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| Prayers answered for Fruit Gathering as it wins Karlovy Vary Crystal Globe Photo: Courtesy of Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary |
The big winner of the prize ceremony at this year's Karlovy Vary Film Festival was Fruit Gathering which won the top prize Crystal Globe Grand Prix. Directed by Aung Phyoe, it is a co-production between Myanmar, the Czech Republic and France. It charts the difficulties for a pair of women in Myanmar who are trying to navigate their dreams against an oppressive backdrop.
Danish film The Guest scooped best director and special jury prize. The Guest director Mads Mengel, making his feature film debut with the family relationship drama, said: “I’m deeply grateful for the way both the audience and the jury have received our film.” Critics have praised the film’s magnetic performances, its emotional charge, and Mengel’s assured handling of a complicated domestic drama.
The best actress award was bestowed on Swiss actress Anna Schniz for her role in A Happy Family, directed by Jan-Eric Mack in which she plays a mother driven to extremes after her children are taken into care.
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| Juliette Binoche arrives for Karlovy Vary’s closing ceremony when she received the Crystal Globe gong for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema Photo: Courtesy of Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary |
In the Proxima Competition prizes went to Lover, Not a Fighter, directed by: Martina Buchelová (Grand Prix); Incinerator by Shuntaro Uchida (Jury Prize); Efthimis Kosemund-Sanidis was named best director for A Whole Person Almost and a special mention for 33 Steps by Anna Domček, Šimon Domček
In a milestone edition that was characterised by multiple honorary awards, the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival concluded with even more accolades. France’s iconic Juliette Binoche was presented with the Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema, while US actor Jeffrey Wright received the festival president's award.
Earlier in the run of the event in the scenic Bohemian spa town Dustin Hoffman and famed cinematographer Robert Richardson also took home the coveted Crystal Globes. Harvey Keitel who was in town to present an archive screening of Mean Streets, already had been previously awarded by the festival.
The glittering awards ceremony was followed by the closing film, The Last Pickpocket In New York, starring John Turturro and Steve Buscemi, a Czech premiere.
Among other awards were the accolades from the International Federation of Film Critics Jury (FIPRESCI) who named Only Beautiful Things To Look At as the favourite in the Crystal Globe Competition and Petty Thieves as the favourite in the Proxima Competition.
Only Beautiful Things To Look At was directed by Ivan Ostrochovský and was a co-production between Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, and Hungary. The jury hailed Ostrochovsky for “blowing the lid off a very touchy topic for bygone Czechoslovakia — the ethical implications of the state-sponsored sterilisation campaign of Roma women. Most of all, it’s a story of friendship and solidarity among two strong women from different backgrounds.”
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| The Guest won the directing and special jury prizes Photo: Courtesy of Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary |
The Ecumenical Jury Prize went to The Lion at My Back (co-produced between Cyprus, Luxembourg and Greece) and directed by Tonia Mishiali. The jury said “Through dense, realistic imagery that becomes metaphorical at key moments, the film tells the story of eighteen-year-old refugee Mariama and forty-year-old Cypriot Stella, with whom she forms an increasingly close bond.”
The Europa Cinemas Label Award was presented to the drama 3 Weeks After from Serbia, Bulgaria, Italy, Croatia and Luxembourg, directed by Miroslav Terzić with the jury hailing a portrait of “lives of adolescents today through their own eyes, allowing their voices and perspectives to shape the narrative in a genuine and convincing way.”
Although not present in person to introduce a screening of Kes, veteran British director Ken Loach, 90 sent a video message to the audience. “I have nothing but the fondest memories of Karlovy Vary. I think I first visited the city in 1967, and I was struck by its beauty and charm.
“In the 1960s, Czech cinema was particularly important to us. What we liked was the apparent modesty, yet at the same time their warmth and delight in human interaction, the authenticity of the acting, and the camera’s role as an observer. The camera observed with kindness, compassion and empathy, with understanding and a smile – sometimes a sad one – quietly capturing the characters’ decisions and dilemmas... It was a pure joy to watch them. I think that approach to making films had a huge influence on me.”
The full list of winners is below:
Crystal Globe Competition
● Grand Prix – Fruit Gathering (Thit-Thee Khu), Directed by Aung Phyoe, Myanmar, Czech Republic, France, 2026
● Special Jury Prize – The Guest (Gæsten), Directed by Mads Mengel, Denmark, 2026
● Best Director Award – Mads Mengel For The Guest (Gæsten), Denmark, 2026
● Best Actress Award – Anna Schinz For A Happy Family, Directed by Jan-Eric Mack, Switzerland, 2026
● Best Actor Award – Ghassan Saad For Pipes, Directed by Karim Kassem, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, 2025
● Právo Audience Award – Bára: Diary Of A Rockstar, Directed by Helena Třeštíková, Czech Republic, 2026
Proxima Competition
● Grand Prix – Lover, Not A Fighter (Milovník, Nie Bojovník), Directed by Martina Buchelová, Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, 2026
● Special Jury Prize – Incinerator (Shokyakuro), Directed by Shuntaro Uchida, Japan, 2026
● Best Director Award – Efthimis Kosemund-Sanidis For A Whole Person Almost (Enas Olokliros Anthropos Schedon), Greece, Bulgaria, Germany, Cyprus, Romania, 2025
● Special Mention – 33 Steps(33 Krokov), Directed by Anna Domček, Šimon Domček, Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, 2026
Non-Statutory Awards
● Grand Prize Of The Ecumenical Jury – The Lion At My Back, Directed by Tonia Mishiali, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Greece, 2026
● Europa Cinemas Label Award – 3 Weeks After (3 Nedelje Posle), Directed by Miroslav Terzić, Serbia, Bulgaria, Italy, Croatia, Luxembourg, 2026
● The Fipresci Award For The Best Film In The Crystal Globe Competition – Only Beautiful Things To Look At (Prameň), Directed by Ivan Ostrochovský, Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Hungary, 2026
● The Fipresci Award For The Best Film In The Proxima Competition – Petty Thieves (Sitni Lopovi), Directed by Mate Ugrin Croatia, France, Germany, Serbia, 2026
