The Debt Trap (2022), Life is Beautiful (2023), Life Is Not a Competition But I Am Winning (2023), Call Me Dancer (2023), Writing Hawa (2024), House of Hope (2025), Elvira Notari: Beyond Silence (2025) and Yo (Love Is a Rebellious Bird) (2026).

Filmography Year Title Director(s) Notes 1998 Photographer Dariusz Jablonski IDFA Best Documentary 2003 Arna’s Children Juliano Mer Khamis Tribeca Best Documentary 2008 Brides of Allah Natalie Assouline Berlinale Forum; FIPRESCI Award 2009 Burma VJ Anders Østergaard Academy Award nominee; IDFA winner 2011 The Guantanamo Trap Thomas Wallner Hot Docs Special Jury Prize 2012 Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction Sophie Huber Venice official selection 2013 Trespassing Bergman Hynek Pallas, Jane Magnusson Venice Classics premiere 2014 24 Hours Jerusalem Volker Heise German TV Award winner 2015 Nice People Karin af Klintberg, Anders Helgeson CPH:DOX Best of Fest 2016 Presenting Princess Shaw Ido Haar IDFA premiere2016AmbulanceMohamed JabalySheffield Doc/Fest premiere 2017 Hobbyhorse Revolution Selma Vilhunen Hot Docs premiere; Tampere awards 2018 Primas Laura Bari IDFA premiere 2019 The Reformist – A Female Imam Marie Skovgaard CPH:DOX premiere 2020 Town of Glory Dmitry Bogolyubov 2021 A-ha: The Movie Thomas Robsahm, Aslaug Holm Tribeca premiere; Worldwide theatrical release 2021 Trust Me Emil Trier CPH:DOX premiere 2021 Lost Boys Joonas Neuvonen, Sadri Cetinkaya CPH:DOX premiere 2022 300 Trillion – The Debt Trap Rudolph Herzog ARTE/ARD co-production 2022 Polish Prayers Hanka Nobis DOC NYC premiere; Zurich Film Award (Best Director) 2022 The Illusion of Abundance Erika Gonzalez Ramirez, Matthieu Lietaert 2023 Life Is Beautiful Mohamed Jabaly IDFA premiere; Winner Best Directing Award 2023 Life Is Not a Competition, But I’m Winning Julia Fuhr Mann Venice Critics’ Week premiere 2023 Our Land, Our Freedom Meena Nanji, Zippy Kimundu IDFA premiere; BBC Africa Eye acquisition 2023 A Way to B Jos de Putter, Clara van Gool IDFA premiere 2024 Writing Hawa Najiba Noori, Rasul Noori IDFA premiere 2024 Women Conquer the Art Business Sarah Rathgeb 2024 Devi Subina Shrestha Hot Docs premiere 2025 Abortion in the Holy Land Efrat Shalom Danon Haifa Film Festival premiere 2025 Elvira Notari: Beyond Silence Valerio Ciriaci Venice Film Festival premiere 2025 House of Hope Marjolein Busstra IDFA premiere 2025 Palestine Comedy Club Alaa ‘Regash’ Aliabdallah, Charlotte Knowles DOC NYC premiere 2025 The Beauty of the Donkey Dea Gjinovci Zurich Film Festival premiere 2025 The Srebrenica Tape Chiara Sambuchi Movies that Matter premiere 2025 Who Is Still Alive Swiss entry for the Best International Feature Film at 99th Academy Awards 2026 Yo (Love Is a Rebellious Bird) Anna Fitch, Banker White Berlinale premiere; Silver Bear Winner 2026 Don't Ask Me If I Killed Helena Maksyom Winner of Main Prize of Docu/Ukraine Competition at DocuDays UA

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