Swiss banker Hans Syz is a film producer and scion of a wealthy Zurich family whose latest film is a rom-com set in the orthodox Jewish community He finews.com how he reconciles his creative and his financial sides.

Hans Syz, where does your love of filmmaking come from?

I've had it since childhood. As a boy I would used my mother's Bolex camera (a brand of 16 mm camera) and not give it back. After school, I did an apprenticeship as a cameraman and traveled around the world in that job.

What's so fascinating about viewing the world through the camera objective?

I'm a visual person. Film affords me the possibility to build up and tell a story: the lights are colors, the camera objective is the brush, and the film is the canvas. 

What was your most dramatic film set?

Probably «A New Face of Debbie Harry» the lead singer of New York new wave band Blondie, directed by Swiss filmaker H.R. Giger. We were among the pioneers of the video clip.

You took over Turnus Film in 1989, moving from cameraman to producer. How was the transition?

I always had an entrepreneurial side and was prepared to live it. I was aware that it takes a lot of effort to establish yourself in the film business. 

«'Wolkenbruch' will probably be our biggest hit»

We began doing advertising spots, like the Milka's purple cow. Films came later. Our biggest hit so far was «Handyman» with (Swiss comic) Marco Rima, which is probably going to be topped by «Wolkenbruch's Wondrous Journey into the Arms of a Shiksa».

You became chairman of Maerki Baumann in 1997 as part of your family's succession planning. How do you reconcile filmmaking with banking?

The two roles are completely independent of each other. The only similarities are in marketing. When we show our own films at client events, it's always well-received.

«Netflix and others are an opportunity, not a threat»

Clients see that a cosmopolitan person running the bank, with whom they can discuss any subject imaginable. Most of them are entrepreneurs themselves and have interesting stories to tell. 

What type of personality do you need to run a private bank, and a production company?

Entrepreneurial thinking and enthusiasm. Whether as a banker or film producer – it's about preparing, making, and justifying decisions. Choosing reliable partners and employees is key. And in the end the profit-and-loss statement has to add up. 

The film and television industry is in crisis. What are the biggest challenges? 

The film industry is being disrupted by streaming services like Netflix. Many view the new providers as threats. I see them as an opportunity.

«'Wolkenbruch' shows can there is a wider audience for good films»

I'm convinced that they will improve not just the quantity but also the quality and acceptance of filmmaking. «Wolkenbruch» shows that good films can appeal to a wider audience. 

What does the nomination for the Swiss film prize this year mean to you?

Anita Wasser, Michael Steiner and I are excited to see our ideas go down well; that motivates us to keep going with Turnus Films.

  • The interview with additional information on the film «Wolkenbruch's Wondrous Journey into the Arms of a Shiksa» first appeared in the Maerki Baumann-published «Journal».

Hans Syz-Witmer has presided Swiss private bank Maerki Baumann since 1997. He is also vice-president of InCore Bank, which Maerki Baumann Holding holds a substantial stake in, and has been a director at CHSZ-Holding since 2003. He also has holds roles at wealth management group Aquila, Turnus Film, the  Schulthess Clinic, Zurich's Tonhalle Society, the Kongresshaus foundation, the Baugarten cooperative and foundation in Zurich, real estate firm Friedrich Steinfels, and the Prof. Dr. Max Cloëtta foundation. Syz is the cousin of Geneva-based Swiss banker Eric Syz.