Myanmar film “Fruit Gathering” wins top prize at Czech film festival

Myanmar director Aung Phyoe’s film “Fruit Gathering” won the top prize, the Crystal Globe Award, at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic on Saturday, the festival organisers said. The film, a co-production between Myanmar, the Czech Republic and France, tells the story of love between two young women working in a garment factory in Yangon. “The film explores how the desires of women can continue to survive within a captivating rhythm that oscillates between tenderness and harshness, in a country where closeness and love between women are still difficult to accept socially,” the festival’s guidebook stated. American actor Dustin Hoffman also received a Crystal Globe Award for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema. The 88-year-old Hoffman is a two-time Oscar winner for “Kramer vs. Kramer” and “Rain Man”. Similarly, Oscar-winning French actress Juliette Binoche, known for her roles in “The English Patient” and “Chocolat,” also received a similar award. American film cinematographer Robert Richardson also received the award. Richardson is an Academy Award winner for “JFK,” “The Aviator,” and “Hugo.” The 60th edition of the film festival, held in the spa town of Karlovy Vary from July 3 to 11, screened 179 films in 472 screenings and sold 132,553 tickets, the festival organisers said.