Zurich Summit 2026: FilmNation, AMPAS, Sony Classics, Mubi, Mattel, Komplizen, Mediawan, CAA, UTA, TikTok & YouTube Among Speakers At Swiss Conference

FilmNation Entertainment CEO Glen Basner, Backrooms director Kane Parsons, Tilly Norwood creator Eline van der Velden, AMPAS CEO Bill Kramer, CAA Media Finance Co-Head Roeg Sutherland, Mediawan Pictures CEO Elisabeth d’Arvieu, MUBI CEO Efe Cakarel and UTA Independent Film Group Partner and Head Rena Ronson will be among executives at the 12th Zurich Summit this weekend.

Running from September 25 to 27, the summit takes place within the framework of the Zurich Film Festival, which has spearheaded the bespoke event, dubbing it “the Davos of the film world” in reference to the annual World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alps.

The participants will gather at Zurich’s Dolder Grand hotel for a one-day conference on Saturday tackling topical subjects such as the box office resurgence, awards season, the implications of AI, the burgeoning creator economy, and YouTube and TikTok’s growing footprint in the film world.

As the Zurich Summit’s official media partner, Deadline will be on the ground covering and moderating panels, as well as providing exclusive interviews with key executives via the Deadline Studio. We’ll also have video from key panels.

In between the talk, there will be space for networking around lunch and a convivial fondu on Saturday evening, followed by a tennis tournament on Sunday afternoon, and gala dinner feting the recipient of this year’s Game Changer Award in the evening.

Game Changer 2026 Honoree

This year’s honoree is FilmNation Entertainment Founder and CEO Basner. He follows in the wake of Neon CEO Tom Quinn last year with other recipients including Oscar-winner Patrick Wachsberger, Co-Chair & CEO Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group Pamela Abdy, Sony Pictures Classics co-founders Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, and Sutherland.

As part of the honor, Basner will participate in the Game Changer 2026 conversation as the concluding event of Saturday’s conference. Edward Berger, whose Oscar-nominated Ralph Fiennes-starring Vatican drama Conclave Basner executive produced, will lead the conversation, which will be preceded by a tribute from CAA Media Finance’s Sutherland.

Packed program

Prior to that, the Zurich Summit organizers have pulled together a packed program.

Highlights include a conversation with Particle 6 Founder and CEO Eline van der Velden about her AI creation Tilly Norwood. She will take stock of developments at her company and for Tilly Norwood after her omission at last year’s Zurich Summit that she was in talks with agents for the character sparked a global viral response.

The topic of AI will also be on the table in a panel titled “How AI Transforms Creativity” with Vania Schlogel of private equity firm Atwater Capital as well as Zack London, director of AI-generated feature Gods Don’t Give Gifts; Nick Holt, whose documentary feature AI: Probably Nothing To Worry About is playing in the festival, and Nick Shumaker, Head of AC Independent at Anonymous Content.

The conference will also put the spotlight on the awards season with Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) CEO Kramer delivering a keynote about his vision for the future of the institution. He will also join Backrooms director Parsons; Robbie Brenner, Mattel Studios President and Chief Content Officer and Barbie producer, as well as SPC co-head Barker for a discussion on the theatrical box office resurgence.

Further highlights include a keynote by MUBI Founder and CEO Cakarel, titled “Beyond Streaming: Building A Global Home For Cinema” and exploring the platform’s evolution to encompass streaming, producing and theatrical distribution as well as its cinephile community-based approach.

Cakarel will then join the panel “Building Resilient Media Companies In The Age Of Disruption – Scale vs. Agility”, alongside Mediawan Pictures CEO and Group Chief Content Officer d’Arvieu, Candle Media Co-Founder and Co-CEO Kevin Mayer, and Cinetic Media Founder and CEO John Sloss.

Independent producers will also be out in force with The Creatives CEO Romain Bessi giving a keynote on the producer-owned film and television group and its evolution out of an informal alliance between nine companies.

It will lead into a related conversation, titled “Global Storytelling: From Filmmaking to the Marketplace” and tapping into the experience of Transcontinental Entertainment Studios CEO and Zurich Film Festival President Martin Moszkowicz; Janine Jackowski, co-founder of Germany’s Oscar-winning Komplizen Film (Sentimental Value), Sutherland and Ronson.

Further timely discussions include “’Show Me The Money!’, the Long-Term Financial and Artistic Value Proposition for Investing in Film and Media”, moderated by CAA executive David Taghioff, with speakers including IPR.VC Managing Partner Andrea Scarso, CAA Media Finance Co-Head Sarah Schweitzman, former WME Independent Co-Lead and Partner Alex Walton, and Media Capital Technologies Co-Founder and CEO Raj Singh.

YouTube and TikTok are also joining the discussions this year.

Andreas Briese, Managing Director YouTube Germany/Regional Director YouTube Central and Northern Europe, will present a keynote on recent developments and the importance and impact of the creator economy in the media sector.

Hasmik Matinyan, TikTok Publisher Manager Entertainment for German-speaking territories, will also deliver a keynote. Titled “From Community to Box Office: How Fandom on TikTok Drives Impact” it will use the success of Backrooms at the box office and on TikTok as a case study to explore the power of community and the role of influencers in driving interest around IP.

She will then be joined by Constantin Film CEO Oliver Berben, Constantin Film Head of Marketing Linda Fiolka and DDA Chief Strategy Officer Julie La’Bassiere for a deeper discussion on how TikTok is working with the entertainment industry and the role of influencers.

The Zurich Film Festival runs from September 24 to October 4, 2026.