“Padlé ovoce” Wins the Crystal Globe at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival

The 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has come to an end with the presentation of its main awards. The Crystal Globe was awarded to the Czech co-produced drama Padlé ovoce.

The film Padlé ovoce (Fruit Gathering) has won the Crystal Globe at the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Directed by Aung Phyoe, the film tells, through a blend of tenderness and harshness, how female desires survive in a society where closeness and love between women are still regarded as unacceptable.

The film is a co-production between Myanmar, the Czech Republic and France. Director Aung Phyoe accepted the festival’s top prize from Juliette Binoche, who had herself been honoured just moments earlier.

“Just being invited to Karlovy Vary was wonderful. I didn’t even ask which section the film would be screened in – anything would have been great,” the surprised director said. He added that it was his first film, his first major festival and at the same time his first award.

Foto: Padlé ovoce | Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Czech co-producer Vít Janeček also praised the long-standing international collaboration behind the project. Partnerships like these, he said, are not created at industry forums but through years of encounters, friendship and trust.

Proxima Award for Slovak-Czech Romance

The top prize in the Proxima competition for films with progressive storytelling went to the playful romance Milovník, ne bojovník (Lover, Not a Fighter). Directed by Martina Buchelová, the film follows a young man in love, who is somewhat directionless, and the people around him.

Foto: Milovník, ne bojovník | Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

The production is a Slovak-Czech co-production. During the award ceremony, producer Julie Marková Žáčková said she hoped people would be lovers more often and fighters less often. And if they did fight, it should be for good causes and for people who have no voice of their own.

Producer Erika Paulinská also stressed the importance of independent, professional and fair support for emerging filmmakers. She said the film shows that obstacles can be overcome with love, humanity, empathy and humour.

Two Awards for Danish Family Drama

The Danish family drama Nečekaný host (Unexpected Guest) received both the Best Director Award for debut filmmaker Mads Mengel and the Special Jury Prize. In his acceptance speech, Mengel spoke about the emotional reactions of audiences and said that people had embraced him in the streets of Karlovy Vary.

Foto: Nečekaný host | Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

The award for Best Actor went to 71-year-old non-professional actor Ghassan Saad for his performance in the Lebanese co-production The Pipe. Anna Schinz was named Best Actress for her role in the Swiss drama Happy Family.

Audience Award for Documentary about Bára Basiková

The Audience Award, presented by the daily newspaper Právo, went to the long-term documentary Bára Basiková by Helena Třeštíková. The director thanked the well-known Czech singer for her openness and authenticity. She also used her acceptance speech to call for the continued funding of Czech Television’s public service broadcasting. Without stable funding, she said, ambitious long-term documentary projects of this kind would hardly be possible in the future.


Karlovy Vary International Film Festival  
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