Accessibility
Accessibility & Inclusion
The Zurich Film Festival is committed to making culture accessible to everyone – spatially, socially, and organizationally.
On this page, you will find all the information you need about the accessibility of our cinemas and our festival center as well as insights into our collaboration with the St. Jakob Foundation, which enables active inclusion in everyday festival life.
We want all visitors to be able to experience the ZFF in an accessible way. That's why the main festival venues are barrier-free and equipped with appropriate facilities, including wheelchair access, elevators, accessible toilets, and designated seats in the cinemas. Seats for wheelchair users and accompanying persons can be booked via [email protected]. The cinemas will be informed directly by us. Please note that the NZZ Sky Lounge is not wheelchair accessible.
Festival Locations and Cinemas
Festival Center
The first floor (ground level) is accessible to wheelchair users. An accessible toilet is now available too. The second floor and the public terrace can be reached via a ramp.
blue Cinema Corso
Accessible WC facilities and wheelchair spaces in cinemas 1 and 3 are available.
Arthouse Piccadilly
Accessible WC facilities and wheelchair spaces in the cinemas are available.
Arena Cinemas Sihlcity
An elevator, accessible WC facilities and wheelchair spaces in the cinemas are available.
KINOKONI Zürich
An elevator, accessible WC facilities, wheelchair spaces in the cinemas and an inductive hearing system are available.
Zurich Convention Center
An elevator, accessible WC facilities and wheelchair spaces are available in the halls of the Zurich Convention Center.
Palais Mascotte
An elevator via Schmiedhofgasse and accessible WC facilities are available.
Film Accessibility
Most of the films are shown in their original language with subtitles in German and/or English/French. Descriptive subtitles or SDH (Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) are used where available so that people who are deaf or hard of hearing can follow along with the film as well. Since 2017, we have also made it possible for people who are blind or have low vision to participate. In collaboration with the organization «Regards Neuf», we offer selected films with audio description, which are marked accordingly in our program.
The Zurich Film Festival sees culture as a public space that should be open to everyone. This includes enabling people with disabilities to participate fully in everyday work and festival life. In this spirit, we work closely with the St. Jakob Foundation, an institution that has been committed to professional integration and social participation for over 120 years.
Since the 21st Zurich Film Festival, numerous St. Jakob Foundation employees have been on duty, working in various areas such as hospitality, the cloakroom, cinema support, logistics, and guest services. Accompanied by educational specialists, they took on responsible tasks, gained work experience at a live event and clearly demonstrated their skills.
- For employees: greater independence, real-world work experience, and participation in the public sphere
- For the festival: professional support and a working environment where diversity is self-evident
- For visitors: refreshing encounters with exciting personalities
More on Workplace Integration:
With its «Integrative Workplaces» program, the St. Jakob Foundation offers structured employment and development opportunities for people who need support. More information here.
The success of this collaboration is demonstrated in a story on SRF’s «10 vor 10» program, which follows 30 employees of the St. Jakob Foundation during their work at the festival.
