Zurich Film Festival announces winners of its 21st edition

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