In its 22nd edition, the Zurich Film Festival once again brings big names of international cinema to Zurich. True to this year's motto «Dream Big», it features an especially large number of films with inspiring, positive role models. Over eleven days, the festival presents a total of 133 films, including 46 world and European premieres – more than ever before. It also shows 21 Swiss films in total, likewise a new record.
From September 24 to October 4, Zurich once again becomes a meeting point for the international world of film. Alongside big names from Hollywood and European cinema, about 500 filmmakers will attend as guests, presenting their latest works to the audience in person. Expected guests include Julianne Moore, Naomi Watts, Tom Hiddleston, Willem Dafoe, Olivia Colman, Jesse Eisenberg, John Turturro, Leïla Bekhti, Wim Wenders, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Alexander Skarsgård, Richard Linklater, Joe Locke, Martin McDonagh, Danny Boyle, and Kane Parsons, among others.
«With the ZFF, we celebrate cinema, which is once again enjoying great popularity at the moment, especially among younger generations. With our program, we want to inspire people to once again experience films together on the big screen more often», says Christian Jungen, CEO of the Zurich Film Festival. «The seventh art is in dazzling shape – 2026 is a 'Gran Riserva' vintage, distinguished in particular by films such as TENZING, I PLAY ROCKY, and THE DEBUT, which inspire us to dream through positive role models – true to this year's motto 'Dream Big'. The fact that Hollywood stars and great auteur filmmakers are once again coming to Zurich every day shows just how significant ZFF is for the international film industry.»
The program: more world and European premieres than ever
With a total of 133 films, including 46 world and European premieres as well as 21 Swiss productions, the Zurich Film Festival offers a diverse program over eleven days. At the center of the 22nd Zurich Film Festival are the two competitions, the Feature Film Competition and the Documentary Film Competition. Directors from around the world present their first, second, or third works and compete for the renowned Golden Eye, endowed with CHF 25,000 each. The program brings together 14 feature films and 14 documentaries from all over the world.
«In the Feature Film Competition, the British mystery thriller BLACK CHURCH BAY stands out with rising star Joe Locke, as does THE GUEST: the Danes are world champions in this genre, and it's unsettling how a family celebration turns, piece by piece, into an emotional minefield here, carried by an outstanding Trine Dyrholm. Then there's the Iranian comedy HEAD TO HEAD, which develops from overt activism into a profound examination of resistance and courage. In the Documentary Film Competition, THE MATCH is convincing proof that football is far more than sport, while THE SIEGE OF PARADISE holds up a mirror to us with overtourism in the Cinque Terre. Overall, we're seeing around 40% more Swiss films in the program, with filmmakers from French-speaking Switzerland standing out in particular – for instance with the thriller SEVDA, set in the shark tank of Istanbul's real estate industry, or with the debut documentary VIEILLE PEAU about the director's great-aunt, whose pull you simply cannot escape,» says Reta Guetg, Festival Director of the Zurich Film Festival.
Beyond the two competition sections, the Zurich Film Festival presents a diverse selection of films from around the world. The Gala Premieres section features some of the most anticipated films of the year. The thematic sections Now/Future, #artificialintelligence, and Sounds address current social and cultural issues. The Signatures section focuses on the distinctive styles of outstanding filmmakers. Here, ZFF presents films by directors whose work is shaped by a unmistakable visual and narrative language.
«Oscar winner Alex Gibney is represented with two films this year – including the highly anticipated documentary MUSK that is part of the Hashtag section devoted to artificial intelligence. The film precisely traces how tech mogul Elon Musk's ideas are shaping our everyday lives. In the same section, as a counterpart, TECHPLOMACY follows Denmark's first tech ambassador, who advocates for a democratic society in Silicon Valley. The brand-new Now/Future section is dedicated to ecological, social, and economic sustainability and promises entertainment with depth, for example with DEREK VS. DEREK: two neighboring farmers fight tooth and nail for their opposing convictions – one for maximum productivity in food production, the other for a return to an oasis dictated by nature. Switzerland is represented here too: in the Swiss thriller ENJOY YOUR STAY, a Filipina without papers finds herself caught between the fronts and her own moral limits at the luxury ski resort of Verbier», says Reta Guetg, Festival Director of the Zurich Film Festival.
