The Zurich Film Festival (September 25 – October 5) presents outstanding film personalities and 41 world and European premieres to audiences in its 21st edition. Stars expected in Zurich include Dakota Johnson, Colin Farrell, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alexander Skarsgård, Anthony Mackie, Wagner Moura, and Dylan O’Brien. Claire Foy will be honored with a Golden Eye, and Russell Crowe will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his life’s work. Swiss producer Anne Walser will also be honored with the Career Achievement Award.
This year, Zurich audiences can once again look forward to a rich film program: the 21st Zurich Film Festival welcomes high-profile guests from around the world, who will be presenting their latest films in person in Zurich. Among the prominent names are Dakota Johnson, Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe, Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Alexander Skarsgård, Wagner Moura, James McAvoy, Anthony Mackie, Noah Baumbach, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Dylan O’Brien, Anke Engelke, Matthias Schweighöfer, Christian Petzold, Marco Odermatt, Ella Rumpf, and—for the third time in a row—Edward Berger.
«With the ZFF we want to celebrate cinema and ensure that the seventh art once again becomes a major topic in the media. We are delighted that this year, too, numerous world stars are coming to Zurich to personally present their works to the audience,» explains Christian Jungen, Director of the Zurich Film Festival. «More than a third of the 114 films in the program are world or European Premieres – we have never had such a high proportion. This shows that producers have a high level of confidence in our festival and are using it in particular to add prestige to their works for the awards season, thus laying the foundation for a successful cinema release in the German-speaking world, which, with 100 million people, is one of the most important markets for Hollywood.»
Russell Crowe Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
The Zurich Film Festival honors actor, producer, director, musician, and Academy Award winner Russell Crowe for his life’s work and his outstanding performance in his new film NUREMBERG, in which he portrays Nazi leader Hermann Göring. Crowe will personally receive the Golden Eye on September 27 together with director James Vanderbilt and will give insights into his work as part of an exclusive ZFF Masters.
From gladiator to cinema legend: Russell Crowe has written film history in leading roles of numerous classics. He gained worldwide recognition as Maximus Decimus Meridius in Ridley Scott’s GLADIATOR (2000), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. His portrayal of young scientist John Nash in A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2001) was also highly acclaimed and earned him, among others, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award. In the following years, he continued his career with films such as ROBIN HOOD (2010), NOAH (2014), as well as more recent productions like THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER (2022) and LAND OF BAD (2024).
Crowe has worked with some of Hollywood’s greatest directors, including Ridley Scott, Ron Howard, Michael Mann, Peter Weir, Sam Raimi, James Mangold, and Darren Aronofsky.
In James Vanderbilt’s gripping historical drama NUREMBERG, Crowe now portrays Hermann Göring, one of the highest-ranking Nazis and main defendants at the Nuremberg Trials. Young American psychiatrist Douglas Kelly (Rami Malek) is tasked with determining whether the Nazi prisoners are mentally fit to stand trial. An intense duel between morality and manipulation unfolds. Inspired by the book THE NAZI AND THE PSYCHIATRIST, James Vanderbilt has created a riveting thriller in which Academy Award winner Rami Malek and Russell Crowe clash in a dramatic battle of wills.
«Russell Crowe has been in the film business for over 40 years and has written film history with classics such as GLADIATOR, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, and ROBIN HOOD. He is a hell of a character actor who captivates with his charisma and leaves no one untouched», explains ZFF-Festival Director Christian Jungen, «The New Zealander is extremely versatile and distinguished by courageous role choices. In NUREMBERG, he plays Nazi Hermann Göring in a way that makes your blood freeze. It is one of the best performances of his career, and it would not surprise me if he received another Oscar nomination for it. We are very pleased to honor Russell Crowe for his career and his contribution to film history with our Lifetime Achievement Award.»
For Russell Crowe’s outstanding performance in this new film and for his life’s work, the Zurich Film Festival honors Crowe with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In an exclusive ZFF Masters, he will also provide insights into his work.
Previous recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award include Donald Sutherland, Paul Schrader, Hans Zimmer, Marcel Hoehn, John Travolta, and Harrison Ford.
Claire Foy Receives Golden Eye
The 21st edition of the Zurich Film Festival honors British actress Claire Foy with the Golden Eye for her versatile career and her outstanding performance in her new film H IS FOR HAWK. The award will be presented to her on September 29 at the Kongresshaus in Zurich. In addition, she will give insights into her work as part of a ZFF Masters.
From Highnesses to hawks: Claire Foy first made a name for herself with television productions such as LITTLE DORRIT (2008) and UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS (2010), and the BBC adaptation of WOLF HALL (2015) for which she received a BAFTA TV nomination. However her international breakthrough came with the Netflix series THE CROWN (2016–2017). In the first two seasons she portrayed the young Queen Elizabeth II and received a Golden Globe, two Emmys, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance. Foy also proved her versatility on the big screen: in Steven Soderbergh’s UNSANE (2018) she played the leading role, in THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB (2018) the hacker Lisbeth Salander, and in FIRST MAN (2018) she played as Janet Armstrong alongside Ryan Gosling. Her more recent work includes, Andrew Haigh’s acclaimed feature, ALL OF US STRANGERS, which earned her a BAFTA and BIFA nomination and the Oscar-nominated drama WOMEN TALKING directed by Sarah Polley (2022).
«Claire Foy stands out for her great versatility and gives her characters emotional depth – whether as young Queen Elizabeth II in THE CROWN or in film roles such as FIRST MAN. In her new film H IS FOR HAWK, she once again captivates with an intense performance, showcasing her impressive transformative ability,» explains Christian Jungen, Festival Director of the Zurich Film Festival. «She was already a guest at the ZFF in 2017, presenting the European Premiere of BREATHE. We are very pleased to welcome her back to Zurich.»
In H IS FOR HAWK, Claire Foy plays the role of Helen. When Helen (Claire Foy) unexpectedly loses her father Alistair (Brendan Gleeson), her world falls apart. To cope with his death, Helen takes in the hawk Mabel; falconry was a childhood passion of hers – one that her father always supported. The demanding training of this spirited bird of prey presents Helen with great challenges. However, it creates a special bond that not only helps her overcome her grief, but also allows her to rediscover the beauty of life.
A moving story, based on an autobiography and powerfully portrayed by Claire Foy. For her outstanding performance in this new film and her versatile career, the Zurich Film Festival honors the British actress Claire Foy with the Golden Eye. In an exclusive ZFF Masters she will also give insights into her work.
Anne Walser receives Career Achievement Award
Swiss film producer Anne Walser will be honored at the 21st edition of the Zurich Film Festival with the Career Achievement Award for the literary adaptation I’M NOT STILLER and her exceptional career. She will personally receive the award on October 3, 2025.
Anne Walser is one of Switzerland’s most prominent film producers and has made a name for herself with numerous national and international projects. Since 2007, she has been a partner and co-owner of C-FILMS AG in Zurich, where together with business partner Peter Reichenbach she is responsible for feature films, TV series and documentaries from story development through financing and production to the Premiere.
The company C-FILMS produced successful Swiss films such as GROUNDING – DIE LETZTEN TAGE DER SWISSAIR (2006) and SCHELLENURSLI (2015). DER KOCH (2014) and DER LETZTE WEYNFELDT (2018) were based on bestselling novels by Martin Suter, as was MITTAGSFRAU (2023) and the upcoming EUROTRASH. Other projects of her company include MARCELLO MARCELLO (2008), DIE AKTE GRÜNINGER (2013), ZWINGLI (2019) and PLATZSPITZBABY (2020). All films achieved high audience numbers and shaped Swiss cinema. Internationally, Anne Walser worked as co-producer on YOUTH (2015) by Paolo Sorrentino with Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz and Jane Fonda. The film was shown in Cannes and won multiple awards.
«Anne Walser has been continuously producing films of high quality for more than 20 years. This is an enormous achievement. We particularly appreciate that she repeatedly creates intelligent entertainment with depth for a broad audience, with films such as ZWINGLI, MARCELLO MARCELLO or most recently I’M NOT STILLER,» explains Christian Jungen, Festival Director of the ZFF. «I’M NOT STILLER is one of the highlights of this year’s program – Anne and her creative team have managed to adapt a novel long considered unfilmable and to take the audience on a fascinating journey. Therefore, it is a great pleasure to honor Anne Walser on the occasion of the premiere of I’M NOT STILLER with our Career Achievement Award. With her company C-Films, Anne Walser is undoubtedly one of the defining producers of the Swiss film industry and has contributed significantly to the positive reputation of Swiss cinema today.»
In addition to her productions, she is actively committed to supporting young filmmakers, mentoring programs, and creating access for new talent to the Swiss and international film scenes.
Like the Zurich Film Festival, Anne Walser is deeply connected to Zurich. She lives and works in the city, which has inspired her filmmaking for years.
Competition: Feature film and documentary
At the Zurich Film Festival, innovative films compete in two categories for the main prize, the Golden Eye Award, endowed with 25,000 Swiss francs. The competition focuses on discovering new talent and presents only first, second and third directorial works.
n the «Feature Film Competition» 14 directors who have made their first, second, or third film are competing for the Golden Eye.
Award. «This year, the feature film competition places a special focus on films that put childhood and youth at the center – stories of young protagonists whose lives are shaped by political, family, or cultural constraints. Their freedom is restricted by authoritarian systems, rigid traditions, or parental expectations. Examples include THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE, BABYSTAR, and LEFT-HANDED GIRL. Once again, these films and their directors act as seismographs for the challenges of our world», explains Vice President Reta Guetg.
Curious looks at our lives: In the «Documentary Film Competition» the Zurich Film Festival presents brand-new works by some of the most exciting contemporary documentary filmmakers. For Anja Fröhner, Head of Program, the strength of the «Documentary Film Competition» lies in its diversity: «From a journey to the fascinating creatures of the deep sea in HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE, to a gripping portrait of a Taliban in KABUL BETWEEN PRAYERS, all the way to a poetic adaptation of memories of Kosovo in LA BEAUTÉ DE L’ÂNE. This year’s documentary film competition not only showcases a wide range of themes, but also the many different approaches our directing talents take to engage with our world cinematically.»
Ticket sales before the festival
- Online ticket shop: available from September 15, 10:00 am, via the ZFF website
- Cinema Corso, Bellevue:
- September 15: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
- September 16 – 24: daily, 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Ticket sales during the festival
- Online ticket shop: continuously available via the ZFF website
- Festival Center, Sechseläutenplatz: September 25 – October 5, daily 11:00 am – 8:30 pm (accessible ticket sales)
Zurich Film Festival
The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) is the second largest festival in the German-speaking world. Over 11 days in autumn, it presents the greatest discoveries and the year’s most anticipated movies. The ZFF promotes exchange between upcoming directors, established filmmakers, the film industry and the general public. In the last 20 years, the festival has attracted a total of 1.35 million visitors. 500 of the 2,300 films screened celebrated their world or European Premiere at the Zurich Film Festival.
The 21st edition will take place from 25 September to 5 October 2025.
Further Information: Zurich Film Festival | ZFF Industry
