GENEVA: Abuse allegations at a private religious school founded by the former head of Laderach is taking its toll on the celebrated Swiss chocolate-maker, with the Zurich Film Festival this weekend severing ties.

The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) announced late on Saturday that it had agreed with Laderach to end a partnership, adding that a documentary aired days earlier on the abuse allegations had “shaken everyone”.

“We want to ensure that the festival remains centred on the pleasure of cinema alone,” said the statement from ZFF, which will kick off its annual 11-day festival next week.

The announcement came after a documentary aired by Swiss public broadcaster SRF last week alleged that children at the Evangelical school in Kaltbrunn, in the eastern canton of St. Gallen, had been systematically beaten.

The school was founded in 1995 by Jurg Laderach, the former head of the chocolate maker, and according to the documentary, he stands accused of himself administering beatings, something he flatly denies.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2023