The Zurich Film Festival is honoring US director Richard Linklater (65) for his lifetime achievement this year. As the organizers announced on Thursday, the Texas native will receive the "Career Achievement Award" at the ZFF (September 24 to October 4). Linklater has already confirmed his participation and will not only be presented with the "Golden Eye" on site, but will also give a masterclass. In addition, the festival is planning a retrospective of his films.
"Richard Linklater is one of the most visionary and influential directors of American independent cinema", explains Christian Jungen, managing director of the festival. "Through lifelike dialogue and scenes that seem drawn from real life, he knows how to reflect sensibilities and often leads actors to peak performances. [...] I am therefore particularly pleased to welcome him to Zurich and to present his films, which have inspired me for many years, to the audience."
Linklater has always wanted to come to Zurich
The director is grateful for the award. "I feel very honored to be recognized by the Zurich Film Festival with the Career Achievement Award. When Christian and I met at the Golden Globes, I told him that I had wanted to come to the ZFF for a long time - and now the right opportunity has arisen. I am very pleased that this award is bringing me to Zurich, and I look forward to celebrating together with the European audience that has accompanied and supported me throughout my entire career", the statement reads.
Richard Linklater is considered one of the pioneers of the indie film movement of the 1990s. His second feature film "Slacker", a comedy shot without a large budget and without well-known actors, was already discovered by Orion at the Sundance Film Festival and grossed around one million dollars.
Besides "Boyhood", which received six Oscar nominations and earned Patricia Arquette (58) the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, he became known primarily through the "Before" trilogy. "Before Sunrise" (1995), "Before Sunset" (2004) and "Before Midnight" (2013) are three romantic dramas starring Ethan Hawke (55) and Julie Delpy (56). In addition, he directed popular films such as "Confusion - Sommer der Ausgeflippten" (1993) and "School of Rock" (2003).
