22. August 2023
The new Frame cinema opens with a bang on September 27 when the acclaimed Swiss director Michael Steiner presents his most recent movie EARLY BIRDS, a high-octane neo-noir thriller that was largely shot in Zurich's Langstrasse district. The film is set to have its world premiere in the presence of cast and crew – screening simultaneously in all six theatres of the new cinema complex.
"We're delighted that the six state-of-the-art theatres could be saved. Now it's time to inaugurate them with a Swiss film on the eve of the 19th Zurich Film Festival," explained Christian Jungen, Artistic Director of the ZFF. "This, of course, is also a programmatic choice, as Frame is set to become the premiere house and home of Swiss cinema."
"It's a pleasure and honour to open Frame with the world premiere of EARLY BIRDS. A neo-noir thriller shot on Langstrasse – fast, furious, breathless", says Michael Steiner.
The day after its pre-opening with EARLY BIRDS, the Frame cinema complex with its six theatres and the restaurant Khouris run by Mr Samigo marks the start of the 19th Zurich Film Festival by opening its doors to the general public_local. The cinemas will be operated by Spoundation Motion Picture AG, the marketing agency behind the ZFF. "Frame offers the ZFF a permanent home and a year-round presence," says a delighted Jennifer Somm, and continues: "The opening of Frame is the start of a new chapter for the ZFF, and a perfect reason for us to celebrate great cinema."
Directed by Michael Steiner (UND MORGEN SEID IHR TOT, MEIN NAME IST EUGEN, SENNENTUNTSCHI), the neo-noir thriller EARLY BIRDS tells the story of the two wildly different women Annika (Nilam Farooq) and Caro (Silvana Synovia), who become embroiled in a web of unpredictable events following a night out on the town. As the two flee together from the police, drug dealers and themselves, they're confronted by the collision of two worlds: their personal freedom and unrelenting violence.
The film, set partly on Zurich's Langstrasse, was shot entirely in Switzerland and features a multi-national cast. Newly discovered Swiss talent Silvana Synovia and the German actor Burak Yiğit play alongside German star actress Nilam Farooq (CONTRA, RATE YOUR DATE) and the internationally acclaimed Swiss actor Anatole Taubman (QUANTUM OF SOLACE, WANDA, MEIN WUNDER). The film is a hugofilm features production in collaboration with Netflix and CH Media Entertainment.
The Frame cinema complex will open for the first time on September 27. Jennifer Somm, who as Managing Director of SMP is responsible for the opening and operating of the new theatres on Europaallee, gives a preview of what visitors to Frame can expect: "I'm really looking forward to the opening – it's going to be great cinema! A huge celebration of Zurich cinema with stars and celebrities from the film and cinema industries. In addition to invited guests, several lucky competition winners will also get to take part in the festivities. With the motto "A night at the cinema for free", we want to give back to the people of Zurich by giving away a limited number of tickets for this spectacular evening via the new cinema Frame and ZFF social media channels. The winners will join our illustrious guests to open Frame, experience a world premiere screening and revel in true Langstrasse style at the after-party."
The new Frame website is being created here.
As an additional highlight, Mr Samigo and Family open their new temporary Middle Eastern restaurant “KHOURIS”. Sami Khouri succeeds once more in shaking up Zurich's gastro scene by amazing with a brand-new food & bar concept. The Zurich-based operator of the "Palestine Grill", "Samigo Amusement", "les halles" and a whole host of pop-ups relies on a mix of classic and modern Middle Eastern cuisine to entice future guests to join one huge family meal. In addition to the restaurant, a piece of Zurich's bar history in the form of an art installation will also find its place right next to the premises of Frame. Just one more reason to be excited about the joint after-party and upcoming collaboration!