The Foundation
The Plaza Foundation aims to invent a new future for the Plaza’s historic cinema auditorium and for the multifunctional building designed by the architect Marc J. Saugey. Established in 2019, the Foundation is chaired by Jean-Pierre Greff, former director of HEAD – Genève (Geneva University of Art and Design). In 2020, it organized an architectural competition for the restoration of Marc J. Saugey’s masterpiece. The winning firm, FdMP architectes, has been entrusted with restoring and renovating this jewel of post-war modernist architecture. The future Plaza Centre Cinéma will bring together spaces for living and creation—a pioneering cultural venue in the heart of Geneva.
The project has been placed under the general and artistic direction of Fabien Gaffez.
Our Commitments
Create a complete and innovative cinema experience
More than just screenings, we imagine cinema as a living, creative, welcoming and multidisciplinary experience—open to new formats and popular cultures. Plaza’s ambition is to become a lasting part of Geneva’s cultural landscape, nationally and internationally, while fostering a strong sense of collective experience.
Welcome everyone in a spirit of inclusion
We make Plaza a warm and accessible place where everyone can feel at home. Our programming and the quality of our welcome will promote comfort and audience engagement. We celebrate the diversity of artistic practices and of our publics. Plaza is everyone’s cinema and a home for all.
Bring a unique architectural landmark back to life
In the heart of Geneva, Plaza is a true bridge between history and modernity. Here, the past engages in dialogue with the future—allowing yesterday’s audiences to reconnect with the emotions they once felt, and those of today and tomorrow to write a new chapter.
Learn through enjoyment
We nurture curiosity and believe that knowledge is best shared when it surprises and delights. Through playful experiences, we invite audiences to explore cultural, scientific, social and artistic themes—never separating substance from emotion.
Commit to a responsible future
Our actions are rooted in a sustainable approach that is attentive to environmental and social challenges. We place environmental responsibility and civic engagement at the heart of how we operate and program.
Celebrating pop culture as a force for political and social awareness
Drawing on pop culture and its shared imagination, we aim to build bridges between entertainment and learning, between generations and cultural horizons. Plaza stands as a venue fully aware of the world it inhabits—a meeting point between aesthetics and civic engagement.
The Team
General and Artistic Director
Fabien Gaffez
Director of Communications & Development
Sandra Mudronja
Cultural Project Coordinator
Nefeli Skarmea
Administrative Coordinator
Claire Delaloye
Digital Communications Manager
Steven Wagner
Media Relations Manager
Francesca Serra
Archivist
Reda Bennani
Foundation Board
Jean-Pierre Greff, President of the Foundation
Art and design historian, teacher and curator, Jean-Pierre Greff was born in 1957 in Lorraine (France). He graduated in Film and Audio-visual Studies from the University of Metz in 1982 and is the author of numerous prefaces and essays on photography, art and literature, art and communication, post-war art in France, as well as on many artists. After having directed the Haute école des arts décoratifs de Strasbourg from 1993 to 2004, Greff became director of the ESBA, Ecole supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Genève, before taking the helm in 2007 of HEAD – Genève, Geneva University of Art and Design, whose creation he helped form. Jean-Pierre has lead HEAD until 2022.
Emmanuel Cuénod, Director of the PCN, Pôle de Création numérique
Carmen Jaquier, director and screenwriter
Natacha Koutchoumov, actress, stage director, consultant
Marc Maugué, General Secretary, FHW
