Zurich Film Festival to honour actress Julianne Moore

Zurich Film Festival honours Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore Keystone-SDA

The 22nd Zurich Film Festival is honouring the actress Julianne Moore for her lifetime achievement and her performance in Jesse Eisenberg’s film The Debut. She and Eisenberg will accept the Golden Icon Award in person.

Julianne Moore is “one of the outstanding character actresses of American cinema”, the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) wrote in a statement on Wednesday. In The Debut, she plays a woman who realises her dream of becoming an actress. “It is Julianne Moore’s love letter to her own profession – and thus the perfect film with which to thank her”, said ZFF CEO Christian Jungen.

In The Debut, which is due to be released in cinemas across German-speaking Switzerland at the end of January, Mona Friedman (Julianne Moore) transforms from a shy housewife into an actress who draws on personal memories and emotions to portray a character. Although she has only a small supporting role in a musical production, she ultimately stands up for artistic integrity against the domineering director.

The Debut is Jesse Eisenberg’s third film. He previously worked with Julianne Moore on his debut film, When You Finish Saving The World (2022).

Over the course of her 30-year career, Moore has worked with directors such as Robert Altman, the Coen brothers and Todd Haynes, in films including Short Cuts, The Big Lebowski and Safe, Far From Heaven. She has won an Oscar, an Emmy and a BAFTA – and she is the first American actress to have received the top acting awards at the major European film festivals in Cannes, Berlin and Venice.

Previous winners of the Golden Icon Award at the ZFF include Kate Winslet, Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone. The 22nd edition of the ZFF will take place from September 24 to October 4.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.