Year after year, the ZFF brings world stars to Zurich. Around the festival, there are plenty of opportunities to get close to Hollywood celebrities for once or to get profound insights into their artistic work.
A Tribute to... Award
Luca Guadagnino
Italian master director Luca Guadagnino serves a range of different genres with his artistic virtuosity and visually impressive style.
Guadagnino has been active as a director, screenwriter and producer since his feature film debut THE PROTAGONISTS (1999), starring Tilda Swinton. His breakthrough came in 2005 with MELISSA P.. This was followed by the Golden Globe-nominated IO SONO L'AMORE (2009) and A BIGGER SPLASH (2015), both again starring Tilda Swinton. His romantic drama CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (2017) was nominated four times for an Oscar, including Best Picture, and finally won for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2018, Guadagnino ventured into the horror genre with SUSPIRIA, a remake of Dario Argento's cult classic. In his latest work, BONES AND ALL, he continues his collaboration with acting star Timothée Chalamet, who played the lead role in his CALL ME BY YOUR NAME. The ZFF bestows it's renowned A Tribute to… Award upon the Italian director and screenwriter for his cinematic work. Luca Guadagnino will accept the honorary award on September 30 at the Corso cinema during the Gala Premiere of his latest movie BONES AND ALL.
Golden Icon Award
Sir Ben Kingsley
With his unique expressiveness and distinctive voice, Oscar winner and knighted acting star Sir Ben Kingsley is one of the world's truly great character actors.
Kingsley achieved his international breakthrough with his portrayal of the Indian independence fighter Mahatma Gandhi in Richard Attenborough's movie GANDHI (1983). The role earned him the Oscar for Best Actor. He went on to receive critical acclaim for his performances in, among others, BUGSY (1992), SEXY BEASTS (2002) and HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG (2004). Kingsley was knighted in 2001 for his services to drama. He has worked with renowned directors, including Roman Polanski (DEATH AND THE MAIDEN, 1994), Steven Spielberg (SCHINDLER'S LIST, 1993) and Martin Scorsese (SHUTTER ISLAND, 2010). In his latest film, DALÍLAND (2022), Kingsley embodies the world-famous Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí.
This year, the ZFF present its Golden Icon Award to the actor Sir Ben Kingsley in recognition of his outstanding career, which includes more than 100 movie and TV titles.
Note (28.09.22): It is with regret that Zurich Film Festival must update you that Sir Ben Kingsley is unable to attend the European premiere of DALÍLAND on Thursday 29 September, 20:45 at Corso 1 as he recovers from Covid, and under doctors’ advice is unable to travel. The director of DALÍLAND Mary Harron, the films screenwriter John C. Walsh and producer Chris Curling, will attend in-person to present the film.
Career Achievement Award
Rachel Portman
British film composer and Oscar winner Rachel Portman is able with her at once remarkable and inspiring compositions to impart any film with her unique sound.
Rachel Portman has written sores for more than 100 films, TV productions and theatre projects. After studying composition at Oxford University, she turned to film, attracting Hollywood's attention with her score for USED PEOPLE in 1992. She was the first female composer ever to win an Academy Award for Best Original Score, which she received for her scoring of EMMA (1996) by Douglas McGrath. Her sensitive compositions for THE CIDER HOUSE RULES (1999) and CHOCOLAT (2000) by Swedish director Lasse Hallström earned Portman two more Oscar nominations. She was also the first composer to win a Primetime Emmy Award – for Dee Rees' movie BESSIE (2015). In her varied career, Portman has in addition to film music also composed classical works, including an opera of "The Little Prince" for Houston Grand Opera.
The Career Achievement Award will be presented to Rachel Portman during the "Cinema in Concert" gala event on September 29, 2022 at the Tonhalle Zurich. Music from her oeuvre will be performed during the award ceremony of 10th International Music Competition, where she presides over this year's jury.
Golden Eye Award
Charlotte Gainsbourg
One of the most versatile character actresses in European cinema, French-British actress Charlotte Gainsbourg has the remarkable ability to imbue her characters with an extraordinary human depth and credibility across all genres.
As the daughter of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, Charlotte Gainsbourg has known what it is to be in show business since childhood. She starred in Claude Millers L’EFFRONTÉE (1985) at the age of 14, a performance that earned her the César Award for Most Promising Actress. Gainsbourg was soon shooting with France's most renowned auteur filmmakers, including Agnès Varda and Yvan Attal. This was followed by appearances in numerous international movie productions like Franco Zeffirelli's JANE EYRE (1996), Alejandro G. Iñárritu's 21 GRAMS (2003) and Todd Haynes' I’M NOT THERE (2007). Lars von Trier brought her to the big screen as a leading actress on no less than three occasions in ANTICHRIST (2009), MELANCHOLIA (2011) and NYMPHOMANIAC (2013). The horror thriller ANTICHRIST earned her the award for Best Actress at the 62nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival. Her most recent appearance was in Mikhaël Hers' LES PASSAGERS DE LA NUIT (2022).
The ZFF honours Charlotte Gainsbourg with the Golden Eye for her outstanding acting career. Gainsbourg will accept the award on September 26 prior to presenting her most recent film THE ALMOND AND THE SEAHORSE as a world premiere.
Golden Eye Award
Eddie Redmayne
Actor, model and singer: Edward "Eddie" John David Redmayne is a man of many talents and has been one of the most in-demand faces in the industry since his Oscar-winning portrayal of the physicist Stephen Hawking in THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING (2014).
The Brit spent his childhood in London and took acting lessons at a young age. As an unknown newcomer, he played a leading role in the ZFF opening film SAVAGE GRACE in 2007. In 2010, Redmayne won both the Tony and Laurence Olivier Awards for his outstanding performance in Michael Grandage's acclaimed theatre production "Red." Redmayne's vocal talents were showcased in, among others, Tom Hooper's musical adaptation LES MISÉRABLES (2012). Redmayne collaborated with Hooper again for the artist biopic THE DANISH GIRL (2015). The role earned him numerous nominations, including Academy Awards, Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA Awards. In 2016, Redmayne made his first appearance as a magical zoologist in the successful fantasy blockbuster FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, and also took on the role in the other films in the franchise THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD (2018) and THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE (2022). His most recent outing in front of the camera was alongside Jessica Chastain in Tobias Lindholm's thriller THE GOOD NURSE.
The ZFF honours Eddie Redmayne with the Golden Eye Award for his outstanding career achievements. He will accept the Award on September 25 at the Zurich Convention Centre prior to the screening of THE GOOD NURSE.
You can get up-close and personal with the ZFF Guests in Zurich at the following events:
At Sechseläutenplatz, the hub of the ZFF, the Green Carpet is rolled out to cue the start of the festival. This is where our guests appear to the delight of their fans and the general public, pose for photos and give interviews as they make their way to the movie theatre. Whether you plan to visit the Green Carpet or just happen to be strolling past Sechseläutenplatz, the chances are you'll cross paths here with a world-class star.
As part of the ZFF Masters, our audience finds itself in a cinema theatre to listen to talks with actors, directors, screenwriters or other film workers. In addition to offering insights into their creative work, guests often recite amusing anecdotes from their personal careers and are also available to answer audience questions.
Each year, the Gala section of the ZFF presents top-class auteur films with mass audience appeal and invites film workers to present their productions in person. This framework allows us to welcome numerous guests who answer questions before or after presenting their films to the public. This direct contact with film workers sets the ZFF cinema experience apart from the everyday cinema visit.
With film as its focus, the ZFF Talks series offers experts from various sectors the opportunity to explore controversial issues currently affecting the fields of culture, science and politics. The ZFF Talks are free of charge, open to the public and are announced together with the festival programme.
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