ZFF Academy

Im Bestreben möglichst viele Filmtalente zusammenzubringen, führt das Zurich Film Festival seit 2006 die ZFF Academy (ehemals ZFF Master Class) durch. Jedes Jahr werden aus hunderten Bewerbungen 20 talentierte Produzenten, Regisseurinnen und Drehbuchautoren aus aller Welt auserwählt, um an dem fünftägigen Talentförderprogamm teilzunehmen. Die nächste ZFF Academy findet vom Mittwoch, 1. Oktober bis Sonntag, 5. Oktober, 2025 im Rahmen des 21. Zurich Film Festival (25.September bis 5.Oktober) statt.

Bewerbungen waren noch bis zum 15. Juli 2025 möglich.

Die diesjährigen Teilnehmenden der ZFF Academy 2025 und ihre Kurzbiografien finden Sie weiter unten.

Auch dieses Jahr heissen wir zwanzig Nachwuchstalente aus Regie, Drehbuch und Produktion herzlich willkommen. Unten finden Sie ihre Kurzbiografien.

Alba Bosch Duran - Producer - Spain

Living in Barcelona. Executive producer at Fractal Films and freelance producer. Focused on emerging talent and international co-productions. Producer of: A Thief’s Daughter (2019) Goya for Best New Director and The Exiles (2025) premiered in Toronto, among others. Alumni of Berlinale Talents, EAVE Puentes, and Rotterdam Lab. Mentor of Acció Viver (lab) from Dones Visuals Collective, where she’s also a board member. 

Benjamin Pfohl - Director - Germany

Graduate of Munich’s University of Television and Film, he directed the six-part thriller series DECISION GAME for ZDFneo before writing and directing his debut feature JUPITER, which premiered in competition at ZFF, toured festivals worldwide and won several awards, including the Young Jury Award at Sofia Int. Film Festival and the German Cinema New Talent Award at Hof. Living in Berlin, he is represented internationally by Casarotto Ramsay & Associates, as well as by Homebase in Germany (www.benjaminpfohl.de).

Daniel Soares - Director - Portugal

Daniel Soares is a Portuguese director, writer and photographer, born in Germany. His short films premiered at festivals such as Cannes, Telluride, Locarno and Clermont-Ferrand. They were recognized at Cannes (Palme d'Or Short Film - Special Mention), Premiers Plans d'Angers (Grand Jury Prize), IndieLisboa (Best National Short Film), among others. His photographic work has been exhibited in museums and galleries such as the International Center of Photography in New York (www.soares.tv).

Daniel Tenné - Producer - Germany

Based in Stuttgart. Co-Founded 70 STEPS, a production company developing and producing fiction and documentary. Latest release: Feature Doc “Primadonna or Nothing” (WP: Dok.Fest Munich) in 40 Theatres Germany-wide. Currently developing “LYMBUS” (YA Mystery Crime) for German TV. In post-production of intl. Copro “Tear Gas” (Georgia, France, Germany; Rotterdam 2x WIP Awards). Graduate of Filmakademie BW & EAVE ‘Ties That Bind’ Alumnus (www.70STEPS.de).

David Ikeata - Producer - Nigeria

Based in Lagos. Producer of Egyptian short “The Last Rabbi” and Kazakhstan–Nigeria collaboration “Adam Bol”, and co-writer/co-director of short film “The Abyss Within,” exploring artistic depression. He is currently developing several feature projects, including Egyptian drama “Moondust,” Nigerian cross-continental queer drama “Hibiscus by the River”, a Brazilian–Nigerian co-production, and an Igbo horror epic set in the 1600s. He is an alumnus of TorinoFilmLab.

David Ledger - Director - United Kingdom

Born and living in London. Writer/director of short film, ‘Rejoyce!’, (2024) which was nominated for best film at BFI Flare 2024 and now available to watch on Channel 4 in the UK and short film, ‘Odd Socks’, (2025), starring Paterson Joseph (Wonka, Peep Show) and Sandi Toksvig (QI). Feature film ‘Rejoyce!’ currently in early stages of development. Graduate of Drama Centre London.

Florian Hoffmann - Director - Germany

After graduating from studying politics and sociology in Switzerland, Florian Hoffmann studied film directing at the DFFB in Berlin. Already as a student, he directed two feature documentaries that were screened at prestigious A-list film festivals and presented with awards. His most recent feature film, "Stille Post," was shown across Germany and won a total of eight awards at international film festivals, including four audience awards. All of his films have received the "particularly valuable" rating (FBW). Florian works as a writer and director in Berlin. 

 Florian Kasperski - Director - Switzerland

Director living between Zurich and London. University of Zurich and London Film School Alumnus. 7 Short films including most recently Pina with the support of BAK, Zürcher and Basler Filmstiftung, and SRF. Director’s assistant on Apple TV’s Neuromancer. // My interests are wide-ranging: I love feature films, TV series, plays, comedy and drama. However, I am primarily interested in fictional worlds. As long as I can work with narrative structures, I can put my talents to good use.

Laure Stemmann - Producer - Belgium

After a degree in philosophy and cinema in Paris (2021), she worked at Eaux Vives on internationally awarded films. She later joined the INSAS film production program in Brussels, worked at Anga Productions and continued as a development consultant in Belgium, France and the Middle East. After taking part at the European Film Festival in Lebanon 2023, she founded her production company Specimen Films with a first Belgian feature film in 2024.

 Noëmi Steffen - Screenwriter - Switzerland

Noëmi Eva Steffen is a screenwriter, playwright and dramaturge of Swiss/Mexican background based in Berne. Her focus lies on stories of precisely observed human interactions, told with empathy, an intact backbone and a dark sense of humour. She studied stage directing at Ernst Busch in Berlin and ZhdK in Zurich and screenwriting at Screen Academy Scotland. Since graduating, she has continuously worked as a staff writer on various Swiss series and as a playwright and dramaturge for the theatre. She is currently developing her own series projects and a first feature film.

 Olga Dinnikova - Director - Switzerland

Born in 1985 in Riga, raised in Latvia, Israel, and Switzerland. Studied acting at the European Film Actor School and film (BA & MA) at Zurich University of the Arts. Her graduation film LUFTSCHLOSS was nominated for the 2016 Studio Hamburg Newcomer Award. Her debut feature BEHIND THE GLASS premiered at the 60th Solothurn Film Festival (Prix du Public nomination) and was released in summer 2025.

 Özgür Anil - Director - Austria

Director/Writer born 1994 in Vienna. While studying at the Vienna Film Academy, he made several short films that were shown and awarded at numerous international film festivals, including BFI London and the Sarajevo Film Festival. His graduation feature film “Wer wir einmal sein wollten” received the award for best actor at the Max Ophüls Prize 2023. He is currently working with Austrian production company Wega on his feature film „Believing“.

 Phil Meyer - Director - Switzerland

Swiss-Australian, born 1990. Based in Lucerne & Cologne. Co-founder of Gorps Film GmbH and the duo “Phil and Jones”. Director, writer and producer of the award-winning documentary Typisch Emil (Prix Walo 2025, Innerschweizer Filmpreis 2025). Graduate in Visual Communication from HSLU. Films showcased at Locarno, Zurich Film Festival, Solothurn, Festival des deutschen Films Ludwigshafen and 35th Internationales Filmfest Emden.

 Raffaela Kraus - Producer - Germany

Even before studying at the University for Television and Film Munich, Raffaela Kraus produced ‘The Social Experiment,’ the first german feature film shot using virtual production (Tobis Verleih, 2022). In 2024, she worked as a junior producer on Constantin Film's remake of ‘Mädchen, Mädchen.’ With Flappers Film & VFX GmbH, she is developing the film adaptation of the Spiegel bestseller trilogy ‘Die Romeo-und-Juliet Society’ as well as her passion project ‘Underestimated Girls’ about resistance fighter Freddie Oversteegen.

 Siera Tamihardja - Producer - Indonesia

Based in Indonesia. Earned B.A degree from University of Southern California, LA. Previously produced for Disney+, handling Original Series which two of them won Series of The Year at 2022 and 2023 Jakarta Film Week. One of the titles, Teluh Darah (2023), premiered at 2022 Busan International Film Festival. Now producing Wregas Bhanuteja’s 3rd feature film: Levitating (2025), which won Busan APM CJEnM Award; Ilya Sigma's 1st feature film: Into The Woods (2026) and some other unannounced titles.

 Sotiris Petridis - Director - Greece

Sotiris Petridis is an independent filmmaker and PhD film scholar from Greece. He has directed, written and/or produced award-winning films, screened in 40+ countries and 300+ festivals worldwide. He is a member of both Hellenic and European Film Academies. His upcoming short film, H(app)iness, has recently secured national funding from Greek public broadcaster ERT.

 Teodora Shaleva - Producer - United Kingdom

A graduate of Brown University and the National Film and Television School (NFTS), Teodora produced the NFTS short November 1st, which won a Student Academy Award and screened at over 100 festivals. She has since worked in development and acquisitions at Studiocanal and Universal International Studios, as a script editor in high-end TV, and as a freelance consultant for the BFI, Channel 4, and Screen Ireland. She is currently producing her debut feature with BBC Film.

 Victoria Singh-Thompson - Director - Australia

Award-winning writer-director whose work brings sensitivity and nuance to underexplored perspectives, shaped by lived experience. Their shorts have screened at Melbourne International Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Palm Springs ShortFest, Outfest Fusion, and more, and been featured on Vimeo Staff Picks, Director’s Library, and Short of the Week. Winner of Gold at Cannes YDA, 1.4 Awards, Ciclope APAC, Best Editing at St Kilda, and Bronze at shots (victoriasinghthompson.com).

 Walid Bekhti - Producer - Belgium

Trained in La Fémis, Walid Bekhti is a producer at the Center Video of Brussels where he supports debut feature film such as Le Champ directed by Célia Dessardo or Fracture directed by Keren Kraizer. He is also member of the Film Commission of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and the European Film Academy.

 Wendi Tang - Director - United States

Chinese filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Graduate of NYU Tisch & Stern. Her shorts, including award-winning Fishtank, screened at SITGES, SXSW, HollyShorts & more. Winner of Tribeca Chanel THL program. Sundance Cultural Impact Fellow, BAFTA member, currently developing her debut feature (www.wenditang.com).

Finden Sie mehr heraus über unsere ZFF Academy Teilnehmende und Alumni der letzten Jahre!

Alle ZFF Academy Alumni der letzten Jahre