Hollywood an der Limmat: The Success Story of the Zurich Film Festival

The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) belongs to the ten most important film festivals in Europe and has become an important milestone for films on the way to the Oscars. Year after year, stars from Hollywood come to Zurich to present their works to the public and receive a Golden Eye.

Based on interviews with the festival directors and unpublished documents, journalist Felix E. Müller describes the rise of the ZFF to become one of the most internationally renowned film festivals. He shows how it played a crucial role for Swiss film and how it brought emerging talents such as director Lisa Brühlmann and actor Eddie Redmayne to prominence. And the author reveals how the ZFF succeeded in bringing stars such as Hugh Jackman, Johnny Depp and Sharon Stone to Zurich.

The book includes many anecdotes about the stars. Furthermore, it highlights the scandals, the never-ending conflicts with the Federal Office of Culture in Bern, as well as the surprising sale of the festival to the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung”. Lastly, it delivers an insight into how the ZFF gained an all-year presence through taking over the “Frame” cinema at the Europaallee in Zurich.

The book is written in German.