The Zurich Film Festival will take place for the 21st time this fall. Over eleven festival days from September 25 to October 5, 2025, discoveries from past festivals and the most anticipated films of the year will once again be shown in Switzerland. From a German perspective, 18 productions and co-productions are in the line-up.
The Feature Film Competition is the heart of the Zurich Film Festival and provides a platform for the most exciting new voices in contemporary cinema. Fourteen carefully curated first, second, or third works by directors will compete in the feature film section. “This year's feature film competition has a special focus on films that center on childhood and youth—stories of young protagonists whose lives are shaped by political, family, or cultural constraints,” explains Vice President Reta Guetg.
Two German productions have been invited to compete in this year's feature film competition for the main prize, the Golden Eye. BABYSTAR by Joscha Bongard celebrated its world premiere in Toronto in early September and was praised by audiences and critics alike. The drama revolves around the controversy of Instagram versus reality. The teenage daughter of a family vlogger couple learns that she is not only the star, but also the victim.
The second German production is OBHUT by Veronika Hafner. The German director's debut film deals with a sibling relationship that threatens to break down due to the brother's pedophilia: the drama deals with a stigmatized topic in an impressive and sensitive manner.
Every year, the Zurich Film Festival presents the eagerly awaited highlights of auteur cinema in its Gala Premieres section. This year, four major German productions will be screened in this section. Three of the films are celebrating their world premiere in Zurich, including DAS LEBEN DER WÜNSCHE by Erik Schmitt. Actor Matthias Schweighöfer plays a middle-aged man who finds himself at a crossroads and is searching for meaning in his life when a mysterious stranger offers him three wishes. The second world premiere is DANN PASSIERT DAS LEBEN. Neele Leana Vollmar's drama is about Hans, a school principal nearing retirement, his wife Rita, who lives alongside him, and their son, who left home long ago. The couple increasingly feel a void in their lives until everything changes at once. And there is another German world premiere. Director Christian Ditter brings his remake of MOMO to Zurich. The film adaptation of the novel revolves around the young orphan girl Momo, who fights against thieves who want to steal time. MOMO will be shown in both the Gala section and the ZFF for Kids.
The Gala section also features the German productions ALL THAT'S LEFT OF YOU by Cherien Dabis and MIRRORS NO. 3 by Christian Petzold, which already premiered at the Sundance and Cannes film festivals this year.
Two further German productions can be seen in the Signatures section. SILENT FRIEND by Ildikó Enyedi recently celebrated its world premiere in Venice, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize, among other awards. Ulrich Köhler's GAVAGAI will premiere shortly before Zurich at the New York Film Festival and can then be seen in Switzerland as a European premiere.
Every year, the Hashtag section is dedicated to a current social issue that shapes or influences public discourse – this year it is #SaveDemocracy. Among the German productions in this section is VOICE OF MY PEOPLE by Lorenzo Oschwald, Ansgar Wörner, and Nico Gerspacher. The 90-minute documentary tells the story of politician Islam Alijaj, who ran for and was elected to the Swiss National Council despite severe physical disabilities. The film documents his journey, which the producers accompanied him on for an entire year.
Outstanding children's and family films from around the world will be shown in the ZFF for Kids section. And there will also be a German world premiere here. Director Christian Ditter is bringing his new adaptation of MOMO to Zurich. The film adaptation of the novel revolves around the young orphan girl Momo, who fights against thieves who want to steal time.
A total of eleven films will be shown in this section, six of which are major German productions that have already been shown at several festivals. In addition to MOMO, the German line-up includes STICH HEAD by Steve Hudson, THE SECRET FLOOR by Norbert Lechner, THE LAST WHALE SINGER by Reza Memari, THE PRANK by Benjamin Heisenberg, and CIRCUSBOY by Julia Lemke and Anna Koch.
