11/09/2015 - The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) has announced its programme, which showcases the best of European and world cinema without overlooking new Swiss films.

For eleven days (from 24 September until 4 October) the city of Zurich will be taken over by the Zurich Film Festival, which will delight industry professionals, cinephiles and anyone who is simply curious with debut pieces by young filmmakers (in the competitive sections), and eagerly anticipated productions by internationally renowned directors (in the Première Gala section).

The directors of the festival, Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri, are proud to present the 11th edition of a first rate festival that is continuing to grow and gain international visibility. The opening ceremony will be lit up by the new film by Matthew Brown The Man Who Knew Infinity [+see also:
trailer
film profile], and there will be more world and European premieres this year than in previous years, with parallel sections Nouveaux Horizons, Border Lines and even TVision continuing to amaze with high-quality offerings. 161 films (which include 36 debut films and 14 world premieres) from 33 countries will be screened in ten theatres all over the city. This year there will be no shortage of big names from the international cinema scene, such as Alejandro Amenàber (Regression [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Alejandro Amenábar
film profile]), Stephen Frears (The Program [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Stephen Frears
film profile]), Anton Corbijn (Life [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), Jean-Jacques Annaud (Wolf Totem [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) and Florian Gallenberger (Colonia [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), as well as Maïwenn (Mon roi [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), Alice Winocour (Disorder [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alice Winocour
film profile]) and Swiss filmmakers Sabine Boss (Verdacht), Léa Pool (La passion d’Augustine) and Sabine Gisiger (Dürrenmatt-Eine liebesgeschichte). The guest list also includes other stars, such as two-time-Oscar-winner Christoph Walts, Joseph Fiennes (who will present the film Strangerland [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and Maria Furtwängler for the world premiere of Das Wetter in geschlossenen Räumen. That’s without forgetting, of course, the strong presence of big Swiss names such as Mona Petri, Anatole Taubman and Xavier Koller.

The festival will award Arnold Schwarzenegger the prestigious Golden Icon Award whilst German actor Armin Mueller-Stahl will receive the just as prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. Another guest of honour at this year’s ZFF, British director Mike Leigh, will be presented with the A Tribute to...Award, which is given in recognition of the career of a great artist. Actors Kiefer Sutherland and Liam Hemsworth will both receive the Golden Eye Award.

The Nouveaux Horizons section is dedicated this year to feature films and documentaries by the new generation of Iranian filmmakers. The new section Windows to the World will showcase series of films shown at the partner festivals of the ZFF (San Sebastián and Hong Kong), and a series entitled ‘La nouvelle vague au féminin’ (lit. ‘The new female wave’) with films by young French female directors.

(Translated from Italian)