An Evening Celebrating Film Music and Two World Premieres

© Jonas Wiemann

*Update 23. December 2025: Following the public performance and announcement of the winner of the 13th International Film Music Competition on 2 October 2025, we received an indication that the awarded composition might not be fully original.The organising institutions – Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich, Forum Filmmusik and the Zurich Film Festival – took this indication very seriously and jointly commissioned independent experts to conduct a scientific and analytical assessment of the work. The evaluation confirmed that substantial passages of the winning composition were derived from protected works without creating the required copyright distance. As the competition regulations explicitly require participants to hold all rights to the music they submit, this constitutes a clear violation of the participation requirements. The winner has therefore been disqualified retrospectively. As a result, no winner will be awarded for the 2025 edition. Until now, systematic plagiarism checks were not carried out, as they had not been deemed necessary. However, the integrity and fairness of the competition are of the highest priority to the organisers of the International Film Music Competition. To prevent such an incident in the future, the organisers are reviewing additional measures to ensure that all works qualifying for the final fully meet the competition requirements. Central to the competition remains the creativity, integrity and originality of all participants, in the spirit of supporting emerging talent.

On the eighth day of the Zurich Film Festival, the «Cinema in Concert» gala, together with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, celebrated the art of sound. Academy Award winner Hildur Guðnadóttir was honored with the Career Achievement Award and at the same time chaired the jury of the International Film Music Competition, which was won by emerging newcomer Mikal Grigorowitsch. In addition to this musical highlight, two world premieres – the SRF sitcom UNSERE KLEINE BOTSCHAFT and Paprika Steen’s comedy TO NEW BEGINNINGS – lit up the Green Carpet and the big screen.

The eighth day of the ZFF was all about film music. At this year’s «Cinema in Concert» gala in the Tonhalle Zurich, the Oscar-winning composer Hildur Guðnadóttir received the Career Achievement Award. Guðnadóttir used the moment to reflect on her art: «I’ve been thinking a lot about the term ‘Career Achievement.’ Music has always been my whole life, for as long as I can remember. So I never consciously decided to pursue a career as a musician. For me, it’s something I’ve always done – like breathing», said the 43-year-old.

That same evening, Guðnadóttir chaired the jury of the 13th International Film Music Competition (IFMW). The compositions of the three finalists – Antonio Di Iorio, Mikal Grigorowitsch, and Gary Hirche – for the short film WILD LOVE, which had been nominated by the jury in advance, were premiered by the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.

One evening – two world premieres

The audience was treated to another Swiss highlight: the world premiere of the country's first sitcom in 20 years. The cast and crew of UNSERE KLEINE BOTSCHAFT (Our Little Message) were in attendance, including Swiss personalities Susanne Kunz, Birgit Steinegger, and Anaïs Decasper. The guests then presented the first three episodes of the SRF production to the audience at Arthouse Le Paris.

«We are thrilled. The entire cast has not seen anything from the series yet, only a few excerpts. So, we are particularly pleased to see the whole thing, the first three episodes,» actress Susanne Kunz emphasized about the exciting world premiere at the ZFF.

© Jonas Wiemann 

Next on the green carpet were the filmmakers behind the Danish comedy To New Beginnings, which celebrated its world premiere at the 21st ZFF yesterday evening. Despite the cold, some fans had gathered next to the Green Carpet to welcome the filmmakers. Director Paprika Steen presented the film with some of her cast, including Tuva Novotny and Lars Brygmann.

© Joshua Sammer

The Zurich Churches Film Award has announced its winning film

Yesterday evening, the first film in the ZFF program was awarded. As part of the Zurich Churches Film Award, the documentary LIFE AFTER SAHIM by Namir Abdel Messeeh won the award. The documentary impressed the five-member expert jury with its lightness and simplicity, yet also its depth and willingness to experiment.

«With his courage to get close, his keen sense of nuance, his clear moral compass, and his eye for interpersonal relationships, Klaus Petrus is the ideal keynote speaker for the film award. This is especially true when the focus is on the winner, Namir Abdel Messeeh, and his universal reflection on family ties and the act of remembering, which is full of warmth, honesty, and emotion,» the Zürcher Kirchen said in their press release.