Art
15th Zurich Film Festival closes with record number of visitors
15th Zurich Film Festival closes with record number of visitors
Zurich, October 6, 2019
The 15th Zurich Film Festival, which closed this Sunday evening, attracted 117’000 visitors – that is an increase of 11 percent on last year. Co-Directors Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri said that the new record shows that the festival is now well-established in Switzerland and enjoys ever-increasing international appeal.
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – OCTOBER 04: (EDITORS NOTE : This image has been converted to black and white.) General view of the ZFF tent during the 15th Zurich Film Festival on October 04, 2019 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images for ZFF)
After witnessing full theatres, happy guests, good vibes and, with 117’000 entries, a new record number of visitors, the 15th Zurich Film Festival comes to a successful close this evening. “We are delighted that we were able to attract 13’000 more visitors than last year,” said the fest’s Co-Directors Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri. They continued: “This shows us that the festival is now well established in Switzerland and enjoys ever-increasing international appeal. This year saw a marked increase in media interest from the USA and Germany in particular.”
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – OCTOBER 05: Cate Blanchett and Christoph Grainger-Herr attend the “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” premiere during the 15th Zurich Film Festival at Kino Corso on October 05, 2019 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for ZFF)
It is especially pleasing that the Focus Competition, which featured first, second and third directorial works from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, attracted 15 percent more visitors than last year. The International Documentary Film Competition also saw an increase in viewer numbers, as did the “Gala” section, the “ZFF for Kids” section and the new “Hashtag” section, which this year was entitled “Speaking the Truth”. “Our films have succeeded in stimulating discussions on such topics as environmental protection and the importance of the free press,” said Schildknecht and Spoerri. “The screenings were often followed by engaging discussions between audiences and filmmakers, and the media also picked up on the topical issues of our time.”
Award Night of the Opera house – credits ZFF
High-profile guests in Zurich this year were Cate Blanchett, Kristen Stewart, Javier Bardem, Oliver Stone, Roland Emmerich and Julie Delpy. “The parade of stars is not just an end in itself, all our guests came to Zurich to present their most recent movies and chat about their artistic accomplishments,” said Schildknecht and Spoerri. “There was a good vibe from the very first day, when we opened with the large-scale Swiss production “Bruno Manser”. Visitors discussed the films and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. The ZFF is a celebration of cinema, and this includes having fun and partying – cinema does, after all, have its roots in the fairground.”
The 16th Zurich Film Festival takes place from September 25 to October 4, 2020.
media release ZFF
