The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) is an annual event held in Zürich, Switzerland, showcasing around 150 film gems from across the globe. Each year, filmmakers and stars personally present their films, aiming to bring high-quality cinema experiences closer to audiences. The festival's goal is to inspire and cultivate talent, fostering a platform for future stars in the world of film.
Guest Events
The ZFF brings world stars to Zurich, including recent guests like Sharon Stone, Johnny Depp, Sylvester Stallone, and Eddie Redmayne. The festival offers numerous opportunities to get close to these personalities and gain insights into their work. At ZFF Masters, audiences can listen to actors, directors, screenwriters, and other film workers discuss their creative processes, share amusing career anecdotes, and answer audience questions. ZFF Talks focuses on film-related topics, allowing experts from various sectors to explore current cultural, scientific, and political issues. These talks are free, open to the public, and announced with the festival program. Sechseläutenplatz, the festival hub, features the Green Carpet, where guests pose for photos, give interviews, and interact with fans as they head to the theater.
Film sections & Awards
The International Competition forms the core of the festival, featuring films by new filmmakers competing for the Golden Eye. Categories include International Feature Film, International Documentary Film, and 'Focus: Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.' Out-of-competition selections include "Gala Premieres" for high-profile film premieres, "Special Screenings" for unique festival hits, and "Hashtag" for films on current global topics. Other sections include "New World View" for emerging filmmakers, "Border Lines" for films on global conflicts, "Window" for specific cinematic traditions, "Sounds" for music-related films, "ZFF for Kids" for children's films, and "ZFF Series" for TV series.
ZFF Festival Centre & Locations
The Festival Centre forms the heart of the Zurich Film Festival, located at Sechseläutenplatz. It hosts food trucks, ticket sales points, accreditation points for industry members and press representatives, a merch shop, and a new, exclusive star-spotting zone. The Festival Centre is open daily from 11 am to midnight. Additional festival venues include cinemas such as Blue Cinema Corso, Kino Arthouse Le Paris, and Kino Arthouse Piccadilly. Arena Cinemas Sihlcity, Frame, Zürich Opera House, Tonhalle Zürich, and Kongresshaus Zürich are also festival cinemas located nearby and easily accessible within a few minutes.
Tickets
At the Zurich Film Festival, the Festival's general admission costs 380 Swiss Francs and allows you to obtain one ticket per screening for up to four screenings per day at no additional charge. A Day Card is available for 60 Swiss Francs.
History of Zurich Film Festival
The Zurich Film Festival debuted in October 2005, founded by Karl Spoerri and Nadja Schildknecht, who served as co-directors until 2019. Currently, the festival is led by Christian Jungen as Artistic Director and Jennifer Somm as Managing Director of Spoundation Motion Picture AG. With over 130,000 cinema visits annually, the ZFF ranks as the second-largest film festival in the German-speaking world. It has earned recognition as one of the Guardian's top 10 coolest European film festivals.
