DCM Career Achievement Award: ZFF Honors Swiss Film Company

The Zurich Film Festival (September 24 through October 4, 2026) is honoring the production and distribution company DCM, as well as its co-founders Marc Schmidheiny, Christoph Daniel, Dario Suter, and Joel Brandeis, with the DCM Career Achievement Award. Stephanie Candinas, managing director of DCM in Switzerland, will also be honored. Among the reasons for the recognition is the screening of Wim Wenders‘ documentary «From Inside Out – The Architecture of Peter Zumthor.».

DCM as a Driving Force in Swiss Film Distribution

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Berlin and Zurich, the company says it specializes in bringing films to a broad—and particularly young—Swiss audience. As a film distributor and production studio, DCM is known for Oscar-winning films such as «The Artist,» «Moonlight,» and, most recently, «I’m Still Here,» as well as for the family entertainment blockbusters «Bibi & Tina» and «School of Magical Animals.» Since expanding its business operations to Switzerland in 2013 with the feature film «Kon-Tiki,» DCM has been bringing an ever-growing lineup to theaters each year. According to the press release, its successes also include Swiss productions such as «Wolkenbruch» and «Bon Schuur Ticino.» This summer, the DCM-produced series «Heidi» was filmed in Bergell and is scheduled to air on SRF next year. With the acquisition of Ascot Elite Entertainment, DCM has positioned itself as the largest, growth-oriented independent player in the Swiss film distribution market.

Close ties to the Zurich Film Festival

DCM’s history has been intertwined with the Zurich Film Festival since its inception: Its first feature film, *Waffenstillstand*, celebrated its European premiere at the ZFF in 2009 and won the Audience Award. This year, DCM returns to the festival as the producer of Wim Wenders« documentary »From Inside Out – The Architecture of Peter Zumthor.‘.

«DCM is a company run by film and cinema enthusiasts that has brought a breath of fresh air to the German-speaking film scene,» explains Christian Jungen, CEO of the ZFF. «The founders always act with an entrepreneurial spirit and in the best interests of the films. With the acquisition of Ascot Elite, they’ve made a spectacular move and, as the largest indie player in the German-speaking world, are now ensuring that exciting auteur films continue to reach a wide audience in theaters. With our Career Achievement Award, we want to thank the DCM team for their achievements to date and encourage them in their continued commitment to the new company.»

Marc Schmidheiny, co-founder and partner at DCM, looks back: «At the fifth edition of the Zurich Film Festival, we had the opportunity to participate for the first time as producers with a film here in our hometown of Zurich, and we immediately fell in love with this unique festival. Since then, we’ve had the pleasure of seeing industry giants, role models, and esteemed colleagues on its stages and celebrating with them as they were honored for their work. Now, to be able to stand on this stage ourselves and receive an award is both an honor and a source of motivation for us.»

Wim Wenders Profiles Peter Zumthor

With «From Inside Out – The Architecture of Peter Zumthor,» DCM is bringing a film to theaters this year that the company also produced itself. Director Wim Wenders and architect Peter Zumthor created their first collaborative project—the short film «Notes from a Day in the Life of an Architect»—at the invitation of David Chipperfield. This film was merely the prelude to something bigger: In his documentary, Wim Wenders explores Peter Zumthor’s work, focusing on the expansion of the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen near Basel and the new Los Angeles County Museum of Art building as central themes. Wim Wenders will personally present the film alongside its protagonist, Peter Zumthor, at the 22nd Zurich Film Festival.

In addition to Wim Wenders‘ latest film, the 22nd Zurich Film Festival will present other films distributed by DCM Film AG, including the world premiere of Frauke Finsterwalder’s «Eurotrash.».

Responsible at DCM: Marc Schmidheiny, Co-founder and Partner; Christoph Daniel, Co-founder; Dario Suter, Co-founder; Joel Brandeis, Co-founder; Stephanie Candinas, Managing Director for Switzerland. Contact at the Zurich Film Festival: Christian Jungen, CEO

For more information about the Zurich Film Festival: https://zff.com