Tereza Nvotová’s ‘Father’ Wins Top Prize at Zurich Film Festival

Tereza Nvotová’s “Father” has won the Golden Eye award at Zurich Film Festival.

Showcased in the Feature Film Competition – dedicated to first, second and third feature films by emerging directors – the Slovak-Czech-Polish drama impressed jurors Reinaldo Marcus Green, Leonie Benesch, Carlo Cresto-Dina, Ali Asgari and Nicole Reinhard.

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“We were deeply moved by the craft and the humanity of this film,” they stated, discussing the story of “an ordinary family facing extraordinary circumstances.”

“Its central character is neither a villain nor a hero, but a flawed human being caught in a single, devastating mistake. The film shows how that mistake can shatter what we love most, and yet it is, at its heart, about compassion, hope, and the resilience of the human spirit.”

Zurich’s director Christian Jungen called “Father” a “captivating thriller which takes us on a roller-coaster.” “Film is the medium of empathy and this film shapes our understanding of a man who did a terrible mistake, but is not evil,” he said.

In “Father,” which world premiered in Venice and was recently selected as Slovak Oscar entry, a father accidentally causes a tragedy. Nvotová’s co-writer Dušan Budzak based it on the story of his friend.

“I kept reading about it, about that ‘forgotten baby syndrome.’ It’s hundreds of cases every year, all around the world,” she previously told Variety.

“We had that personal connection because of Dušan, but then we moved away from it. All these stories were quite similar. Mostly, it happens to a very loving parent. To all kinds of people, old, young, coming from all social classes. If we would like to simplify it, I would say it’s a memory failure. And now, with rising temperatures and more cars than ever, it’s happening more and more often.”

Two special mentions in the category went to “Love Letters” by Alice Douard and “Left-Handed Girl” directed by Shih-Ching Tsou, the latter described as a “luminous gem” by the jury, “painful, sweet and humorous at the same time.”

Earlier this year, Variety’s Jessica Kiang wrote: “’Left-Handed Girl’ is an assured and lovely portrait of difficult motherhood and painful daughterhood, but it’s perhaps most entrancing for its turning-kaleidoscope-view of the director’s native city, where the characters are the bouncing beads, but Taipei is the glitter and the dazzle.”

Another Golden Eye went to Zurich-based Moris Freiburghaus’ “I Love You, I Leave You,” shown in the Documentary Film Competition, making it the first-ever winner of the section.

“We had never seen anything like it before. In capturing his best friend’s battle with manic episodes over the course of a year, Moris Freiburghaus’ bold directorial debut gives us an unflinching look at mental illness and the unshakeable bonds of friendship and family,” said jurors Matthew Heineman, Odessa Rae, David Osit, Katharina Bhend and Helle Faber.

Jungen called Freiburghaus’ doc a “love letter to friendship and a film by a very talented director who will have a long festival career.”

“I Love You, I Leave You” also picked up ZFF Critics’ special mention and Audience Award.

“The Ground Beneath Our Feet” by Yrsa Roca Fannberg, filmed in an Icelandic nursing home, and Namir Abdel Messeeh’s “Life After Siham” – “Made with a daring spirit, shaped by a director deeply rooted in cinematic tradition” – were also noticed, with “Life After Siham” given the Film Prize of the Churches of Zurich as well.

Full list of awards:

Feature Film Competition

“Father,” dir. Tereza Nvotová

Special Mentions

“Love Letters,” dir. Alice Douard

“Left-Handed Girl,” dir. Shih-Ching Tsou

Documentary Film Competition 

“I Love You, I Leave You,” dir. Moris Freiburghaus

Special Mentions

“The Ground Beneath Our Feet,” Yrsa Roca Fannberg

“Life After Siham,” dir. Namir Abdel Messeeh

ZFF Critics’ Jury Award

“Memory of Princess Mumbi,” dir. Damien Hauser

Special Mention

“I Love You, I Leave You,” dir. Moris Freiburghaus

ZFF for Kids Jury Award

“Der Prank,” dir. Benjamin Heisenberg

ZFF for Kids Audience Award

“Der Prank,” dir. Benjamin Heisenberg

Audience Award

“I Love You, I Leave You,” dir. Moris Freiburghaus

Film Prize of the Churches of Zurich

“Life After Siham,” dir. Namir Abdel Messeeh

Best International Film Music 

Mikal Grigorowitsch

Golden Eye Awards

Dakota Johnson

Benedict Cumberbatch

Claire Foy

Wagner Moura

Lifetime Achievement Award

Russell Crowe

Golden Icon Award

Colin Farrell

A Tribute To … Award

Noah Baumbach

Career Achievement Awards

Anne Walser

Hildur Guðnadóttir

Game Changer Award

Tom Quinn

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