The 20th Zurich Film Festival wrapped up this past weekend after celebrating many accomplishments in cinema. The international film event, held in Zurich, Switzerland, recognizes films and people in the movie industry through competitive awards.
In the main film competition, the movie “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” won the top Golden Eye award. The film’s director, Rungano Nyoni, Accepted the prize from the jury of five film experts led by acclaimed director Lee Daniels. Nyoni’s movie stood out from other strong competitors. Another competition highlight was giving special recognition to Jianjie Lin’s film “Brief History of a Family”.
The documentary competition also saw “Black Box Diaries” take the Golden Eye award. The film was directed by Shiori Itō and impressed the documentary jury led by Kevin Macdonald. They noted the film’s powerful story and filmmaking quality. Other documtentaries earning mentions included Sandi DuBowski’s “Sabbath Queen” and Kinshuk Surjan’s “Marching in the Dark”.
Viewers also connected strongly with “Black Box Diaries”, voting it the Audience Award winner. This showed the film resonated with both critics and regular moviegoers.
The festival spotlighted movies for children through its “ZFF for Kids” section. “Leeuwin” won the jury prize in this category, directed by Raymond Grimbergen. Meanwhile, “Die Heinzels 2: Neue Mützen, Neue Mission” took the audience award under the direction of Ute Von Münchow-Pohl.
The movie “Les Courageux” stands out as it picked up both the Critics’ Award and a religious award from the Churches of Zurich. This double recognition highlights the movie’s artistry and how it handles important social topics.
Celebrating accomplishments in the industry, the festival presented awards to several famous Hollywood names. Kate Winslet received a Golden Icon Award while Jude Law, Pamela Anderson, and Alicia Vikander each gained a Golden Eye Award.
Beyond the competitions, other special awards went to different aspects of filmmaking. Edward Berger won an award praising his career work. Veteran Swiss comedian Emil Steinberger earned a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to Swiss entertainment.
Music in film also saw honors, with Ahmed Soroko winning for Best International Film Music. Composer Howard Shore gained a Career Achievement Award for his iconic scores. Meanwhile, Roeg Sutherland was given a Game Changer Award for his influence on movie financing and distribution changes.
Wrapping its 20th year, the Zurich Film Festival continues establishing itself as an important global event. It aims to celebrate diverse voices in cinema and honor excellence in all areas of filmmaking.
