Zurich Film Festival

Legendary Producer Will Present His Latest Film “Deepwater Horizon” at the Festival

The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) announced today that legendary movie producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura (“Transformers” and “GI Joe” franchises” “RED,” “Salt”)  will be the recipient of ZFF’s coveted ‘Golden Eye’ Career Achievement Award at this year’s Festival, taking place September 22 – October 2. The announcement was made by ZFF Directors Karl Spoerri and Nadja Schildknecht.

di Bonaventura will receive the ‘Golden Eye’ for his life’s work on Wednesday, September 28^th at the Corso Cinema, which will be followed by a gala premiere screening of his latest film “Deepwater Horizon,” starring Mark Wahlberg, Kate Hudson, Kurt Russell, Gina Rodriguez, Dylan O’Brien and John Malkovich, and directed by Peter Berg.

Said Schildknecht and Spoerri, “Lorenzo di Bonaventura has proven himself as one of the most prolific producers in the business today, which is really no surprise given how successful he was as a studio executive earlier in his career. He’s a creative force behind some of the most entertaining and highest grossing movie franchises of the last decade, yet still manages to stay diverse and deliver powerful films of all sizes and scopes, across a wide range of genres. He’s an unbelievable talent and we are honored to welcome him to Zurich and present him with this much deserved Career Achievement Award.”

The much anticipated “Deepwater Horizon” is a story set on the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon, which exploded in April 2010, creating the worst oil spill in U.S. history and becoming one of the worst man-made disasters ever. This story honors the brave men and women whose heroism would save many on board, and change everyone’s lives forever. Lorenzo di Bonaventura produced the film with Participant Media and Lionsgate. Summit Entertainment will release the film in the US on September 30.

About Lorenzo di Bonaventura

Lorenzo di Bonaventura was born in New York. His father, Mario di Bonaventura, is an international conductor.

Mr. di Bonaventura received his undergraduate degree in intellectual history at Harvard College and earned a Master of Business Administration at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business.  He began his professional life operating a river-rafting company and later joined Columbia Pictures and worked in distribution, marketing and in the office of the President.

In February 1989 Mr. di Bonaventura joined Warner Bros. While at Warner Bros., di Bonaventura was involved in over 130 productions.  Amongst his biggest commercial and critical successes were: “Falling Down” (1993), “A Time To Kill” (1996), “The Matrix” (1999), “Analyze This” (2000), “The Perfect Storm” (2000), “Ocean’s Eleven” (2001), “Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone “(2001), “Training Day” (2001) and “Three Kings” (1999).

In January 2003 di Bonaventura formed a production company based at Paramount Pictures.  Since then the company has produced 23 films including the Transformers franchise, directed by Michael Bay; the espionage thriller “Salt,” starring Angelina Jolie; “Red” and “Red 2,” starring Bruce Willis; “GI JOE: The Rise of Cobra” and its sequel, “GI JOE: Retaliation;” the sleeper hit “The Devil Inside” and the critically acclaimed “Side Effects,” directed by Steven Soderbergh.

Upcoming productions include “Kidnap,” starring Halle Berry; “Granite Mountain Hotshots,” about the Prescott Arizona firefighter tragedy; “Born to Run,” based on the Christopher McDougall’s best-selling novel; and the fifth installment of the “Transformers” franchise, “Transformers: The Last Knight.”

In 2011, the company branched into television production with the formation of di Bonaventura Pictures Television.  Based at ABC Studios, di Bonaventura Pictures Television produces “The Real O’Neals,” and is currently developing the comedies “The Wonderful Women of Will’s World,” about a charismatic man who tries to juggle life with his two ex-wives, his new younger wife and his three children, and “Blondie & Clyde,” a modern-day “Laverne & Shirley” about two women with big-town dreams who live in small-town Iowa; and several yet to be titled dramas.

About the Zurich Film Festival

Now in its 12^th 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, Etihad Airways and BMW.

Learn more at http://www.zff.com, and follow the Festival on Twitter (@zurichfilmfest), Instagram (@zurichfilmfestival) and Facebook (https://facebook.com/zurichfilmfestival/)