Shafaq News – Zurich
The 21st Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) concluded in
Switzerland with Father by Tereza Nvotová (Czech Republic/Poland/Slovakia)
winning the Golden Eye Award in the Feature Film Competition.
The closing ceremony, held on October 5 at Zurich’s
Opera House, gathered jury members, filmmakers, and festival officials as the
Golden Eye and other prizes were presented across Feature Film, Documentary,
Critics’, Audience, and Music competitions.
Feature Film Competition
The international jury, chaired by Reinaldo Marcus
Green (USA), with Leonie Benesch (Germany), Carlo Cresto-Dina (Italy), Ali
Asgari (Iran), and Nicole Reinhardt (Switzerland), awarded:
– Golden
Eye Award for Best Feature Film: Father by Tereza Nvotová (Czech
Republic/Poland/Slovakia).
– Special
Mention: Love Letters by Alice Douard (France).
Documentary Competition
The jury, led by Matthew Heineman (USA), with Odessa
Rae (USA), David Osit (USA), Helle Faber (Denmark), and Katharina Bhend
(Switzerland), honored:
– Golden
Eye Award for Best Documentary: I Love You, I Leave You by Moris Freiburghaus
(Switzerland).
– Special
Mentions: The Ground Beneath Our Feet by Yrsa Roca Fannberg (Iceland/Poland);
Life After Siham by Namir Abdel Messeeh (France/Egypt).
Audience and Critics’ Prizes
– Audience
Award: I Love You, I Leave You by Moris Freiburghaus (Switzerland).
– Kids’
Jury Award: Der Prank by Benjamin Heisenberg (Germany/Switzerland).
– Kids’
Audience Award: Der Prank by Benjamin Heisenberg (Germany/Switzerland).
– ZFF
Critics’ Jury Award: Memory of Princess Mumbi by Damien Hauser
(Switzerland/Kenya/Saudi Arabia).
– Prize
of the Churches of Zurich: Life After Siham by Namir Abdel Messeeh
(France/Egypt).
International Film Music Competition
The jury, chaired by Hildur Guðnadóttir (Iceland) with
Frank Strobel (Germany), Balz Bachmann (Switzerland), and Jasmin Gordon
(Switzerland/USA), awarded:
– Golden
Eye Award for Best International Film Music: Mikal Grigorowitsch (Germany).
Career and Tribute Awards
– Golden
Icon Award: Colin Farrell (Ireland), for his career and role in Ballad of a
Small Player (dir. Edward Berger).
– A
Tribute to … Award: Noah Baumbach (USA), director and screenwriter.
– Lifetime
Achievement Award: Russell Crowe (New Zealand/Australia), for his body of work
and performance in Nuremberg.
– Career
Achievement Award: Hildur Guðnadóttir (Iceland), composer of Joker, Chernobyl,
and Tár.
– Career
Achievement Award: Anne Walser (Switzerland), producer of I’m Not Stiller.
– Game
Changer Award: Tom Quinn (USA), CEO of NEON.
– Golden
Eye Award: Dakota Johnson (USA) for Splitsville and her career.
– Golden
Eye Award: Benedict Cumberbatch (UK) for The Thing with Feathers.
– Golden
Eye Award: Claire Foy (UK) for H Is for Hawk.
– Golden
Eye Award: Wagner Moura (Brazil) for The Secret Agent by Kleber Mendonça Filho.
Special Events
Scottish actor and director James McAvoy presented his
directorial debut California Schemin’ as the closing film in the “Sounds”
section, highlighting the festival’s link between cinema and music.
Festival Overview
Under artistic director Christian Jungen, the 21st
Zurich Film Festival screened 114 films from around the world across
competitions and side sections including Gala Premieres, Signatures, Hashtag,
ZFF for Kids, Cinema in Concert, Border Lines, Swiss Cinema, Sounds, ZFF
Masters, and ZFF Talks. The festival ran from September 25 to October 5, 2025,
in Zurich.
For more info: https://zff.com/en/zff-history/award-winners
Credit: Independent journalist and
reporter Mansour Jahani
