Zurich, September 8, 2026 — Emmy Award-winning actor, writer and director John Turturro will receive the Golden Eye Award from the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) for his performance in THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK, written and directed by Noah Segan.
Turturro will accept the award in person in Zurich on September 26. The following day, September 27, he will discuss his more than four-decade career in acting and filmmaking during a ZFF Masters session.
John Turturro’s Four-Decade Career
Turturro has built a career spanning more than 40 years, moving between drama, comedy, crime and other genres while working with some of the most acclaimed filmmakers in international cinema. His collaborators have included Spike Lee, Joel and Ethan Coen, Martin Scorsese, Robert Redford, Robert De Niro, Nanni Moretti and Pedro Almodóvar.
He first gained international attention through his work with Spike Lee, appearing in DO THE RIGHT THING and JUNGLE FEVER. He subsequently established himself as one of his generation’s most distinctive actors through a wide range of acclaimed performances.
His collaborations with Joel and Ethan Coen became a major part of his film career. Turturro appeared in MILLER’S CROSSING, BARTON FINK, O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? and THE BIG LEBOWSKY, where he played the memorable character Jesus Quintana.
For his leading performance in BARTON FINK, Turturro won the Best Actor Award at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival, as well as the David di Donatello Award.
His other film credits include Francesco Rosi’s THE TRUCE, Robert Redford’s QUIZ SHOW, Martin Scorsese’s THE COLOR OF MONEY and Robert De Niro’s THE GOOD SHEPHERD. More recently, he appeared in Pedro Almodóvar’s THE ROOM NEXT DOOR and Matt Reeves’ THE BATMAN.
Turturro later returned to the role of Jesus Quintana in THE JESUS ROLLS, which he wrote, directed and starred in. His filmography also includes comedies such as Adam Sandler’s MR. DEEDS and ANGER MANAGEMENT, as well as Michael Bay’s TRANSFORMERS films, in which he portrayed the eccentric Agent Simmons.
Turturro’s Work Behind the Camera
Turturro has also established himself as a filmmaker. He received the Camera D’Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival for MAC, his directorial debut.
His other credits as writer and director include ILLUMINATA, ROMANCE & CIGARETTES, PASSIONE and FADING GIGOLO.
His work has extended to television as well. Turturro won an Emmy Award for his guest appearance on MONK and earned additional Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for his performance as criminal attorney John Stone in HBO’s THE NIGHT OF.
His television credits also include HBO’s THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA, Apple TV+’s MR. & MRS. SMITH and SEVERANCE. He received Primetime Emmy nominations for both seasons of SEVERANCE.
THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK
In THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK, Turturro plays Harry, an experienced pickpocket whose carefully controlled life begins to unravel after a job goes wrong.
The story unfolds over 36 hours, following Harry as he faces an increasingly dangerous chain of events across the streets of New York. The film combines the tension of a crime thriller with a character-focused story about a man confronting the decisions that have shaped his life.
As Harry races against time, Turturro brings both toughness and humanity to the role of a man caught in a rapidly escalating situation.
Commenting on the award, Christian Jungen, CEO of the Zurich Film Festival, said:
“John Turturro is an iconic actor who made himself unforgettable with films like BARTON FINK and THE BIG LEBOWSKI – his characters leave a lasting, memorable impression. In THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK, he carries the film from the very first minute to the very last, while also turning it into a deeply personal love letter to his hometown. Even though he portrays the antihero, we find ourselves rooting for him right until the end. That’s exactly what John Turturro is characterized by: he creates characters that are exaggerated for the screen yet feel completely true to life at the same time. With the Golden Eye Award, we honor an actor who has left his unmistakable signature on cinema for decades.”
Turturro said he was grateful for the recognition and spoke about his immediate connection with Segan’s screenplay and its setting:
“I am grateful to the Zurich Film Festival for this honor. I was immediately drawn to Noah’s script and to the world he created in THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK. There’s a sense of tension as the clock works against Harry, balanced by a finely drawn character-driven story set in a particular time and place in New York. As a lifelong New Yorker, the world felt rich and evocative, and there was a delicacy about it that felt almost radical about the story Noah was telling.”
The Golden Eye Award at the Zurich Film Festival
The Golden Eye Award recognizes actors and actresses who have shaped the current cinematic year while also ranking among the most significant performers of their generation based on their overall body of work.
Previous recipients include Jude Law, Kristen Stewart, Dakota Johnson, Jake Gyllenhaal and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Turturro will receive the award in Zurich on September 26, 2026, before taking part in the ZFF Masters session on September 27.