Petra Volpe, Director of Swiss Oscar Contender ‘Late Shift,’ Honored with Zurich Film Festival’s Golden Eye Award
EXCLUSIVE: The Zurich Film Festival is set to honor Swiss director Petra Volpe with its Golden Eye Award in Los Angeles on Monday, January 12, for her acclaimed film Late Shift.
The award presentation will coincide with a For Your Consideration (FYC) screening of the film, which is currently shortlisted for the Best International Feature Film Oscar.
Late Shift has resonated with audiences in Switzerland, achieving significant box office success. Released by Music Box in the U.S., the film features Leonie Benesch as Floria, a devoted nurse who grapples with the challenges of an understaffed hospital ward during a critical shift. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and has since screened at various prestigious events including Locarno, Zurich, Camerimage, and Palm Springs. In Swiss cinemas, it garnered over 200,000 admissions, marking it as one of the country’s most successful local films in recent years.
Christian Jungen, CEO of the Zurich Film Festival, praised Volpe, stating, “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.”
Volpe expressed gratitude for the recognition, saying, “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!”
Previously, Volpe’s 2017 film The Divine Order was selected as Switzerland’s Oscar entry. Her upcoming film, Frank & Louis, an international co-production and her first English-language feature, is set to premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The screening of Late Shift for members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will take place at Soho House in Los Angeles.
‘Late Shift’
Berlin Film Festival
