Following eleven festival days, 69 screenings and numerous periphery events, the 3rd Zurich Film Festival comes to an end today, Sunday, October 7. The festival organisers are extremely pleased with the outcome: More than 27000 visitors streamed into cinemas and plunged into the world of film. The Zurich Film Festival has found its audience in just three years. The films were enthusiastically received. We are particularly pleased that the viewers chose the world premiere “Twelve in a Box” by John McKenzie for the Audience Award. The series New World View, which presented films by young Russian directors, also met with great enthusiasm from public and trade visitors alike – the eight films were screened several times to sell-out audiences. The periphery events and trade meetings also met with approval: Over 50 participants from Switzerland, Germany and Austria met on October 5 and 6 for the first Zurich Producer’s Forum to discuss new feature film projects and film financing in these three countries.

The Zurich Master Class, the Zurich Film Festival’s talent workshop, offered young directors, producers and authors the unique opportunity to form a dialogue with film greats like Oliver Stone, Jim Stark and Pavel Lungin. The encounters were a great enrichment for all the participants. We look forward to the fourth edition of the Zurich Film Festival.