Zurich Film Festival

The aim of the Zurich Film Festival is to offer audiences insight into the work of the most promising filmmakers from around the globe, and to promote the exchange of ideas between established film workers, creative talent and the public. Emerging directors have the opportunity to present their films to the wide attention of the entire German-language market. Participants come from around the globe and include both emerging and renowned filmmakers as well as buyers, sellers, distributors, media professionals and industry leaders.

ZFF presents the most promising international new filmmakers
ZFF provides the N°1 platform for a film's release in the German speaking market in the fall
ZFF creates a unique networking platform uniting industry players, creative talent and a large audience
The International Competition sees emerging filmmakers compete for the coveted Golden Eye – the festival’s main award. In addition to the competition, the fest also presents the latest films from renowned filmmakers as exclusive "Gala Premieres" or "Special Screenings". Furthermore, the "New World View" series focuses on the current cinematic oeuvre of a particular film producing region; "Border Lines" is a section dedicated to films dealing with border situations including territorial, social and individual conflicts; "TVision" focuses on the latest, most innovative TV formats; and finally, numerous side events, such as the "Zurich Master Class", the "Zurich Summit" and the "Film Music Competition", complete the festival programme.

The Zurich Film Festival began in October 2005 and became firmly established upon the national and international festival landscape within a very short period of time. The festival continues to grow rapidly. In 2016, approximately 90'000 visitors and more than 500 accredited journalists attended the festival's screenings.