Pierre le Gall’s truck driver romance Flesh And Fuel scooped the Golden Eye for best film at Zurich Film Festival.
The Feature Film Competition jury, headed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, said that, “At a time when isolation has become a means of protecting ourselves from the world and from one another, Flesh And Fuel offers a compelling and deeply cinematic reflection on the fundamental human need for connection.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
“With exquisite sensitivity, the film explores how the desire to love and be loved demands that we confront, and ultimately break through the physical and emotional boundaries we construct around ourselves.”
Flesh And Fuel debuted as a Special Screening at Cannes Critics’ Week in May, where it won the inaugural Queer Palm Revelation prize for best debut with LGBTQ+ themes.
The film follows a lonely French truck driver, whose life on the road takes an unexpected turn when he meets a Polish driver. It is a debut feature for French filmmaker le Gall, produced by Ex Nihilo and co-produced by Poland’s Lumisenta Films Foundation, and sold by Pyramide International.
A first special mention went to Mads Mengel’s The Guest, which won the Special Jury Prize on debut at Karlovy Vary.
Pete Muller’s US title Bucks Harbor, about masculinity in an isolated fishing community in Maine, took the Golden Eye for best documentary.
“While in times of polarization people are often presented stereotypically, this film provides a much-needed counter narrative in an empathetic way,” said the documentary jury, led by Danish filmmaker and anthropologist Sine Plambech.
The festival’s audience award went to Andrina Mracnikar’s Mila/Marija, a Second World War drama about a young woman who joins a resistance group in southern Austria fighting the Nazis.
Recipients of honorary Golden Eye awards at this year’s festival included Julianne Moore, Tom Hiddleston, Naomi Watts, Luna Wedler, John Turturro and Leila Bekhti; with Career Achievement awards for Richard Linklater, Gabriel Yared, and DCM.
“My first festival as director could not have been more wonderful,” said festival director Reta Guetg. “This year we were able to celebrate more premieres by German-language directors than ever before: Wim Wenders, Doris Dorrie, Andreas Dresen, Volker Schlondorff, Valeska Grisebach, Frauke Finsterwalder, and Ulrike Ottinger. They were joined by international directing heavyweights such as Danny Boyle, Richard Linklater, Martin McDonagh, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Jesse Eisenberg, and Anton Corbijn. It is precisely these encounters between generations that define our festival.”
Zurich Film Festival 2026 winners
Feature Film Competition
Best film – Flesh And Fuel, dir. Pierre le Gall
Special mention 1 – The Guest, dir. Mads Mengel
Special mention 2 – A Girl Unknown, dir. Zou Jing
Special mention 3 – Dua, dir. Blerta Basholli
Documentary Competition
Best film – Bucks Harbor, dir. Pete Muller
Special mention 1 – One In A Million, dirs. Itab Azzam, Jack Macinnes
Special mention 2 – My Home Of Wind And Sand, dir. Patrick Wally
ZFF Critics Jury Award – Ebja! Adolf Wolfli, dir. Heinz Butler
Science Award – We Are Stardust, dir. Elisabeth Rasmussen
Audience Award – Mila/Marija, dir. Andrina Mracnikar
ZFF for Kids Jury Award – Das Geheimnis Der Gestholenen Maske, dir. Nancy Mac Granaky-Quaye
ZFF for Kids Audience Award – Das Geheimnis Der Gestholenen Maske, dir. Nancy Mac Granaky-Quaye
Filmpreis der Zurcher Kirchen – Colors Of White Rock, dir. Khloroldorj Choijoovanchig
