Once a year, the ZFF brings Hollywood to Zurich. Then, the curtain rises on around 100 curated films, inspiring discoveries as well as World and European premieres. For eleven days, audiences have the unique opportunity to experience today's and tomorrow's big cinema stars up close and personal. A special highlight: with the ZFF taking place in autumn, you can see the films that will win Oscars six months later.

The ZFF is committed to promoting young filmmakers and offers up-and-coming filmmakers the opportunity to network with established stars of the international film industry. Our goal: to bring top-class cinema experiences even closer to the audience, to inspire even more people - and to become the home of talent for the stars of tomorrow's stars. 

The Zurich Film Festival was first held in October 2005. Until 2019, the founders Karl Spoerri and Nadja Schildknecht served as co-directors. Today, the Zurich Film Festival is led by CEO Christian Jungen and Festival Director Reta Guetg.

In March 2026, Mehmet Inan assumed the role of Managing Director of Spoundation Motion Picture AG. In this function, he is a member of the ZFF executive management and is responsible for the areas of marketing, partnerships, hospitality and events.

Since July 2025, the festival has been owned by a new ownership group. The owners include Christian Jungen, Reta Guetg, entrepreneur and moderator Max Loong, long-time ZFF president Felix E. Müller and finance expert Marek Skreta. Since July 2025, the Board of Directors of the Zurich Film Festival has been chaired by Zurich-based entrepreneur and former member of the Swiss National Council Doris Fiala.

Today, the comparatively young festival is the second-largest film festival in the German-speaking world and was named by «The Guardian» as one of the ten coolest film festivals in Europe.