As a seasoned film critic who’s seen more movie premieres than I can count on both hands, I must say that the Zurich Film Festival‘s 20th edition promises to be a cinematic extravaganza not to be missed! The lineup is as diverse and captivating as the Swiss Alps themselves, with an impressive roster of international stars gracing our screens.
The 20th edition of the Zurich Film Festival begins this Thursday, featuring a selection of fresh European cinema finds, highly praised movies from this year, a brand-new venue, and an extensive industry conference.
Apart from a stellar lineup of global celebrities such as Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law, Richard Gere, and Pamela Anderson, this gathering also provides an in-depth exploration of key industry challenges during its yearly Zurich Summit Conference.
Kicking off the festival is Justin Kurzel’s intense neo-Nazi film titled “The Order,” featuring the esteemed actor, Law. This remarkable performer is also set to receive the festival’s prestigious Golden Eye Award for his illustrious career.
2021’s festival organizers have simplified the event, removing the German-focused Competition and reducing the number of films to 107, a decrease of 41 films compared to last year. The city of Zurich now features only two primary competitions – one for feature films and another for documentaries – along with sections like Gala Premieres, Signatures, Border Lines, Hashtag #BigCityLife, Sounds, and ZFF for Kids.
At the Zurich Summit Conference, prominent global filmmakers, sales professionals, content creators, tech innovators, and investors gather from various industries.
This year, I’m thrilled to be part of the celebration honoring Roeg Sutherland, Co-Head of CAA, a frequent figure at Zurich, as he receives the prestigious Game Changer Award.
At the conference, we’ll delve into several current issues, including: AI’s influence, independent film funding, the investor’s role, benefits of filming in Europe, evolving business management, and hurdles faced by the cinematic industry.
Attendees for this year’s summit on October 5th are a diverse group, featuring Rebecca Kearey from Searchlight Pictures, Tom Quinn of Neon, Stuart Ford from AGC Studios, Alex Brunner and Theresa Peters of UTA, Christian Vesper of Fremantle, Elisabeth d’Arvieu of Mediawan, Stefanie Fahrion of Film4, Sébastien Raybaud of Anton, Maren Olson of 30West, and David Unger of Artist International Group.
Additionally, Zurich offers a top-notch array of this year’s festival favorites as well as world debuts. Among these are “The Apprentice,” directed by Ali Abbasi about Donald Trump; Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Room Next Door”; Richard Gray’s western “The Unholy Trinity”; Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer”; Edward Berger’s “Conclave”; Halina Reijn’s “Babygirl”; Tim Fehlbaum’s “September 5”; Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl”; Steve McQueen’s “Blitz”; and Sean Baker’s award-winning film from Cannes, “Anora.
Additionally, “Hagen” is another rendition by Cyrill Boss and Philipp Stennert, an extraordinary German fantasy based on the Nibelung saga.
Women directors have a significant presence, especially in the competition for the prestigious Golden Eye award.
This year, as stated by Artistic Director Christian Jungen, our competition is heavily influenced by a female perspective. Many films this season narrate their tales from a woman’s viewpoint, such as ‘Linda’ and ‘Mother Mara.’ Remarkably, eight out of 14 entries are directed by women, making it an exhilarating lineup.
Regarding the Documentary Competition, Jungen notes that it’s “more politically charged than before.” Many of the films, like ‘Homegrown’ depicting three Proud Boys, or ‘Russians at War’ showcasing Russian soldiers on the frontline in Ukraine, tackle the delicate issue of democracy. Additionally, the film ‘The Battle of Laikipia,’ which centers around Kenyan agricultural communities grappling with climate change effects, raises questions about land ownership and its commercial cultivation potential.
Once more, Swiss movies hold a prominent position in the festival’s schedule. As Jungen points out, “The ZFF is held in Zurich, home to around two-thirds of Swiss distributors and production companies.” Consequently, it’s crucial that we offer Swiss films a significant platform and engage them in the discussion.
This year, Zurich is set to unveil twelve world premieres of Swiss films. Among them are Lisa Brühlmann’s emotional family drama “When We Were Sisters” and Jasmin Gordon’s film “The Courageous,” which explores the challenges faced by an unusual and troubled mother in a small Swiss community.
Additional Swiss films encompass Maria Brendle’s historical drama “Frieda’s Predicament”; Flavio Gerber and Alun Meyerhans’ ski documentary titled “Striving Upwards – A Battle Against Boundaries”; and Michael Krummenacher’s World War II espionage drama entitled “The Informant.
The event is also unveiling a new festival center to mark its 20-year run.
To celebrate our 20th anniversary, Jungen announced the unveiling of a modern, inviting, and eco-friendly center,” he said. “This new center is designed with our patrons in mind, aiming to bring them as close to the stars as possible. A more expansive green space and a fresh outdoor platform will facilitate greater interaction between film professionals and visitors.
At this year’s festival, other notable figures celebrated alongside Winslet include Ellen Kuras, who will be honored with the Golden Icon Award for her film “Lee”, Anderson who received a Golden Eye award for her diverse career and role in Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl”, and Berger who was given the A Tribute to… Award at the premiere of “Conclave”.
Similarly, Alicia Vikander is also set to receive the Golden Eye award at the premiere of Fleur Fortuné’s “The Assessment” in Europe. Composer Howard Shore is to be awarded for his Career Achievements, and Emil Steinberger, a renowned Swiss cabaret artist, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
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2024-10-02 15:47