'Conclave'

Source: San Sebastian Film Festival

‘Conclave’

The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) has unveiled its full line-up for its 20th anniversary edition, which takes place from 3-13 October.

ZFF’s main competition line-up comprises 14 films, with eight of them directed by women. Two of them are world premieres: Lucia Chiarla’s Es Geht Um Luis from Germany and Lisa Bruhlmann’s When We Were Sisters from Switzerland.

“This year the female gaze dominates our competition. Numerous films tell their stories through the eyes of women, for example Linda or Mother Mara,” Christian Jungen said.

The competition is aimed at discovering new talents compromising first, second and third directorial works, and has a CHF 25,000 prize.

ZFF’s Documentary Competition, meanwhile, includes political docs such as Anastasia Trofimova’s Russians At War about Russian frontline soldiers in Ukraine.

ZFF has Gala premieres for 36 films, including festival favourites such as Tim Fehlbaum’s September 5, Steve McQueen’s Blitz, Sean Baker’s Anora, Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door, Todd Phillips’s Joker: Folie à Deux, Halina Reijin’s Babygirls, Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here and Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice.

Meanwhile, Pamela Anderson, Kate Winslet, Howard Shore, Emil Steinberger, Alicia Vikander and Jude Law will attend the festival to receive its Golden Eye award.

Swiss director Edward Berger will be honored with the A Tribute to… Award. Berger will receive a Golden Eye Award at the gala premiere of his latest film Conclave.

A total of twelve Swiss films will celebrate their world premiere at the ZFF.

Zurich Film Festival competition line-up

Brief History of a Family (China-Fr-Den-Qatar)
Dir. Jianjie Lin

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (UK-Ire-Sambia)
Dir. Rungano Nyoni

Le Royaume (Fr)
Dir. Julien Colonna

Sister Midnight (UK-India)
Dir. Karan Kandhari

Es Geht um Luis (Ger)
Dir. Lucia Chiarla

When We Were Sisters (Switz)
Dir. Lisa Brühlmann

Don’t Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight (S.Africa)
Dir. Embeth Davidtz

Les Courageux (Switz)
Dir. Jasmin Gordon

Under The Volcano (Pol)
Dir. Damian Kocur

Little Jaffna (Fr)
Dir. Lawrence Valin

Mother Mara (Serbia-Switz-Slovakia-Mont-Bosnia-Herz)
Dir. Mirjana Karanovic

The New Year That Never Came (Rom)
Dir. Bogdan Muresanu

Good One (US)
Dir. India Donaldson

Linda (Arg-Sp)
Dir. Mariana Wainstein