The 22nd Zurich Film Festival honors Academy Award winner Martin McDonagh with its prestigious A Tribute To... Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to cinema. The Irish writer and director will accept the award in person during the Gala Premiere of his latest film, WILD HORSE NINE.
The Zurich Film Festival is delighted to welcome Academy Award and BAFTA-winning writer and director Martin McDonagh as a guest of its 22nd edition. With acclaimed films including IN BRUGES, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI and THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN, McDonagh has created a distinctive cinematic voice, craftily blending razor-sharp dialogue, pitch-black humor and intricately rich characters. His films have left an indelible mark on contemporary cinema and have earned widespread international acclaim. Throughout his career, McDonagh has collaborated with some of the industry's most celebrated actors, including Colin Farrell (recipient of the 2025 ZFF Golden Icon Award), Brendan Gleeson, Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson. THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI screened at the Zurich Film Festival in 2017, followed by the Gala Premiere of THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN in 2022. The latter went on to receive nine Academy Award nominations across eight categories during the following awards season. At this year's Zurich Film Festival, McDonagh will receive the A Tribute to... Award during the Gala Premiere of his new feature WILD HORSE NINE (2026), in recognition of his outstanding contribution to filmmaking. He will also take part in a ZFF Masters, where he will offer audiences exclusive insights into his creative processes.
Like many of McDonagh's earlier works, WILD HORSE NINE explores dark and unsettling propositions: Shortly before he 1973 Chilean coup, CIA agents Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) set out to Easter Island from Santiago, where they are stationed alongside their boss and bureau chief, MJ (Steve Buscemi). Amongst the Island's iconic statues, as the longtime partners wrestle with their dark pasts and present conspiracies, Chris's newfound bond with a pair of rebellious students (Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas) threatens to send everyone’s trip to this remote paradise sideways.
«Martin McDonagh is one of the most exciting auteur filmmakers of his generation», says Christian Jungen, CEO of the Zurich Film Festival. «He is a master of dark comedy and character writing. Through his personal signature style, he showcases a rare ability to captivate audiences through the interplay of meticulously crafted cinematography, atmospheric settings and clever storytelling, combined with an artistic intuition for striking the perfect balance between the absurd and the familiar. His wonderfully curious characters never fail to draw us in, and he has a remarkable gift for maneuvering them into absurd predicaments through screenplays of exceptional wit and precision. McDonagh’s talent for eliciting complex and nuanced performances from his actors is a defining hallmark of his distinctive style. WILD HORSE NINE is no exception and, in our view, one of the standout films of the season. We have had the privilege of screening several of Martin McDonagh's earlier masterpieces, and we are delighted to honor his outstanding contribution to the art of cinema.»
McDonagh will accept the award in person and will also hold a ZFF Masters and talk about his work in the film industry. More detailed information on the program will be communicated at a later date.
You can find the official media release here.
