FilmNation Entertainment founder and CEO Glen Basner is to receive the Zurich Summit’s Game Changer Award at this year’s Zurich Film Festival.
Basner founded FilmNation in 2008, and has built it into a leading producer, financier and sales company across films, TV series, podcasts, and theatre productions.
FilmNation productions include Sean Baker’s Anora and Edward Berger’s Conclave, and it handled sales for Pablo Larraín’s Maria. The company also produced Promising Young Woman, Arrival, and The Big Sick, and is the home of film genre label Infrared, with credits such as Novocaine for Paramount and the upcoming Skeletons for Sony Pictures.
FilmNation’s most recent TV releases include the Prime Video Original Series The House of the Spirits, the historical epic Black Gold for NDR and ARD and Small Town, Big Story for Sky.
The Zurich Summit’s Game Changer Award recognises influential film industry leaders. Past recipients include Neon CEO Tom Quinn and CAA Media Finance and International Film group head Roeg Sutherland.
The Zurich Summit, part of the festival’s industry programme, takes place September 25 - 27.
Christian Jungen, CEO of the Zurich Film Festival, said: “Since its founding in 2008, FilmNation Entertainment, under the steady leadership of Glen Basner, has grown into a major and dominant independent force with global ambitions. Basner has consistently championed bold and distinctive cinematic voices, supporting acclaimed auteurs such as Denis Villeneuve, Edward Berger, and Sean Baker. His commitment to high-quality filmmaking is matched by a strong belief in the theatrical experience and a dedication to protecting and empowering directors.”
Basner said: “Given the terrific group of previous recipients whom I admire greatly, this is a tremendous honour for both me and the team at FilmNation. We all need to be game changing in today’s independent entertainment business and I’m excited to talk about why I remain entirely optimistic about our future.”
The Zurich Film Festival runs from September 24 - October 4, 2026.
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