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EXCLUSIVE: The Zurich Film Festival is honoring Swiss director Petra Volpe in LA on Monday 12 January with the festival’s Golden Eye Award for her film Late Shift.
The award will be presented alongside an FYC screening of the movie, which is currently shortlisted for the Best International Feature Film Oscar.
Late Shift, which was a domestic box office hit in Switzerland and is released by Music Box in the U.S., stars Leonie Benesch as Floria, a dedicated nurse who tirelessly serves in an understaffed hospital ward and on one shift finds herself caught up in a tense and urgent race against the clock. The movie, which debuted at Berlin and played at Locarno, Zurich, Camerimage, Palm Springs and many other festivals, attracted more than 200,000 admissions in Swiss cinemas and became one of the most successful local films of recent years.
Christian Jungen, CEO of the Zurich Film Festival, said: “Petra Volpe has once again succeeded with Late Shift in creating a socially realist auteur film that is firmly rooted in the present, shedding light on the precarious working conditions in the nursing profession while paying tribute to the dedication of healthcare workers. In Switzerland, Late Shift became the most successful domestic film of the year with more than 200,000 admissions and sparked a national debate about improving working conditions in the care sector. In recognition of the film’s cinematic quality and its powerful contribution to public discourse, we are honoring Petra Volpe with the Golden Eye Award and wish her every success in the Oscar race.”
Petra Volpe said of the upcoming honor: “We are incredibly grateful for this award and for the special recognition it represents. Late Shift continues to travel internationally and shows that Swiss cinema can have global impact. I have a special connection to ZFF, as my first feature film celebrated its premiere there. It is wonderful to see how the festival has evolved, and I would like to sincerely thank Christian Jungen and the entire team for the award as well as for their support during the Oscar campaign. And when it comes to our chances: you gotta believe!”
Volpe’s 2017 film The Divine Order was also chosen as Switzerland’s Oscar entry. Her latest film Frank & Louis – an international co-production and her first English-language feature – will play at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The LA screening of Late Shift for AMPAS members will take place at Soho House in LA.
English (US) ·