Zurich Convention Center and Zurich Film Festival: a partnership worthy of a film
Roger Büchel is beaming from ear to ear – as CEO of Zurich Convention Center, he was able to finalise the partnership with Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) in early March. Two up-and-coming Zurich institutions are thus joining hands, both pulling in the same direction. They enrich and shape Zurich with their cultural events.
Zurich Film Festival, which is being held for the 17th time this year, takes place every autumn. From 23 September to 3 October 2021, the city on the River Limmat will be bitten by the film bug and become the European metropolis for film culture for a whole eleven days. Some of the most anticipated films and newly discovered gems will now also be shown at Zurich Convention Center. With this partnership, the hub of ZFF, which was previously at flagship cinema blue cinema Corso and Arthouse Le Paris on Sechseläutenplatz, will extend along the lake basin to Zurich Convention Center. The addition of further venues such as Arena Cinemas, Kosmos and Filmpodium will mean that the festival will be spread out over the city. “The lake as a backdrop, stars on our grand staircase and blockbusters in the convention hall with state-of-the-art media technology,” CEO Roger Büchel goes into raptures – and his anticipation is contagious. This vision will already become a reality in the autumn.
“We are hugely looking forward to offering all visitors unique film experiences as a new and brilliant location.”
Together, the two institutions are charting their future. In recent years, Zurich Film Festival has steadily boosted its impact on the film scene and grown rapidly. As the second-largest film festival in a German-speaking country with a rich supporting programme, it has its finger on the pulse. “However, we are repositioning ourselves on the scene and gaining momentum. We are therefore hugely looking forward to offering all visitors unique film experiences as a new and brilliant location,” says Büchel, summarising the partnership between Zurich Film Festival and Zurich Convention Center.
“The new Convention Center with its fantastic location on the lake is a jewel. We are delighted that, with the main hall, we can now finally put on performances for a large audience of over 1,500.”
“With the opening of the Convention Center, the Tonhalle concert hall is also returning to the lake basin. It’s a great opportunity for the festival, which has been organising a film music concert and the International Film Music Competition together with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich since 2012.”
