The 10th Zurich Film Festival: 11 successful days

The results of the 10^th Zurich Film Festival are very positive. Despite the sunny weather, 79.000 people came to watch the 145 films. It is a 11% increase from the previous year with a budget of CHF 6.9 millions.

The directors of the festival, Karl Spoerri and Nadja Schildknecht are very happy with the outcome. The comedy/drama Una Noche Sin Luna/Moonless Night directed by Germán Tejeira from Uruguay won in the best international feature film category. Three prices went to Switzerland, for Bouboule by Bruno Devill, Children of the Artic by Nick Brandestini and Zu Ende Leben by Rebecca Panian.

US actress, Diane Keaton, received the Golden Icon Award, Michael Shamberg the Career Achievement Award, the music film composer, Hans Zimmer, the Lifetime Achievement Award and John Malkovich the Golden Eye Award.

 

There was a tribute to the French film director Claire Denis, who came with the cinematographer, Agnès Godard.

Just like last year Steven Gätjen moderated the Award Night ceremony at the beautiful Zurich Opera House. The German actress Veronica Ferres handed out the Golden Eye Award to John Malkovich. The US actor is known for his great performances in Dangerous Liaisons (1988), In the Line of Fire (1993), Being John Malchovich (1999) and Les Misérables (2000).

One hour earlier John Malchovich had come to the Sihlcity movie theater to talk about his newest film Cut Bank, an American thriller featuring Liam Hemsworth, Billy Bob Thornton, Teresa Palmer and Michael Stuhlbarg. The director of the film, Matt Shakman, and the producer, Laura Rister, were all there for a Q&A, interviewed by the American moderator Ben Lyons.

In a speech Malchovich said about the award he was about to receive: “it is a recognition of my great talent in life which is for being lucky. I have been so blessed and so fortunate to have met the people I have met… to be given an award for that is kind of absurd” he said laughing “because I should be giving an award to anybody else.”

Two great photographs came to Zurich for the festival: Peter Lindbergh and Greg Gorman. Peter Fonda was one of the speakers of the ZFF talks, opened to the public at the festival tent. There were many successful Master Classes like the one with the German film director, Fatih Akin. The room was full and everyone enjoyed listening to the director talking about his life as a director, how he arrived to where he is today and about his new film, The Cut.

More people visited the green carpets this year as well. And what would be a festival without its stars! Many came to Zurich for the Jubilee like René Russo, Cate Blanchett, Juliette Binoche, Chadwich Boseman, Antonio Banderas, Benicio del Toro, Josh Hutcherson, Zach Braff, Alexander Fehling and of course Liam Neeson.

 

This festival will be remembered for a long time to come!

So mark your calendar for 2015. The next film festival will be from September 24^th to October 5th.

• 10th Zurich Film Festival
• cinema
• films
• Karl Spoerri
• Nadja Schildknecht
• ZFF