Last year it was about sex, and this year’s Zurich Film Festival hashtag section screens films under the title #MyReligion dealing with questions of faith, euphoria and modern deities. The “Hashtag” section showcases a hot topic that is also trending on social media.
Zurich Film Festival announced the first seven titles in Gala Premieres section at the upcoming 18th edition, including the star-studded drama The Banshees of Inisherin by Oscar-winning director Martin McDonagh, the European premiere of the German film adaptation All Quiet on the Western Front by Edward Berger as well as the world premieres of Der Nachname by Sönke Wortmann and Die Goldenen Jahre by Barbara Kulcsar.
The prizes of the 17th Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) were presented during the Award Night with the Golden Eye prizes going to The Fam (La Mif) by Fred Baillif in Focus Competition, A Chiara by Jonas Carpignano won the Golden Eye for Best Feature Film, and Life Of Ivanna by Renato Borrayo Serrano won the Golden Eye for Best Documentary Film. The ZFF Children’s Jury presented the Little Golden Eye to The Wolf and the Lion (Le loup et le lion).
Each year, the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) presents honorary awards to celebrated filmmaker, director and screenwriter Paul Schrader will receive this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his life’s work. Paul Schrader will accept the award in person on Friday, October 1 before presenting his new film The Card Counter, which he wrote and directed; and give insights into his career at a ZFF Masters.
Since 2018, the Zurich Film Festival’s “Hashtag” section shines a spotlight on a highly topical issue. The hashtag chosen for the 17th ZFF, #letSEXplore, is all about sex – uninhibited and in all its many forms.
Two days before its official Swiss theatrical release and on the same day of the world premiere in London, the new James Bond movie No Time to Die will premiere at the 17th Zurich Film Festival on Tuesday, September 28 accompanied by a retrospective of Daniel Craig’s Bond movies..
Actress Sharon Stone will be honored for her acting career at the 17th Zurich Film Festival with the Festival’s highest accolade, the Golden Icon Award. Sharon Stone will be in Zurich to accept the award in person on Saturday, September 25. The award ceremony will be followed by a screening of Martin Scorsese’s thriller Casino, which earned the actress an Oscar nomination. Sharon Stone will also hold a ZFF Masters where she will offer the public insight into her creative process and remarkable career.
The world premiere of Michael Steiner’s hostage drama And Tomorrow We Will Be Dead (Und morgen seid ihr tot) about two Swiss Taliban hostages opens the 17th Zurich Film Festival on September 23, 2021.
Eight of the most anticipated international auteur films will be presented in Zurich Film Festival’s “Gala Premieres” section including the world premiere of It’s Just a Phase, Honey (Es ist nur eine Phase, Hase) by Florian Gallenberger and Chasing the Line/Klammer by Andreas Schmied, as well as The French Dispatch by Wes Anderson.
Italian director and screenwriter Paolo Sorrentino will receive the prestigious A Tribute to… Award at the 17th Zurich Film Festival. Sorrentino will receive the honorary award on Wednesday, September 29, at the Gala Premiere of his new autobiographical film The Hand of God. The festival will also screen a retrospective of Sorrentino’s work.
Hochwald by Evi Romen (Austria, Belgium) is the winner of the Golden Eye of the 16th Zurich Film Festival for the best film in focus competition. The film tells the story of Mario, who breaks out of his South Tyrolean homeland with his childhood friend Lenz and visits a gay bar in Rome with him. When Lenz falls victim during an armed attack, Mario returns to his home village, where his life gradually falls apart.
German actor and director Til Schweiger was moved and visibly delighted as he received the Golden Eye Award at The Zurich Film Festival for his filmmaking, “It’s great to be here in Zurich – at last. I am overjoyed and moved to receive the Golden Eye Award tonight. Many thanks again to the festival, this award means a lot to me!”