Editor's blog

The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) announced today that legendary producer and entertainment industry icon Jerry Weintraub (“Ocean’s Eleven” series, “Karate Kid” series) will be the recipient of the Festival’s coveted ‘Golden Eye’ Career Achievement Award at this year’s Festival, taking place September 20th – 30th.

Weintraub will receive the ‘Golden Eye’ for his life’s work and also celebrate his birthday in Zurich on Wednesday, September 26th. The award and celebration will include a retrospective featuring some of Weintraub’s most popular hit films.

Weintraub will also discuss his amazing body of work at a workshop presented within ZFF’s public Master Class series, now in its 7th installment.

“We are extraordinarily proud to welcome Jerry Weintraub, one of Hollywood’s true 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.

Jerry Weintraub is one of the most influential and successful people in the entertainment industry, with a career spanning more than 50 years and encompassing the genres of feature films, television, theatre and music.

Weintraub is currently producing the highly anticipated Liberace biopic “Behind the Candelabra,” which is being directed by Steven Soderbergh for HBO Films and also plans to produce a new live-action version of “Tarzan” for Warner Bros. in 2013.

In 2010 Weintraub co-authored his memoirs, the New York Times bestselling book “When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man,” a witty chronicle of his remarkable career and life journey.

Most recently, “His Way,” a documentary of Weintraub’s life, debuted on HBO in April, 2011 was a critical and audience hit, and went on to earn an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Nonfiction Special.

About the Zurich Film Festival

Entering its eighth year, 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. Today, the festival directors are Karl Spoerri (artistic director) and Nadja Schildknecht (public relations, marketing and sponsoring).

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.zurichfilmfestival.org