60th Karlovy Vary Film Festival Winners – Aung Phyoe’s ‘Fruit Gathering’ Wins Grand Prix Crystal Globe

At the closing ceremony of the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the juries presented awards for the best films, with Fruit Gathering (Thit-thee Khu) directed by Aung Phyoe, winning the Grand Prix – Crystal Globe.

Seen through the eyes of two young women, life in contemporary Myanmar can look quite oppressive. Working at a textile factory in industrial Yangon, they face exhausting work, social repression, and economic uncertainty. Although the grueling pace of everyday life stifles opportunities for human connection, both women continue to dream of intimacy and escape

In a statement, the jury said, “Fruit Gathering, which begins as a lush and meditative portrait of work and friendship before morphing, unexpectedly and organically, into a harrowing drama of obsession and queer desire.”

The 61st Karlovy Vary IFF will be held from July 2nd to July 10th, 2027.

See below the winners of the 2026 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

CRYSTAL GLOBE COMPETITION

GRAND PRIX – CRYSTAL GLOBE
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 film The Guest / Gæsten
Denmark, 2026

BEST ACTRESS AWARD
Anna Schinz for the role in the film A Happy Family
Directed by: Jan-Eric Mack
Switzerland, 2026

BEST ACTOR AWARD
Ghassan Saad for the role in the film Pipes
Directed by: Karim Kassem
Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, 2025

PRÁVO AUDIENCE AWARD
Bára – Diary of a Rockstar / Bára Basiková
Directed by: Helena Třeštíková
Czech Republic, 2026

PROXIMA COMPETITION

PROXIMA GRAND PRIX
Lover, Not a Fighter / Milovník, nie bojovník
Directed by: Martina Buchelová
Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, 2026

PROXIMA SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Incinerator / Shokyakuro
Directed by: Shuntaro Uchida
Japan, 2026

PROXIMA BEST DIRECTOR AWARD
Efthimis Kosemund-Sanidis for the film A Whole Person Almost / Enas olokliro
anthropos schedon
Greece, Bulgaria, Germany, Cyprus, Romania, 2025

PROXIMA SPECIAL MENTION
33 Steps / 33 krokov
Režie: Anna Domček, Šimon Domček
Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, 2026

CRYSTAL GLOBE FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD CINEMA

Juliette Binoche, France
Dustin Hoffman, United States of America
Robert Richardson, United States of America

Jesse Eisenberg, United States of America
Maggie Gyllenhaal, United States of America
Magda Vášáryová, Slovak Republic
Jeffrey Wright, United States of America

NON-STATUTORY AWARDS

THE ECUMENICAL JURY AWARD

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

FIPRESCI AWARD

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

KVIFF PROMISES WINNERS

MIDPOINT & KVIFF DEVELOPMENT AWARD
They Bloom at Dawn / Cutot na zorata
Director: Angela Dimeska
North Macedonia

EURIMAGES CO-PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT AWARD
Selamlik
Director: Jerry Carlsson
Sweden, Denmark

EURIMAGES SPECIAL CO-PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT AWARD
Reminiscence / Reministsentsiia
Director: Anastasia Tykha
Ukraine

CONNECTING COTTBUS AWARD
Reminiscence / Reministsentsiia
Director: Anastasia Tykha
Ukraine

ROTTERDAM LAB AWARD
Monika Matuszewska, producer of the film Confirmation / Bierzmowanie, Poland

MARCHÉ DU FILM PRODUCERS NETWORK AWARD
Tomáš Hrubý, producer of Cowgirl, Czech Republic
Eva Váchová, producer of A Few Branches Off / Pořezat pár větví, Czech Republic

WORKS IN DEVELOPMENT – KVIFF TALENTS

Feature Pool (120,000 CZK for further development):

Exposed / Exponovaná
Director: Klára Tasovská
Czech Republic

Until We Leave / Odliv
Scriptwriter: Lucia Čižinská
Czech Republic

Nera
Director: Ivana Vogrinc Vidali
Czech Republic, Slovenia

Creative Pool (50,000 CZK for further development):

Inhalatorium stop-motion feature film
Director: Bára Anna Stejskalová
Czech Republic

Burning Witches / Hon na Čarodejnice miniseries
Scriptwriter: Martina Babišová and Věra Starečková
Czech Republic

K-Dream miniseries
Director: Adam Sedlák
Czech Republic

BOOK-TO-SCREEN AT KVIFF

Playing Wolf / Cestou špendlíků nebo jehel
Author: Zuzana Říhová
Publisher: Argo, Czech Republic

The True Way Out / Skutečná cesta ven
Author: Patrik Banga
Publisher: Host, Czech Republic

Cupid at the Kremlin Wall / Kupidoni Kremlis Kedeltan
Author: Aka Morchiladze
Publisher: Sulakauri Publishing, Georgia

Aspic Bistro / Šaltienos bistro
Author: Ieva Dumbrytė
Publisher: Kitos knygos, Lithuania

The River Odyssey of Kora from Willow Meadow / Wodyseja, czyli prawdziwa historia
Kory z Wierzbowej Łąki
Author: Adam Robiński
Publisher: Widnokrąg, Poland

Queen of Hearts / Dama de cupa
Author: Iulian Ciocan
Publisher: Polirom, Moldova

The Zone / Zóna
Author: Daniel Majling
Publisher: BRAK, Slovakia

Amadoca / Amadoka
Author: Sophia Andrukhovych
Publisher: The Old Lion Publishing House, Ukraine