In an effort to bring together as much talent from the field of filmmaking as possible, the Zurich Film Festival has been running the ZFF Academy (formerly ZFF Master Class) since 2006. Each year, aspiring producers, directors and/or screenwriters from around the world are chosen from hundreds of applicants to take part in this 5-day talent promotion programme. The next ZFF Academy will take place from Wednesday, October 1 to Sunday, October 5, 2025, as part of the 21st Zurich Film Festival (September 25 to October 5).
The ZFF Academy is a five-day talent programme for screenwriters, directors and producers. Each year, the ZFF Academy brings together emerging filmmakers with international film experts and provides a platform with international appeal. The programme is designed specifically for participants each year, and the intensive workshops in an intimate setting allow creative talents to network with each other, discuss ideas and working methods with renowned film industry figures, and explore the Zurich Film Festival.
The aim of the ZFF Academy is to promote exchange between notable filmmaking experts and aspiring directors, authors and producers.
Discover the festival world, gain new experiences and share your passion for film with other filmmakers. The 5-day ZFF Academy programme aims to inspire, motivate and promote the exchange of practical know-how. Renowned experts join participants to discuss a variety of work processes and give intimate and exclusive masterclasses that offer personal insight into their creative oeuvre.
We encourage encounters. The ZFF Academy is a platform that enables aspiring filmmakers to network with leading international film industry experts. As an integral part of the Zurich Film Festival, the ZFF Academy offers participants access to various networking events, parties and dinners.
Filmmaking requires team work. The ZFF Academy is not just a leading networking platform for upcoming filmmakers, it also acts as a place of exchange and artistic development, and as a springboard for future collaborations.
There are no participation or application fees for the ZFF Academy. Travel costs are not included in the programme and must be covered by the participants.
The ZFF Academy package includes:
The Masterclasses are the heart of the ZFF Academy. They are put together exclusively for the ZFF Academy and are based on the classic masterclass format. Participants are given the opportunity to question the guest speakers (experts) during each of the 1.5 hour long moderated sessions. The general public are not allowed access to these intimate, participant-only sessions.
The key themes raised in the masterclasses are different each year and depend very much on the speaker. Previous years, for example, have seen James D. Stern discuss the different emotional skills needed for directing, producing or writing, and a masterclass by director Lone Scherfig that was entitled "Innovative Approaches: Different Dramatic and Stylistic Concepts".
The ZFF Academy’s Bits & Pieces strand offers participants the opportunity to project excerpts of their own work onto the cinema screen and receive direct feedback from their co-participants. Previous editions of the ZFF Academy have shown that the highly valuable and inspiring discussions that sprung out of this programme item have made it particularly popular with participants.
"A unique time of sharing and connecting, a great opportunity to meet other international filmmakers and put our practices in perspective!" - Paul Marques Duarte, Alumna 2022
The "How to..." series is all about taking action, with workshops on festival do's and don'ts or the art of self-presentation.
Since 2019, our legendary Elevator Pitch has also been part of the "How to..." series. The idea behind the Elevator Pitch is simple: It's all about making a great impression in a short time. The concept: One elevator ride – 32 seconds for a pitch.
In 2023, our special event was dedicated to the art of self-presentation through body language. Networking and pitching were crucial skills in the film industry, encompassing the establishment of relationships and connections, as well as the art of self-presentation and pitching. As part of the interactive workshop "Mastering Networking and Pitching: Unleash your impactful presentation," talents learned how to present their ideas and projects in a convincing manner, inspire their counterparts, and exude self-confidence. They received practical tips and tricks for successful pitching, with exercises focusing on body presence through expression, posture, gestures, and voice. They then applied what they had learned in our popular ZFF Elevator Pitch. Feedback, networking opportunities, and moments of exchange were, of course, included during a Flying Dinner.
Experts: Anouk Scherer (b unique presentation, Founder & Owner), Susann Henggeler (Condor Films, Producer)
In 2022, everything revolved around the theme of WORLD BUILDING. In a special masterclass with Roland Emmerich the talents learned how to create mind-stunning cinematographic worlds. Where to find inspiration? How to get their filmic universes on the screen? And finally, how to make others believe in their created world. The talents then proved the latter at the following Elevator Pitch, by convincing either producer David Luisi that their idea belongs on to the screen or journalist Marta Balaga, that their created film deserves to be written out to the world.
In 2021, participants in the ZFF Elevator Pitch received valuable tips and tricks from marketing specialist John Durie on how to successfully develop marketing strategies in the early stages of a film's development. This event was followed by the ZFF Elevator Pitch itself and a speed meeting, all accompanied by a flying dinner.
Experts: John Durie (Marketing Specialist), Marta Balaga (Film Journalist), Wendy Mitchell (Film Festival Advisor).
The Zurich Film Festival not only offers participants visibility, but also provides them with the perfect platform to network with invited industry representatives.
From receptions to Filmmaker Dinners, Talent Nights to the legendary Award Night After Party… the list of events is long – and we do our best, if planning allows, to throw the ZFF Academy talent headlong into the shimmering world of the ZFF.
The ZFF Masters are chaired discussions with celebrated personalities from the international film industry. They offer the public a fascinating insight into the creative process and attitude to film of directors, screenwriters, producers and actors. These renowned experts are also available for public_local question-and-answer sessions. For ZFF Academy participants seats at front row are reserved.
The ZFF Academy programme is packed with even more content: films by the speakers are, where possible, viewed together at the festival; we even book whole theatres just for our participants.
In order to get our talent noticed, it has also become tradition for participants to gather at the Green Carpet for their very own photocall – a joy for some and a pain for others – either way, standing in front of the professional lens is an unforgettable experience for all.
And, of course, we allow our participants some free time to enjoy the festival, discover the city and relax in their first-class hotel accommodation.
The application window for the next ZFF Academy will open in spring 2025 and will be announced via the Industry Newsletter. Subscribe to the newsletter here.
Your application for the ZFF Academy can only be considered if you fulfill the following criteria:
Please send us the work from your filmography that best represents you in your eyes. This does not necessarily have to be your latest work. In the application form is necessary:
What is accepted as a work sample? A feature-length film, short film (short) or series (incl. web series) in the field of fiction, non-fiction (documentaries, hybrid films or other forms), animation, video art incl. music video can be submitted as a film.
For directors and producers: A complete film that you have directed, produced or co-produced.
For screenwriters and authors: A complete movie for which you wrote the screenplay. The screenplay as such cannot be submitted as a work sample; a cinematic work of your screenplay must already exist.
Additional criteria:
The Zurich Film Festival guarantees that the submitted work sample will only be used for application purposes. Answers to frequently asked questions can be found in the FAQ below. If you have any questions about the application process or the ZFF Academy, please feel free to send an e-mail to [email protected].
Find out more about all our ZFF Academy Participants and Alumni of the past few years!
Our Academy participants benefit from intimate masterclasses from high-profile speakers. Christine Vachon, Todd Haynes, Michel Merkt and Alexander Nanau, among others, have already passed on their knowledge to our participants.
The ZFF Academy is a 5-day intensive programme, designed for directors, scriptwriters or producers, being at the beginning of their career, organised within the framework of the Zurich Film Festival in Switzerland. In the context of the programme the selected participants get the chance to meet and learn from the film industry's most notable experts.
As mentioned above, the ZFF Academy is organised within the framework of the Zurich Film Festival. The programme is organised by its Industry Team.
The next ZFF Academy will take place from Wednesday, October 1 to Sunday, October 5, 2025, as part of the 21st Zurich Film Festival (September 25 to October 5).
The next ZFF Academy will take place from Wednesday, October 1 to Sunday, October 5, 2025, as part of the 21st Zurich Film Festival (September 25 to October 5).
The programme is refined and adapted each year to the selected participants. Check out the content section above for more information.
In general, everybody is welcome to submit an application irrespective of age, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, as long as following requirements are met: The applicant is an aspiring director, scriptwriter or producer, who has worked on either one feature length film, a number of short fims, or a TV/web series that has been internationally recognized and is fluent in English. You'll find the precise eligibility requirements under this link.
No, we kindly invite every filmmaker in the beginning of a film career irrespective of age to submit us an application.
No, the ZFF Academy is only open to directors, producers or scriptwriters.
Yes, you can.
The application process consists of two steps:
You will need to state your motivation in the online application form. It is a good idea to plan ahead and type out some of your answers in a separate document. You can then cut and paste them directly into the application form. Please remember not to exceed the 1500 characters incl. signs. We will strictly not read the signs exceeding the maximum amount of characters. A good tip is: remain personal. We don't expect you to write a novel.
Participants should choose one complete film from their body of work. We expect participants to submit the one that represents them best. This does not necessarily need to be their most recent work.
No, we only accept one Work Sample.
It is up to you to choose which excerpt you would like to submit. Think about which scene best represents the film you have submitted. It is important that the excerpt is no longer than five minutes, but it may be shorter. If you submit a short film that is shorter than the five minutes, you may enter the entire short as your excerpt.
No. The five-minute excerpt must be from the submitted film.
20 applicants are selected to participate in the ZFF Academy.
It is expected that by the end of August, all individuals who have submitted a valid application will receive feedback regarding the selection
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