Arnold Schwarzenegger to receive top Zurich honor
The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) announced today that Arnold Schwarzenegger will receive the coveted Golden Icon Award at this year’s Festival, taking place September 24 – October 4. The announcement was made by ZFF Directors Karl Spoerri and Nadja Schildknecht.
Serving as the Festival’s most prestigious symbol of recognition, awarded in appreciation of the lifetime achievements of an actor or actress, the Golden Icon Award will be bestowed to Schwarzenegger on the evening of Wednesday, September 30th at the corso Cinema.
In addition to receiving ZFF’s Golden Icon Award, Schwarzenegger will present his latest film, “Maggie,” and discuss his amazing body of work at a workshop presented within the public ZFF Masters series, now in its 10th instalment.
“We are extraordinarily proud to welcome Arnold Schwarzenegger one of Hollywood’s most iconic legends, to Zurich and are delighted that he will share his films and stories with our public,” said Zurich Film Festival Artistic Director Karl Spoerri. “Arnold has had a transformative career that no one in Hollywood can match and established himself as a global brand, even beyond the box office. We are honored to present him with our Golden Icon award at this year’s Festival.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most recognized individuals on the planet, having led an amazing life and achieving beyond his dreams in Hollywood, fitness, and public service. In an effort to give back to the country that allowed him to accomplish so much, Schwarzenegger ran for public office and was elected California’s 38th Governor.
As governor, Schwarzenegger worked with leaders of both major political parties to address the greatest challenges facing the state in a bold and historic manner. His leadership put California at the forefront of the nation in addressing climate change, pushing for the development of renewable energies, rebuilding critical infrastructure, investing in stem cell research, and putting in place health care and political reforms.
Since leaving office in 2011, he has continued to promote state and local clean energy efforts by founding the non-profit R20: Regions of Climate Action. Additionally in 2013, he established the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy, devoted to seeking bipartisan solutions to environmental, economic, and other public policy issues. He serves as chair of the think-tank’s board and also holds a public policy professorship at the school.
Schwarzenegger has combined his love of global issues and entertainment to serve as executive producer and correspondent on Showtime’s Emmy winning climate change docu-series, YEARS OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY.
Most recently, Schwarzenegger starred in the critically-acclaimed independent drama Maggie and the global box office hit Terminator: Genisys, reprising one of his most famous roles as the Terminator.
The 11th Zurich Film Festival will open with Matthew Brown’s dramatic bio-pic THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY starring Jeremy Irons, Dev Patel, Toby Jones, Stephen Fry, Jeremy Northam and Kevin McNally. Additional ZFF Gala Premieres include KILL YOUR FRIENDS from Owen Harris, MISTRESS AMERICA from Noah Baumbach, MISS YOU ALREADY from Catherine Hardwicke, HIGH-RISE from Ben Wheatley, MON ROI from Maïwenn, THE PROGRAM from Stephen Frears, BLACK MASS from Scott Cooper, COLONIA from Florian Gallenberger, SICARIO from Denis Villeneuve, THE END OF THE TOUR from James Ponsoldt, LIFE from Anton Corbijn and WALK IN THE WOODS from Ken Kwapis.
About the Zurich Film Festival
Now in its 11th edition, the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) has established itself as one of the world’s top Films Festivals, discovering and promoting independent voices and talent from around the world, showcasing a diverse array of international films and serving as the setting for many World and European premieres.
The aim of the Zurich Film Festival is to offer audiences an insight into the work of young, upcoming filmmakers from around the globe and to promote the exchange of ideas between established film workers, young talent and the public.
ZFF is organized by Spoundation Motion Picture GmbH, based in Zurich, in cooperation with local institutions and sponsors. The Zurich Film Festival cooperates with numerous distributors and producers from Switzerland and abroad. The idea to found a festival in Zurich came from Karl Spoerri and Nadja Schildknecht, who serve as Directors of the Festival.
The Zurich Film Festival is generously supported by its main sponsors: Credit Suisse, upc cablecom, Die Schweizerische Post and Audi.
For more information please visit www.zff.com
