Tereza Nvotová’s ‘Father’s Success : Clinches Prestigious Golden Eye at 21st Zurich Film Festival

A Champion Among Emerging Voices

Father was selected in the Feature Film Competition, a section dedicated to debut, second and third films by promising directors. The jury, comprised of Reinaldo Marcus Green, Leonie Benesch, Carlo Cresto-Dina, Ali Asgari and Nicole Reinhard, lauded the film for balancing human frailty with narrative tension. They called the central character “neither a villain nor a hero, but a flawed human being caught in a single, devastating mistake.” They went on to highlight how one choice can “shatter what we love most,” yet the film remains “about compassion, hope, and the resilience of the human spirit.”

Zurich Festival Director Christian Jungen echoed this sentiment, describing Father as a “captivating thriller which takes us on a roller-coaster.” He noted that the medium of film is one of empathy, and that Father masterfully deepens our understanding of how a person’s error can ripple through the lives of those he loves.

Cross-Border Creation & Recognition

Father is a co-production spanning Slovakia, Czechia and Poland, bringing together talent and perspectives from Central Europe. The film already premiered at Venice and has been selected as Slovakia’s official submission for the 2026 Oscars — a further testament to its resonance at home and abroad.

Notably, the Zurich jury also gave special mentions to other films in competition: Love Letters by French director Alice Douard and Left-Handed Girl by Shih-Ching Tsou, the latter being Taiwan’s official entry for the 2026 Oscars. These mentions highlight the strength of the field and underscore just how competitively chosen the Golden Eye winner was.

The Heart of the Film

While full plot details remain under wraps in many markets, Father centers on a deeply emotional story of loss, guilt and moral reckoning. The jury’s remarks suggest the film deals with how a mistake—accelerated perhaps by human frailty—can shatter relationships, yet also set the stage for hope and redemption. It is a story that doesn’t seek to judge harshly, but to show the fragility of humanity in crisis.

The casting, direction, and writing all work in tandem to create a world where one can feel the weight of regret, the bounds of love, and the possibility of forgiveness. It’s the sort of film that lingers after viewing, urging the audience to reflect on the gray spaces of human experience.

What This Win Means

Winning the Golden Eye at Zurich is more than a trophy. It is recognition from an international festival known for spotlighting creative voices at pivotal early stages. For Tereza Nvotová, it strengthens her place among rising filmmakers whose voices bridge regional sensibilities with universal themes.

For Father the win opens distribution and festival opportunities. With this recognition, it is better poised to reach audiences beyond its home markets. It also places the film in conversations about awards season and global recognition, particularly given the Oscar submission.

Looking Forward

As Father continues its journey through festival circuits and global screenings, expectations are higher than ever. Audiences and critics will be watching to see whether the film’s momentum translates into wider distribution, critical acclaim in other territories and sustained recognition.

For Tereza Nvotová, the Golden Eye win may signal that the story she chose to tell — flawed, intimate, emotional — resonates deeply across cultures. It is a reminder that cinema’s power lies in empathy, to show lives that are complicated yet recognizable, choices that haunt but bind us, and the hope that even in the darkest moments there is room for human connection.

In the end, Father doesn’t offer easy answers. It poses a question: when we err, how do we rebuild? And through its triumph in Zurich, it invites viewers everywhere to ponder the depths of forgiveness and the courage needed to face one’s own brokenness.

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