Zurich Summit: Kane Parsons, Kevin Mayer, Efe Cakarel & Eline Van Der Velden Among Speakers
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- Zurich Summit will run Sept 25-27, 2026 at The Dolder Grand, with its speaker lineup featuring Kane Parsons, Bill Kramer, Efe Cakarel, Eline van der Velden, Kevin Mayer, Elisabeth D'Arvieu, and Glen Basner (the 2026 Game Changer Award recipient).
- Eline van der Velden (Particle 6 Founder/CEO) will appear in conversation with Tilly Norwood, her AI actor creation that sparked viral industry debate at last year's summit.
- Backrooms director Kane Parsons and Academy CEO Bill Kramer will lead a panel on the theatrical box office resurgence, with Kramer delivering a keynote covering his Academy vision and the Oscars' exclusive 2029 streaming deal with YouTube.
- MUBI founder/CEO Efe Cakarel will deliver a keynote on the strategy behind building the platform as a global streamer, producer, and distributor, then join a media-resilience panel with D'Arvieu and Mayer on M&A.
- Parsons' Backrooms is A24's biggest theatrical hit to date, and summit themes include AI, the creator economy, the box office boom, and industry resilience.
- The Summit caps attendance at 150 hand-picked leaders, with festival officials noting past attendees have used the venue to connect with investors and grow company valuations.
Why it matters: Capping attendance at 150 hand-picked leaders, the Summit functions as an intimate deal-making venue where past participants have connected with investors and lifted company valuations. This year's program — pairing Kramer's Oscar-CEO keynote on the 2029 YouTube exclusive with Norwood's return — puts the industry's two fault lines on stage in one room: AI-generated performers and prestige awards migrating to digital platforms.
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