Award Night at the 17th Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) at Zurich Opera House
Keystone / Ennio Leanza
The 17th Zurich Film Festival (ZFF), which ended on Sunday evening, attracted 102,000 visitors, up from 68,000 last year, when attendance was limited by Covid-19 restrictions.
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“Our expectations were far exceeded,” said festival director Christian Jungen in a statementExternal link. “The last few days have impressively shown that people are once again in the mood for cinema and shared common experiences. The mood was positive right from the start and many international guests were touched because they were able to present their films to a real audience for the first time.”
The new venue in the Zurich Convention Center, Switzerland’s largest cinema, has contributed to the growth. On Saturday alone, four performances there were sold out with 1,300 spectators each.
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As the Zurich film festival turns 17, film critic Alan Mattli asks: Where is the festival heading?
On Saturday the Golden Eyes, each endowed with a CHF25,000 ($27,000) cash prize, were presented to the winners of the three competition categories at Zurich Opera House.
The Golden Eye in the Focus Competition went to the Swiss film La MifExternal link (The Fam) by Fred Baillif. For his social drama set in a home for girls, the Swiss director worked with actual residents who co-wrote the script, improvised and delivered “impressively uninhibited” performances, the festival said.
The Golden Eye in the Feature Film Competition went to A ChiaraExternal link by the Italian-American director Jonas Carpignano. In this neorealist mafia and family drama, 15-year-old Chiara discovers her father’s criminal involvement and delves deep into the milieu of the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta in search of answers.
Zhizn IvannyExternal link (Life of Ivanna) by the Russian-based director Renato Borrayo Serrano won the Golden Eye in the Documentary Film Competition. It follows a tough 26-year-old tundra nomad over the course of four years to show her fascinating yet equally harsh reality, and highlights her struggle for the survival of her family.
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The 18th Zurich Film Festival will take place from September 22 to October 2, 2022.
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