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The Zurich International Film Festival (ZFF) is always worth a visit. Each year, the excellent and eclectic choice of films is astounding. As is everything else the festival offers to its guests and audiences. Workshops and presentations with international film makers. An international film music competition. The awarding of Lifetime Achievement Awards throughout the festival days. As well as the main awards ceremony honoring film creatives from all over the world.
This year’s festival took place from September 23 to October 3, 2021.
As always, it was spread throughout town, with films being presented in the most beautiful cinemas our town has to offer.
The 17th Zurich Film Festival commenced on September 23rd at the new Zurich Convention Center in front of an audience of almost 1’300 guests. It began with the world premiere of Michael Steiner’s movie And Tomorrow We Will Be Dead.
Honorary guests were Switzerland’s Federal President Guy Parmelin and Zurich’s Mayor Corine Mauch.
On the following days, the festival immediately went into high gear with cinematic gems you shouldn’t miss.
Beyond the White by Evgeny Kalachikhin. His debut film is characterized by melancholic beauty and social change. It uses poetic images and atmospheric music to capture the fate of forgotten Russian villages located amidst breath-taking landscapes.
Nothing to Laugh About by Peter Naess. A comedian is diagnosed with cancer yet continues to make people laugh – and cry. A feel-good movie from Norway about friendship and altruism that is guaranteed to warm the heart.
As mentioned before, at the ZFF special awards ceremonies are being held throughout the duration of the festival.
On September 25th, Sharon Stone received the Golden Icon Award at Cinema Corso. She described the Lifetime Achievement Award as the greatest honor of her career. The ZFF then screened the movie classic Casino, for which the iconic actress received an Oscar Nomination.
On September 26th, MGMs Pamela Abdy was honoured with the Game Changer Award. The President of the legendary studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Motion Picture Group received the award for excellence in the film business and for her services to cinema at large.
Room Without a View by Roser Corella. Highlighting the fate of house maidens in Lebanon (which isn’t that different to the fate of house maidens in many other countries across the globe).
Working as a housemaid for a few years in Lebanon before finally leading a better life is what many women from the Philippines, Bangladesh or Ethiopia dream of. Only after they arrive do most of them realize that they lose all their rights and their freedom.
A harrowing testimony to our contemporary world and an important film that gives a voice to those women who would otherwise remain silent in windowless rooms.
The Lesson – Teaching the Holocaust to Germany’s Gen Z, by Elena Horn. She accompanies various teenagers on a journey from their first classroom discussions to an emotional concentration camp visit as they learn about targeted propaganda and the atrocities committed by their ancestors.
Then, on September 29th the Science Film Award was presented for the 3rd time in the festival’s history. It was awarded to Theo Anthony for his documentary film All Light, Everywhere.
On the same day, the Italian director and screenwriter Paolo Sorrentino was honoured with the ZFF’s highest accolade for a filmmaker: The A Tribute To… Award.
After receiving his award, Sorrentino’s latest work È Stata La Mano di Dio celebrated its premiere in the German-speaking realm.
September 30th was the great day of the 9th International Film Music Competition which has become a popular fixture of the film festival.
More than 180 composers from 37 countries entered the competition. The jury, presided over by the Canadian Academy Award-winning film composer Mychael Danna, chose three compositions to enter the final.
These three compositions world premiered on the same evening and were performed by the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich.
As a special highlight of the event, composer Mychael Danna received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Danna then presented the Golden Eye for “Best International Film Music 2021” to Russian composer Andrey Mordovsky, the overall winner of the 9th International Film Music Competition.
On October 1st, another Lifetime Achievement Award went to Paul Schrader.
Paul Schrader became famous with films like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull.
Thus far, his body of work includes over 30 films as a director or writer. For the 17th Zurich Film Festival, he presented his new movie The Card Counter to the festival audience.
Throughout the festival a jury as well as the audience (Audience Award) get to vote on all films shown. Next to the Lifetime Achievement Awards honouring special guests throughout the fortnight, a final Awards Ceremony rounds up the event on the fesival’s final night.
It is then, the best competition entries from all over the world are awarded their Golden Eyes.
A total of 38 films in three competition categories (Focus Competition, Feature Film Competition, Documentary Film Competition) joined the race for the main awards this year. The ceremonial presentation of the prizes took place at Zurich Opera House.
The last ten days in our culturally rich city became richer still during this year’s festival. There was a special buzz in town. Our world expanded as Zurich felt as if the stars had left the skies for a little while to touch down right here and brighten our world.
A big “Thank you” to the organizers of the Zurich Film Festival for once more delivering this special kind of magic to our doorsteps!
Here are the winners of this year’s competitions:
(This category focusses on films from Switzerland, Germany, Austria)
La Mif by Fred Bailif (Switzerland, 2021)
Hinter den Schlagzeilen / Behind the Headlines by Daniel Andreas Sager (Germany, 2021)
A Chiara by Jonas Carpignano (Italy, France, Sweden, Denmark, 2021)
Jockey by Clint Bentley (USA, 2021)
Ballad of a White Cow by Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam
(Iran, France, 2021)
Life of Ivanna by Renato Borrayo Serrano (Russia, Norway, Finland, Estonia, 2021)
Soy Libre by Laure Portier (France, Belgium, 2021)
Sabaya by Hogir Hirori (Sweden, 2021)
Le Loup et le Lion by Gilles de Maistre (France, Canada, 2021)
Youth Topia by Dennis Stormer (Switzerland, Germany, 2021)
All Light, Everywhere by Theo Anthony (USA, 2021)
Azor by Andreas Fontana (Switzerland, France, Argentina, 2021)
La Mif by Fred Baillif (Switzerland, 2021)
Andrey Mordovsky for his scoring of the short film Etiqueta Negra by David Vergés.
Official Website of the 17th Zurich Film Festival (ZFF)
Zurich Film Festival – an Interview with Aurel Graf
The Extraordinary Cinema Culture of Zurich, Switzerland
Liam Klenk was born in Central Europe and has since lived on four continents. Liam has always been engaged in creative pursuits, ranging from photography and graphic design, to writing short stories and poetry, to working in theatre and shows. In 2016, Liam published his first book and memoir, 'Paralian'.
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