Zurich Film Festival (ZFF)

Overview

The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) is Switzerland's largest film festival, founded in 2005. The 22nd edition runs September 24 - October 4, 2026, screening 11 days of international cinema across multiple venues in Zurich. The festival attracted 135,000 visitors in 2025 (21st edition), screening 115 films including 40 world or European premieres. ZFF combines a competitive program focused on emerging filmmakers with high-profile gala premieres that attract major international stars.

The festival's distinctive identity is its competition structure: only first, second, or third directorial works are eligible for the Golden Eye award in both the Feature Film Competition and the Documentary Film Competition. This makes ZFF one of the most important discovery platforms for emerging directors in Europe. All competition films must be world, European, or Swiss premieres.

The 2025 edition (21st ZFF) awarded the Golden Eye for Best Feature Film to Father by Tereza Nvotova (Slovakia) and the Golden Eye for Best Documentary to I Love You, I Leave You by Moris Freiburghaus (Switzerland), marking the first time a Swiss film won the documentary competition. The 2025 edition also honored Russell Crowe (Lifetime Achievement Award), Colin Farrell (Golden Icon Award), Dakota Johnson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, and Wagner Moura with Golden Eye awards for their career achievements and current films.

For submission details, visit the ZFF website or the FilmFreeway page.

Submission Details

Submissions are processed through FilmFreeway.

2026 Submission Deadlines:

Submission fees: Fees are listed on the FilmFreeway page and may vary by deadline tier. Filmmakers should verify current fees directly on FilmFreeway before submitting.

Competition Eligibility:

• Director's 1st, 2nd, or 3rd feature-length film (this rule does not apply to out-of-competition submissions)
• Film must be at least 60 minutes long
• Films must have premiered after November 1, 2025
• Minimum status requirement: Swiss premiere at ZFF
• Films that have been shown in Swiss cinemas, screened at another Swiss festival, or broadcast on German-speaking television/VoD before the festival are not eligible
• Films cannot be withdrawn after the applicant has accepted
• All submissions must be made via FilmFreeway

Out of Competition Sections (open submissions):

• Gala Premieres
• Signatures
• Hashtag
• Now/Future
• ZFF for Kids

Competition Sections

The International Competition forms the core of the festival, with 14 films competing in each of two categories:

All competition entries are shown as world, European, or Swiss premieres. The festival previously operated a third competition section, Focus: Switzerland, Germany, Austria, which focused on films from those three production countries. Filmmakers should check the current ZFF website for the latest section structure.

Awards

Competition Awards:

• Golden Eye - Best Feature Film - awarded by an international jury to the best first, second, or third directorial work in the Feature Film Competition
• Golden Eye - Best Documentary - awarded by an international jury to the best first, second, or third directorial work in the Documentary Film Competition
• Special Jury Mentions - the jury may award special mentions in both competition categories

Additional Awards:

• Audience Award - voted by festival audiences across all sections
• ZFF Critics' Jury Award - awarded by a critics' jury
• Film Prize of the Churches of Zurich - ecumenical jury award
• ZFF for Kids Audience Award - voted by young audiences
• ZFF for Kids Jury Award - awarded by a children's jury

Honorary Golden Eye Awards:

• Golden Eye Award - for outstanding creative work and career achievement. Recent recipients: Dakota Johnson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Wagner Moura (2025); Pamela Anderson, Alicia Vikander, Jude Law (2024); Mads Mikkelsen, Diane Kruger (2023); Eddie Redmayne, Charlotte Gainsbourg (2022)
• Golden Icon Award - for remarkable career achievement. 2025 recipient: Colin Farrell
• Lifetime Achievement Award - for lifetime contributions to cinema. 2025 recipient: Russell Crowe; 2024 recipient: Emil Steinberger
• Career Achievement Award - for distinguished work in production, directing, or interdisciplinarity. 2025 recipient: Anne Walser; 2024 recipient: Howard Shore

International Film Music Competition:

• Golden Eye for Best International Film Music - emerging composers create original scores for a selected short film. The top three compositions are performed live by the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich under the baton of Frank Strobel at the Tonhalle Zurich, where the winner is announced.

2025 Award Winners (21st ZFF)

Competition Winners:

• Golden Eye - Best Feature Film: Father, dir. Tereza Nvotova (Slovakia)
• Golden Eye - Best Documentary: I Love You, I Leave You, dir. Moris Freiburghaus (Switzerland) - first Swiss film to win the documentary competition
• Audience Award: I Love You, I Leave You, dir. Moris Freiburghaus (won both the Golden Eye and the Audience Award)
• ZFF Critics' Jury Award: Memory of Princess Mumbi, dir. Damien Hauser
• Film Prize of the Churches of Zurich: Life After Siham, dir. Namir Abdel Messeeh
• ZFF for Kids Audience Award: Der Prank, dir. Benjamin Heisenberg
• ZFF for Kids Jury Award: Der Prank, dir. Benjamin Heisenberg

Feature Film Jury (2025): Chaired by Reinaldo Marcus Green (director, King Richard), with Leonie Benesch (actress, Heldin), Carlo Cresto-Dina (producer, La Chimera), Ali Asgari (director, Divine Comedy), and Nicole Reinhardt (Swiss film curator).

Documentary Film Jury (2025): Chaired by Matthew Heineman (Oscar-nominated filmmaker, American Symphony), with Odessa Rae (producer, The Voice of Hind Rajab), David Osit (Emmy-winning director, Predators), Helle Faber (producer, Mr. Nobody Against Putin), and Katharina Bhend (editor, Wir Erben).

What Filmmakers Should Know

Emerging filmmaker focus: The competition is restricted to first, second, or third directorial works. This is ZFF's defining characteristic and what distinguishes it from festivals like Berlin, Cannes, Venice, or Toronto, which program established directors alongside newcomers. For emerging filmmakers, this means competing against peers at a similar career stage rather than against established names. A Golden Eye win at Zurich carries significant industry weight as a discovery signal.

Premiere requirement: All competition films must be world, European, or Swiss premieres, with a minimum status of Swiss premiere. Films that have screened in Swiss cinemas, at other Swiss festivals, or on German-speaking television/VoD before the festival are not eligible. After the April 30 premiere-restricted deadline, only films that have not yet had their world premiere can be submitted. Filmmakers should plan their festival circuit strategy accordingly, as a Swiss premiere commitment to ZFF may conflict with other European festival premiere requirements.

Director invitation: Directors whose films are selected for competition are invited to Zurich during the festival. ZFF pays for hotel accommodation (three nights at a festival-chosen hotel) and an economy round-trip ticket (train or plane depending on distance) up to CHF 1,500. In the case of co-direction, the festival covers costs for one director only. This is a meaningful benefit for emerging filmmakers with limited travel budgets.

Industry programme: The Zurich Summit is the festival's premier industry event, held at The Dolder Grand during the opening weekend. It brings together top players from film, TV, entertainment, tech, and finance, and has been described as the "Davos of the film industry." The 2025 Zurich Summit panel "Beyond Imagination: Creativity in the Age of AI" was covered by The Washington Post, BBC, CNN, Variety, The Guardian, and other major outlets. The festival also runs the ZFF Academy and ZFF Summit Climber talent promotion programs, and the SoundTrack Zurich conference for film music professionals.

Gala premieres and awards season positioning: The Gala Premieres section screens major international films with their stars present, generating European awards season momentum. In 2025, Dakota Johnson opened the festival with Splitsville, Russell Crowe presented Nuremberg, Benedict Cumberbatch presented The Thing with Feathers, and Colin Farrell presented Ballad of a Small Player. This combination of discovery competition and A-list galas gives ZFF unusual breadth: emerging filmmakers benefit from the media attention drawn by major stars, while audiences get both discovery cinema and awards season previews.

Swiss Oscar Screening: The festival hosts the Swiss Oscar Screening, which showcases Switzerland's official submission for the Academy Awards. This makes ZFF a key date for Swiss filmmakers and for industry professionals tracking the international Oscar race.

Festival scale and audience: ZFF attracted 135,000 visitors in 2025, making it one of the largest film festivals in German-speaking Europe. The festival screens across multiple venues in Zurich including the Arthouse Le Paris, Arena Cinema Sihlcity, and the Zurich Opera House (for the Award Night ceremony). The green carpet at Sechselauenplatz in front of the Opera House serves as the festival's focal point.

No FIAPF accreditation: ZFF is not FIAPF-accredited, which distinguishes it from Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Locarno, and Karlovy Vary. However, its industry profile, audience size, and media coverage place it among the most significant non-FIAPF festivals in Europe. The lack of FIAPF accreditation does not diminish the festival's value for emerging filmmakers, as the Golden Eye award and the festival's industry programme carry independent prestige.

Festival History

The Zurich Film Festival was founded in 2005 by Karl Spoerri, Nadja Schildknecht, and Antoine Monot Jr. The festival's origins trace back to 2004, when Spoerri and Tim Geser brought the English digital film festival onedotzero_adventures in moving images to Zurich. From October 29-31, 2004, the festival was a guest at the Hochschule fur Gestaltung und Kunst in Zurich. This small event developed into the ZFF, and in spring 2005, Spoerri, Schildknecht, and Monot founded Spoundation Motion Picture GmbH (now Spoundation Motion Picture AG), which has run the festival ever since.

The 1st Zurich Film Festival (October 5-9, 2005) was held at the Plaza cinemas in Zurich, focusing on debuts with approximately eight first films presented in competition. The first edition attracted 8,000 visitors. The press and industry were initially skeptical about the young festival, but public reception was strong.

In 2006, the 2nd ZFF introduced the Golden Eye awards in three competition categories: Best Newcomer Feature Film, Best Newcomer Documentary Film, and Debut Feature Film. The festival expanded its program sections with "New World View" and other series. The onedotzero_ch series remained part of the ZFF until 2011.

The festival grew rapidly over its first two decades. Antoine Monot Jr. served as artistic director from inception until 2008, when Karl Spoerri took over the role. Spoerri and Schildknecht co-directed the festival until 2020, with Schildknecht as managing director and Spoerri as artistic director. Christian Jungen succeeded as festival director in 2025, overseeing the 21st edition that achieved what he described as "a level of international prominence never seen before."

The competition structure evolved to include three sections: Feature Film Competition, Documentary Film Competition, and Focus: Switzerland, Germany, Austria. Each section programmed 10-14 films, all first, second, or third directorial works. The Focus competition was later consolidated, and the 2025 edition featured two competition sections with 14 films each.

The Golden Eye award has become one of the most recognized festival prizes in German-speaking Europe. Honorary Golden Eye awards have been presented to major international figures including Kate Winslet, Johnny Depp, Russell Crowe, Eddie Redmayne, Mads Mikkelsen, Diane Kruger, Pamela Anderson, Alicia Vikander, Jude Law, Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, and Dakota Johnson. The Career Achievement Award has honored figures including Howard Shore and Rachel Portman.

The International Film Music Competition, organized in collaboration with the Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zurich and Forum Filmmusik, has become one of the most important platforms for emerging film composers worldwide. The Golden Eye for Best International Film Music is awarded after live performances by the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich.

The Zurich Summit, the festival's industry conference held at The Dolder Grand, has grown into a significant industry event. The 2025 summit's AI panel generated global media coverage, and the summit has been described as the "Davos of the film industry," with approximately 1,800 international contributions.

See Also

For understanding European film financing, see Film Financing Guide. For festival circuit strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. To evaluate whether the submission fee makes sense for your project, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For the Locarno Film Festival (Switzerland's FIAPF-accredited festival), see Locarno. For independent filmmaking strategies, see Independent Filmmaking. Submit via FilmFreeway or visit the ZFF website.