Zurich, September 19, 2024

In its anniversary year, the Zurich Film Festival (10.3.-10.13.) is lighting a real firework of stars: Pamela Anderson, Kate Winslet, Howard Shore, Emil Steinberger, Alicia Vikander and Jude Law will be awarded a Golden Eye. Swiss director Edward Berger will be honored with the A Tribute to… Award and a total of twelve Swiss films will celebrate their world premiere at the ZFF. This year’s program includes 107 films, 35 among them making a World or European Premiere. 

The anniversary edition of the Zurich Film Festival features an unprecedented lineup: High-caliber stars from Hollywood, Britain, Germany and Switzerland will present their new films to their viewers in person.

Christian Jungen, Artistic Director of the ZFF expresses his excitement: ‘We are celebrating our 20-year anniversary by honoring a major film star every day – from Jude Law on day one to the competition winners on day ten. In total, we will be awarding eleven talents or films a Golden Eye. A veritable celebration with substance and glamour. This high number shows that the Zurich Film Festival is gaining more and more importance in the international film industry. The Zurich Film Festival is the ideal festival to boost films with prestige for the award season and to lay a foundation of a successful launch in the German-speaking region, which is one of the most important markets for Hollywood considering it comprises 100 million people.

A Tribute to… Edward Berger

For his cinematic work, the 20th Zurich Film Festival will be honoring the renowned Swiss director Edward Berger with the prestigious A Tribute to… Award. He will be accepting the Golden Eye at the Gala Premiere of his new film CONCLAVE on October 6, 2024, in the Convention Center Zurich. Christian Jungen, Artistic Director of the Zurich Film Festival explains: ‘With CONCLAVE, Edward Berger has successfully created a masterpiece. Edward is a master of the classic style who allows his character actors like Ralph Fiennes to give room to their talent and whose directions are entirely intended to serve the story. He is multifaceted, able to navigate a wide range of genres and always manages to find the appropriate style and tone. It is all the more a pleasure to be able to honor him in our anniversary year, because Edward is a son of our beautiful city of Zurich and his biography resembles the vision of the ZFF: Conquering Germany and Hollywood starting in Zurich.’

Growing up, Edward Berger spent a lot of time visiting his grandmother in Zurich at the Utoquai, where the ZFF offices are located today. He is now considered one of the most significant filmmakers of his generation. Back in 2022 he already paid a visit to the ZFF, presenting the European premiere of his film ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, which went on to win four Oscars. Now, his newest film CONCLAVE, a gripping Vatican thriller, is being considered a hot contender for several Oscar nominations in 2025.

With films and series such as JACK (2014), ALL MY LOVING (2019) and PATRICK MELROSE (2018), Edward Berger has created significant works which have consolidated his reputation as one of the leading directors in the European as well as the international film industry. His ability to tell powerful stories with emotional depth and visual finesse makes him an exceptional artist who has made a name for himself both in Germany and in Hollywood.

With the A Tribute to… Award, the ZFF honors directors who have made a considerable impact on film history with their work. Previous award winners include well-known figures such as Wim Wenders, Todd Haynes, Michael Haneke, Paolo Sorrentino and Luca Guadagnino.

Competition: Feature film and documentary

In two categories, innovative films compete for the ZFF’s highest accolade which is endowed with 25,000 CHF. The competition is aimed at discovering new talents compromising first, second and third directorial works.

In the ‘Feature Film Competition’, 14 top-class first, second and third-time directors compete for the Golden Eye. ‘This year the female gaze dominates our competition. Numerous films tell their stories through the eyes of women, for example LINDA or MOTHER MARA’, Christian Jungen explains. ‘8 out of 14 films are made by women, which is exciting.’

Curious looks at our lives: In the ‘Documentary Competition’ the Zurich Film Festival presents brand-new works of today’s most exciting documentary filmmakers. ‘This year’s Documentary Competition is more political than ever’, explains Christian Jungen. ‘Many of the films such as HOMEGROWN which portrays three Proud Boys, or RUSSIANS AT WAR about Russian frontline soldiers in Ukraine deal with the fragility of democracy. Another major topic that comes into play in the film THE BATTLE OF LAIKIPIA, for example, is the question of who actually owns the land and to what extent it can be commercially cultivated.’

Swiss films

Swiss films play a central role in the programme of the 20th Zurich Film Festival. ‘The ZFF takes place in Zurich, where two thirds of Swiss distributors and production companies are based. It is therefore important that we provide Swiss films a big stage and to bring the films into the conversation,’ explains Christian Jungen.

‘We are especially thrilled to be able to host twelve world premieres of Swiss films at the ZFF. Swiss auteur films are at a high, so we are very excited to see how Lisa Brühlmann's patchwork family drama WHEN WE WERE SISTERS and LES COURAGEUX by Jasmin Gordon about being poor in rich Switzerland will be received in the international competitive environment of the feature film competition.’

Swiss world premieres:

• LANDESVERRÄTER by Michael Krummenacher
• WHEN WE WERE SISTERS by Lisa Brühlmann
• HOME IS THE OCEAN by Livia Vonaesch
• STEALING GIANTS by Karl Ammann und Laurin Merz
• FRIEDAS FALL by Maria Brendle
• AIMING HIGH - A RACE AGAINST THE LIMITS by Flavio Gerber und Alun Meyerhans
• TYPISCH EMIL by Phil Meyer
• WHISDOM OF HAPPINESS by Philip Delaquis und Barbara Miller
• IM SCHATTEN DER TRÄUME by Martin Witz

Films from Valais and Eastern Switzerland

This year, the ZFF is screening three outstanding films from Valais and two from Eastern Switzerland, which impressively highlight the uniqueness of these regions: The Valais, with its majestic mountains and deeply rooted traditions not only offers a spectacular backdrop but also inspires gripping stories. TSCHUGGER - DER LÄTSCHT FALL is a humorous crime comedy that captures the charm and idiosyncrasies of Valais culture with great wit. AIMING HIGH - RACE AGAINST THE LIMITS documents the attempt to establish a new downhill classic on the Matterhorn - a project that shows how closely tourism, skiing and the forces of nature are intertwined in this region. LES COURAGEUX, mentioned above, is also set in Valais. The two gala premieres FRIEDAS FALL and LANDESVERRÄTER are set in Eastern Switzerland, both of which offer gripping stories that are highly relevant to the region. Based on true events, FRIEDAS FALL by Maria Brendle tells the story of a young seamstress on trial for murder in St. Gallen. The case stirs up society in 1904 and leads to judicial reforms. The enthralling historical drama LANDESVERRÄTER by Michael Krummenacher is also based on true events. Ernst Schrämli sells Swiss military information to a Nazi secret agent in pursuit of his dream of going from living as a vagabond to becoming a famous singer.

Media dossier

The full program will be published on the ZFF website on September 19 at 12.00 noon. Further information on the program and the individual sections, the supporting program, the ZFF Masters, all the awards, exciting facts & figures about the ZFF, the new festival center, our partners as well as all other information and contacts can be found in our media dossier:

https://zff.com/en/media/downloads

The 20th Zurich Film Festival will take place from October 3 to 13, 2024. Presales start on Monday, September 23 at 12 noon on the ZFF website and at the two advance booking offices at the Festival Center on Sechseläutenplatz and at the Frame cinema on the Europaallee.