Johnny Depp planning to attend Zurich Film Festival

The American actor Johnny Depp is expected to be joined at the Zurich Film Festival by other stars including French actress Juliette Binoche and German actor Til Schweiger. Keystone / Vickie Flores

The Zurich Film Festival has released its programme and the list of A-list actors who will grace the Green Carpet in Zurich. This is the first international film festival to take place in person with a full programme since the pandemic started.

The Zurich Film Festival proves the old saying: the show must go on. Even during the lockdown this past spring, festival organisers ruled out cancelling its 16th edition, which will take place from September 24 to October 4. Organisers said that it will have an “extensive protection plan in place” to ensure compliance with federal health and safety guidelines.

By going ahead with a physical event, festival director Christian Jungen said the festival serves as “a beacon of optimism, not only for the general public, but also for the film industry and cultural events in general”. He added that “the virus will be around for some time, we have to learn to live with it and continue to follow our passions”.

The festival will screen 165 films from 47 countries with 23 of them screening as world premieres (first ever screening), 11 as international premieres (first screening away from country of production) and four getting their first European outings. This includes films such as “80,000 Schnitzel” by Hannah Schweier (Germany) and Swiss film “Wanda, mein Wunder” by Bettina Oberli.

The share of female directors exceeds 50% in the film competitions. “This reflects the new situation in the film industry,” said Jungen.

The festival also has an eight-film line-up spotlighting people who fight against social conventions. The international premiere of the documentary film “The Dissident” will take place as part of this section on October 2 – the second anniversary of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Star list

American actor Johnny Depp is planning to come to Zurich to present his co-produced film “Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane McGowan” at a Special Gala. The documentary, which will be shown for the first time in a German-speaking country, tells the story of the Irish folk-punk band The Pogues.

Fans who snag one of the coveted Green Carpet tickets will also have the chance to see German actor Til Schweiger and French actresses Juliette Binoche and Maïwenn. All three – along with Swiss filmmaker Rolf Lyssy and British Oscar-winner Olivia Colman – are among the winners of Golden Eye awards.