France guest country at the 16th Zurich Film Festival

21 SEPTEMBER 2020

For the 2020 edition of the Zurich Film Festival, that was held from September 24 through October 2, French cinema has been honored in the New World View section, entirely dedicated to new generation French filmmakers, as well as special tributes awarded to Juliette Binoche and Maïwenn.

For this year's event, that were conducted in accordance with strict precautions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Zurich Film Festival chose to celebrate French cinema, which according to festival organizers, "reveals an incredibly multifaceted, ever-renewing cinema that grates creatively against its filmmaking heritage, and one that is able to challenge established narrative patterns with an enduring spirit of innovation." The New World View section was entirely dedicated to French productions, featuring 13 feature films and 4 shorts, a number of which will were accompanied by their directors (including Suzanne Lindon, Caroline Vignal, and David Dufresne).

In the Official Competition, two debut films carried the French banner: Slalom by Charlène Favier and Gagarine by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh, all of them in attendance.

Danielle Arbid, Laetitia Dosch, Alex Lutz, Emmanuel Courcol, Bruno Podalydès, Quentin Reynaud, and Kad Merad also were at the event to present their films in the Gala Premieres section.

Furthermore, the Zurich Film Festival paid a double tribute to French talents, with Juliette Binoche who received the Golden Icon Award for lifetime achievement and Maïwenn wo received the "A Tribute To..." Award, with a retrospective of her films screened at the event.