Zurich Film Festival unveils first gala premieres

The Zurich Film Festival has unveiled the first seven titles from its Gala Premieres section, a showcase of some of the year’s hottest auteur films. The films include the star-studded drama The Banshees of Inisherin by Oscar winner Martin McDonagh, the European premiere of the German film adaptation All Quiet on the Western Front directed by Edward Berger and the world premieres of Sönke Wortmann’s Der Nachname ‘ and ‘The Golden Years’ by Barbara Kulcsar.

Artistic Director Christian Jungs: “In recent years, the Zurich Film Festival has established itself as a springboard into the awards season. Of the last 10 winners of the Oscar for best picture, six were screened at the festival. This year, too, we are presenting international auteur films, which will later play a role in the Oscar race, to more than 120,000 visitors and 600 accredited media.”

The full program of the festival will be published on September 8th.

“All quiet on the western front” European premiere (drama) Germany
Directed by Edward Berger
Cast: Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer, Moritz Klaus, Edin Hasanovic, Daniel Brühl, Devid Striesow
Germany, World War I. A romanticized heroism motivates the schoolboy Paul Bäumer to volunteer for the military. Full of patriotic zeal, he goes to the western front with his comrades – but the initial euphoria soon turns to fear and despair. With “All Quiet on the Western Front” Edward Berger stages the first German film adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s bestseller: a gripping drama that shows the absurdity and reality of war.

Drama “Argentina, 1985” (Argentina)
Directed by Santiago Mitre
Cast: Ricardo Darín, Peter Lanzani, Norman Briski
Argentina, 1985 is inspired by the true story of prosecutors Julio Strassera and Luis Moreno Ocampo, who dared to investigate and prosecute Argentina’s bloodiest military dictatorship in 1985. Undeterred by the military’s still significant influence in their fragile new democracy, Strassera and Moreno Ocampo assembled a young legal team of unlikely heroes for their David versus Goliath battle. Under constant threat to themselves and their families, they race against time to bring justice to the victims of the military junta.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (drama) Ireland, USA, UK
Director: Martin McDonagh
Cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan, Kerry Condon
As civil war rages in Ireland in 1923, life on the remote island of Inisherin takes its usual course for good-natured Pádraic. But he is abruptly snapped out of his carelessness when his lifelong friend Colm ends their friendship for no apparent reason. Events threaten to escalate and the men maneuver themselves further and further into a dead end. After “Three Billboards”, Oscar winner Martin McDonagh tells a black humorous story about a male friendship in front of a breathtaking backdrop.

“Broker” (drama) South Korea
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Doona Bae, Lee Joo-Young, Gang Dong-won
When an infant is left at a baby hatch on a rainy night, Sang-hyun and Dong-soo decide to secretly bring him home. The mission: find a new family. But then the mother, So-Young, unexpectedly reappears. As they embark on a journey that will forever change everyone involved, the police search for them.

«The Golden Years» world premiere (comedy) Switzerland
Directed by Barbara Kulcsar
Screenplay: Petra Volpe
Actors: Stefan Kurt, Esther Gemsch, Ueli Jäggi
Alice and her husband Peter are newly retired, but their new life is overshadowed when Magalie dies unexpectedly. While Alice mourns the loss of her best friend, Peter becomes a health fanatic. A cruise together is supposed to bring the couple closer together again, but Magalie’s widowed husband disturbs their togetherness. Without further ado, Alice decides to embark on her own adventure. A feel-good film about the third third of life based on a screenplay by Petra Volpe.

“The Last Name” world premiere (comedy) Germany
Director: Soenke Wortmann
Actors: Christoph Maria Herbst, Caroline Peters, Justus von Dohnányi, Florian David Fitz, Janina Uhse, Iris Berben
It should have been a harmonious reunion in Lanzarote, but when the couple Stephan and Elisabeth and the new parents Thomas and Anna arrive at the family holiday home, new quarrels break out in the family. Elisabeth and Thomas can hardly believe it when their mother Dorothea announces that she and her adopted son René are now married. Four years after “Der Vorname”, director Sönke Wortmann returns to Zurich with the long-awaited sequel and wonderfully wicked social comedy “Der Nachname”.

“Triangle of Sadness” (Comedy/Drama) Sweden, Germany, France, Great Britain
Directed by Ruben Ostlund
Cast: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon, Woody Harrelson
Models Carl and Yaya navigate the world of fashion while pushing the boundaries of their relationship. The couple, along with a rogue gallery of wealthy passengers, are invited on a luxury cruise where, at first glance, everything seems perfect. When a terrible thunderstorm capsizes the ship, things spiral out of control. The film won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival this year, the Palme d’Or.