Festivals
And the winners are…
Closing and award ceremony at the Zurich Opera House:
This weekend after 11 days and over 90 films the 7th Zurich Film Festival came to an end. On Saturday night in the beautiful opera house, the winners of 5 categories were rewarded.
So, who won?
German language film: “Atmen” (Breathing) – Drama about death by the Viennese director Karl Markovics
German language documentary: “Darwin” from Swiss director Nick Brandestini – about the life of a small community in the Californian desert
Buck from Cindy Meehl - copyright Zurich Film Festival
International documentary: “Buck” from American director Cindy Meehl – about a cowboy who treats horses with so much respect and love.
International film: “Take Shelter” from American Jeff Nichols – a suspenseful thriller dealing with the problem of schizophrenia
Audience award: “Unter Wasser Atmen” from Swiss directors Stefan Muggli and Andri Hinnen – about a young man whose life changes after a terrible accident.
It was an evening of glamour on the Green Carpet and inside the opera for the ceremony. It was also funny with the amazing performance of the moderator and guests. One by mistake thanked the Academy Awards instead of the jury. For some, the Zurich Film Festival is not far from becoming as beloved as the Oscars!
There were touching moments such as:
- when German actor, Maximilian Shell, remembered his time as a little boy starting his acting career at the Zurich Opera House.
- when Cindy Meehl received her award for Buck and almost started crying and said “Zurich you know how to do it right”
- when director Nick Brandestini remained speechless looking at his prize
Karl Markovics looking at its prize at the award ceremony of the Zurich Film Festival
- when Karl Markovics contemplated his prize after the ceremony on the podium with so much pride
The closing ceremony was aslo an event recognizing two Hollywood well-known figures: Paul Haggis, screen writer and director for “Crash“, “Million Dollar Baby“, “Casino Royale“, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Mexican director for “Babel” and “21 Grams“.
Paul Haggis and honor guest Marc Foster
Another guest of honor at the opera was film director Marc Foster, who was happy to be in Zurich to recognize “the incredible job of Nadja and Karl at the festival”.
The Film Festival has grown so much this year. There was a 31 % more attendance than last year.
So good luck to the Zurich festival and until next year!
