The 21st Zurich Film Festival has started

© Andreas Rentz

The 21st Zurich Film Festival began with this year's Opening Night at the Kongresshaus. American actress Dakota Johnson was in attendance to promote her new film, SPLITSVILLE. On the same evening, she was honoured with the Golden Eye Award in recognition of her impressive career. Breuninger presented the opening night.

Eine Collage aus vier Fotos vom Zurich Film Festival: Prominente auf dem roten Teppich, eine Frau mit einem Preis in der Hand auf der Bühne, Gäste, die für Fotografen posieren, und zwei Frauen in eleganten Kleidern beim Spaziergang im Freien.

The 21st Zurich Film Festival got off to a successful start with numerous guests from the Swiss film world, business and politics in attendance. But what would the ZFF be without bringing Hollywood to Zurich? Last night, the festival welcomed its first major guest: actress and producer Dakota Johnson.

Eine Frau in einem langärmeligen, hellvioletten Kleid spricht an einem Podium mit der Aufschrift Zurich Film Festival, das neben einer goldenen, augenförmigen Trophäe auf einem schwarzen Ständer steht.

© Andreas Rentz

Together with director, actor, and producer Michael Angelo Covino, she opened the 21st Zurich Film Festival with her relationship comedy SPLITSVILLE. That same evening, she received the Golden Eye Award in recognition of her career, which she accepted in person.

In his laudatory speech, Festival Director Christian Jungen praised Dakota Johnson's ability to captivate audiences with her soft tones. «I once read that she has the word tender tattooed on her body. That fits her acting perfectly. She is not a loud, shrill diva, and she doesn't need grand drama to create tension. Her performances are characterized by nuance and finesse, making her characters seem credible and easy to empathize with. »

Ein Mann im schwarzen Smoking und mit Fliege steht neben einer Frau in einem langärmeligen, purpurnen Kleid, die eine runde, gold-schwarze Auszeichnung hält. Beide lächeln und posieren vor einer schlichten hellen Wand.

Dakota Johnson reacted with emotion: «Honestly, that was like the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me in my life. So, I’ll be coming back to this festival. You know it’s festivals like these that support indie films and filmmakers and where the people that are coming to movies feel genuinely excited to be there, that’s what kind of keeps my heart beating for this industry»

You can find more impressions of the day here.