ZFF Masters
The ZFF Masters are chaired discussions with celebrated personalities from the international film industry. They offer the public a fascinating insight into the creative process and attitude to film of directors, screenwriters, producers and actors. These renowned experts are also available to answer questions from the interested audience.
The discussions are publicly accessible events aimed both at representatives of the film industry and festival visitors. A selection of the last year's ZFF Masters are available as Podcasts on Spotify, Youtube and iTunes.
Our masterminds
Eddie Redmayne
© Thomas Lohne for ZFF
The multitalented British actor and Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne shines on the world's cinema screens and theater stages. He gained fame with his role in LES MISERABLES (2012) and went on to win the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING (2014); his role in THE DANISH GIRL (2015) earned him a further Oscar nomination. He presented his latest film THE GOOD NURSE at the ZFF.
Charlotte Gainsbourg
© Thomas Niedermüller for ZFF
She is one of the most versatile actresses in European cinema: Two-time César winner Charlotte Gainsbourg also proved her talent in international productions like JANE EYRE (1996) and I'M NOT THERE (2007). She enjoys a long-standing collaborative relationship with Lars von Trier: She received the Award for Best Actress at Cannes for ANTICHRIST (2009), followed by leading roles in MELANCHOLIA (2011) and NYMPHOMANIAC (2013). At the ZFF, she talked about her multifaceted career.
Sir Ben Kingsley
British actor Sir Ben Kingsley has conquered the big screen with his unique expressiveness. In 1982, he achieved worldwide fame with his Oscar-winning lead role in the epic movie GANDHI. He subsequently worked with such directors as Steven Spielberg (SCHINDLER'S LIST, 1993), Roman Polanski (DEATH AND THE MAIDEN, 1994) and Martin Scorsese (SHUTTER ISLAND, 2010). As part of the ZFF Masters, the Golden Icon Award winner talked about his impressive artistic oeuvre. The conversation was held online.
Til Schweiger
© Pascal Bovey for ZFF
Multi-talented Til Schwieger is the biggest German film star of the present day: He won the hearts of audiences as an actor with comedies like DER BEWEGTE MANN (1994) and DAS SUPERWEIB (1996), but has also enjoyed great success as a producer and director, for example with KEINOHRHASEN (2007) and HONIG IM KOPF (2014). For the second time at ZFF, Til Schweiger talked in the ZFF Masters about his experiences in the German and international film businesses. He also presented his latest movie LIEBER KURT.
Luca Guadagnino
© Thomas Niedermüller for ZFF
The Italian master director Luca Guadagnino serves a range of different genres with his artistic virtuosity. He gained worldwide fame with IO SONO L'AMORE (2009) and A BIGGER SPLASH (2015). The collaboration with actor Timothée Chalamet began with the four-time Oscar-nominated drama CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (2017), and continues in his most recent production BONES AND ALL (2022). As part of the ZFF Masters, Guadagnino provided insights into his multifaceted work.
