A diamond for the Zurich Film Festival: This is the look of the 21st edition

«It still feels very surreal that our design will be seen throughout the whole city, but I’m really excited about it», says Shana. Together with Mariia, she developed the visual concept – despite studying in different fields: Shana (23) is studying Industrial Design, Mariia (25) Visual Communication.

«The collaboration between our two disciplines opened up new perspectives for us and helped us to view the design from different angles», Shana says about the interdisciplinary cooperation. «It was exciting to see how our shared idea evolved with each draft». While Mariia works with visual concepts, Shana thinks in terms of shapes and materials, thanks to her background. This led to the idea of a three-dimensional diamond.

Light, film, and the city as a source of inspiration

Their design stood out among five other projects and impressed with its clear symbolism. The artwork was inspired by the atmosphere in Zurich during the Zurich Film Festival: «The flashes on the green carpet, the spotlights, and the reflections of light on Lake Zurich at night inspired us to use the diamond as a metaphor,» says Mariia. A parallel to the medium of film is also fitting: looking through it, new perspectives emerge through the interplay of light and reflection.

A creative young talent project with vision

In the spirit of fostering young talent, something the ZFF actively supports not only in filmmaking, the collaboration with ZHdK was a true passion project for the festival team. The university also sees great value in the partnership: «This type of collaboration not only fosters our students’ creativity but also gives them the opportunity to work with real clients and present their work to a wide audience», says Rebecca Morganti-Pfaffhauser, Co-Minor Head of the Student Design Agency in the Bachelor program at ZHdK’s Design Department.

With their design, Shana and Mariia reflect the heart and soul of the festival: a celebration of cinema that allows us, time and again, to escape into other worlds for a few hours – in line with the prominently featured claim: ’cause life is better with movies.

Want to bring a piece of the ZFF magic home? Pre-order the poster now here