Zurich Bows With International Lineup, German-Language Highlights
variety.comEd Meza @edmezavar The Zurich Film Festival boasts a strong lineup of international films, among them Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” and Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn,” and high-profile guests that include Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, Ethan Hawke, Todd Haynes and Wim Wenders.
The ZFF this year screens a record number of world and European premieres — 52 from a total of 148. Another 52 films are debut works. “This high number reflects the ZFF’s growing reputation in the global film industry,” says ZFF artistic director Christian Jungen. “The Zurich Film Festival is the perfect festival to boost the prestige of films for the upcoming award season.” The ZFF is also a key platform for German-language works, Jungen notes. “It’s important for us to have world premieres of big German productions, such as ‘Stella.
A Life.’” Kilian Riedhof’s World War II film tells the fact-based story of a young Jewish woman in Berlin who, in trying to survive and save herself and her parents from deportation to Auschwitz, is forced by the Gestapo to betray other Jews, including her friends. “It’s a very moving film because she is both a victim and a perpetrator,” Jungen says.
Another big German-language screener is Hans Steinbichler’s “A Whole Life,” an adaptation of Robert Seethaler’s bestselling novel. “It’s about a man growing up in the Alps and also a reflection of how the Alps changed with tourism.
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