Two British Golden Eyes on the fifth day of the 21st ZFF

© Andreas Rentz

Today was another day with two more award ceremonies on the agenda: British actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy were honoured with the Golden Eye in recognition of their acting careers. Meanwhile, German actress Anke Engelke celebrated a world premiere of THE LIFE OF WISHES in Zurich, where she is from.

Eine Collage aus vier Bildern zeigt einen Mann mit Brille und Anzug am Zurich Film Festival, der einen Preis entgegennimmt, an einer Presseveranstaltung teilnimmt, Autogramme gibt und Selfies mit Fans macht.

The day after Captain America star Anthony Mackie celebrated the world premiere of DESERT WARRIOR, we welcomed another Marvel star to the Green Carpet: Benedict Cumberbatch. The British actor attended the 21st Zurich Film Festival with his film THE THING WITH FEATHERS, in which he starred and served as producer. A large fan base gathered early and waited eagerly for the actor. On the same day, Cumberbatch was presented with the Golden Eye in recognition of his outstanding acting career.

Claire Foy: Queen of our hearts

Eine Frau in einem cremefarbenen Anzug besucht ein Filmfestival: Sie posiert auf einem grünen Teppich, hält eine Trophäe in der Hand, steht mit einer anderen Frau vor einem Step-and-Repeat-Brett und macht ein Selfie mit einem Fan.

© Andreas Rentz, Dominic Wenger

Claire Foy, known for her critically acclaimed portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix series THE CROWN, was another British actress to grace the Green Carpet yesterday evening. This was not her first visit to the ZFF, and she once again received a warm and enthusiastic welcome from her fans. In the evening, she presented her new film, H IS FOR HAWK, at the Kongresshaus, where she was honoured with the Golden Eye Award in recognition of her outstanding career.

In his laudatory speech, Festival Director Christian Jungen praised Claire Foy's acting talent: «Claire Foy’s performances often shine because of their emotional depth rather than any spectacle. The same is true of her stunning performance in the beautiful film H IS FOR HAWK by Philippa Lowthorpe, which we have the pleasure of screening tonight.»

In her speech, Claire Foy spoke about her return to the ZFF: «Thank you so much for this, Zurich Film Festival. It’s such an honor, and I’m very happy to be back here. The last time I was here, eight years ago, Andrew Garfield received one of these, and now I’ve got my own, which makes me very happy. I remember when I was here, I felt such an amazing sense of community and appreciation for the films honored at this festival.»

Anke Engelke with world premiereTHE TIME WE LOST

Eine Frau mit gewelltem blondem Haar und einem schwarzen langärmeligen Oberteil posiert mit einer Hand in der Hüfte vor einer Kulisse des Zurich Film Festival, auf der Logos von Sponsoren wie UBS, Mercedes-Benz und NZZ zu sehen sind.

Anke Engelke also returned to the ZFF yesterday; she previously hosted the festival's opening night. This time, she is a guest with her new film, TIME WE LOST. Yesterday evening saw the world premiere of the film in Zurich. «It feels a bit like coming home because I got to know this film festival when it was still in its infancy. Moreover, tonight is a very special occasion for all of us – by 'us', I mean the core team – because we are watching the film with an audience for the first time.»

You can find more impressions of the day here.