The Zurich Film Festival to Open with GREEN BOOK Starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali

The European Premiere of director Peter Farrelly's drama GREEN BOOK, from Participant Media and DreamWorks Pictures, will open the 14th Zurich Film Festivalon 27 September 2018. Farrelly and Academy Award® nominee Viggo Mortensen (EASTERN PROMISES, THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY) will attend as the Zurich Film Festival's honored guests.

Inspired by the remarkable true friendship that transcended race, class and societal constraints of the early 1960s , Farrelly's foray into powerfully dramatic work also stars Academy Award® winner Mahershala Ali (MOONLIGHT, HIDDEN FIGURES).

When Tony Lip (Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on "The Green Book", a guide book to the few establishments that were then safe and accessible for African-Americans. Confronted with racism and danger-as well as unexpected humanity and humor-they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime.

Said ZFF Co-Directors Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri: "We are thrilled to be opening the ZFF with GREEN BOOK, one of the season's most anticipated films. Whilst it is set in the 1960s, GREEN BOOK feels incredibly relevant today, in the face of racism, discrimination and division in the US and elsewhere in the world. The film is also a pure delight for cinemagoers."

Participant Media and DreamWorks Pictures' GREEN BOOK is produced by Jim Burke (THE DESCENDANTS), Charles B. Wessler (THE HEARTBREAK KID) alongside Farrelly's fellow writers, Brian Currie and Nick Vallelonga, and Farrelly. The drama is executive produced by Participant's Jeff Skoll (THE HELP) and Jonathan King (LINCOLN), along with Octavia Spencer (FRUITVALE STATION) and Kwame L. Parker (KILL BILL SERIES), as well as Cinetic Media's John Sloss (BOYHOOD) and Steven Farneth. Linda Cardellini (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, THE FOUNDER) co-stars.

Distributed locally by Ascot Elite Entertainment Zurich GREEN BOOK opens in cinemas in Switzerland in January 2019.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Zurich Film Festival

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