Rarely in recent decades has the festival circuit been as disrupted as it has in the past 12 months. A confluence of local and global issues — from war to inflation, political unrest to societal shifts — have created a perfect storm for many of these vital cultural platforms, leading to funding shortfalls, staff losses, major PR headaches and in some cases cancellation. Amid shifts in consumer and industry behavior, there are also broader existential questions being asked about the role and potency of festivals.
Since last year’s Cannes, we’ve seen flashpoints or upheaval at Sundance, Berlin, Hot Docs, Thessaloniki, IDFA, El Gouna, Cairo, Busan, Odessa and others. Questions have been hanging over the likes of Venice and Toronto but both have made positive announcements in recent weeks: the former by re-upping Alberto Barbera, the latter by confirming a cash injection to bolster its market.
During this year’s turbulent Berlin Film Festival,...
Since last year’s Cannes, we’ve seen flashpoints or upheaval at Sundance, Berlin, Hot Docs, Thessaloniki, IDFA, El Gouna, Cairo, Busan, Odessa and others. Questions have been hanging over the likes of Venice and Toronto but both have made positive announcements in recent weeks: the former by re-upping Alberto Barbera, the latter by confirming a cash injection to bolster its market.
During this year’s turbulent Berlin Film Festival,...
- 5/22/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman and Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has announced its first wave of program details for its upcoming 58th edition, which is set to take place from June 28 through July 6, 2024. The Czech festival, widely considered to be the most prestigious film festival in Eastern Europe, is set to honor one of the nation’s most famous writers with a new retrospective titled “Franz Kafka and the Cinema.”
The series is set to feature screenings of a wide range of films inspired by the Czech novelist, who famously wove themes of alienation and existential angst into cryptic novels that often flirted with surrealism. Some films, like Orson Welles’ “The Trial” are direct adaptations of Kafka’s writings; but the series also includes movies about Kafka’s life, and films like Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours” that were influenced by Kafka’s ideas.
“For decades, Kafka’s oeuvre has functioned as a continuing provocation to filmmakers,...
The series is set to feature screenings of a wide range of films inspired by the Czech novelist, who famously wove themes of alienation and existential angst into cryptic novels that often flirted with surrealism. Some films, like Orson Welles’ “The Trial” are direct adaptations of Kafka’s writings; but the series also includes movies about Kafka’s life, and films like Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours” that were influenced by Kafka’s ideas.
“For decades, Kafka’s oeuvre has functioned as a continuing provocation to filmmakers,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
The Karlovy Vary Film Festival and Variety have teamed up to honor Francine Maisler, one of the world’s most respected casting directors, whose recent credits include “Dune: Part Two,” “The Bikeriders,” “Challengers,” “Civil War” and “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
Maisler has worked on more than 70 feature films and is a recipient of 15 Artios Awards from the Casting Society of America, including for “Marriage Story” in 2020 and “Don’t Look Up” in 2021. As well as working with director Denis Villeneuve on “Dune: Part Two,” “Dune,” “Arrival” and “Sicario,” her other films include Terrence Malick’s “Tree of Life” and “Knight of Cups,” and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “The Revenant” and “Birdman.” In 2022, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for her work on HBO’s “Succession.”
As part of its homage, Karlovy Vary will hold a special screening of one of the films which Maisler worked on. Maisler will also give a public master class,...
Maisler has worked on more than 70 feature films and is a recipient of 15 Artios Awards from the Casting Society of America, including for “Marriage Story” in 2020 and “Don’t Look Up” in 2021. As well as working with director Denis Villeneuve on “Dune: Part Two,” “Dune,” “Arrival” and “Sicario,” her other films include Terrence Malick’s “Tree of Life” and “Knight of Cups,” and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “The Revenant” and “Birdman.” In 2022, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for her work on HBO’s “Succession.”
As part of its homage, Karlovy Vary will hold a special screening of one of the films which Maisler worked on. Maisler will also give a public master class,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The Karlovy Vary Festival will pay tribute to one of the Czech Republic’s most famous sons with a retrospective of film adaptations of the work of Franz Kafka from some of the greatest names in cinema. To mark the centenary of Kafka’s death, the festival will screen a series of films directly adapted from, or inspired by, the literary master of angst.
The retrospective will include such classics as Orson Welles’s The Trial (1962), Martin Scorsese’s Kafkaesque New York dramedy After Hours (1985) and Federico Fellini’s Intervista; Steven Soderbergh’s Kafka (1991) and its 2021 re-edit Mr. Kneff — both starring Jeremy Irons as a set-upon insurance man and writer — alongside lesser-known adaptations, including Jan Němec’s Metamorphosis, a German TV movie version of Kafka’s famous short story. Other highlights include Ousmane Sembene’s Senegalese feature The Money Order (1968) and Kôji Yamamura’s animated short Franz Kafka’s a Country Doctor (2007).
“For decades,...
The retrospective will include such classics as Orson Welles’s The Trial (1962), Martin Scorsese’s Kafkaesque New York dramedy After Hours (1985) and Federico Fellini’s Intervista; Steven Soderbergh’s Kafka (1991) and its 2021 re-edit Mr. Kneff — both starring Jeremy Irons as a set-upon insurance man and writer — alongside lesser-known adaptations, including Jan Němec’s Metamorphosis, a German TV movie version of Kafka’s famous short story. Other highlights include Ousmane Sembene’s Senegalese feature The Money Order (1968) and Kôji Yamamura’s animated short Franz Kafka’s a Country Doctor (2007).
“For decades,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
They claim the Flemish cultural sector will now suffer without De Schutter’s expertise and international contacts.
Over 150 leading figures from the European and international industry have signed an open letter in support of Christian De Schutter, former managing director of Flanders Image, whose sudden removal from his role was announced in a short email sent by Koen Van Bockstal, CEO of Flanders Audiovisual Fund (Vaf), on December 20.
“We’re all flummoxed by the situation and as his longtime colleagues we think we deserve some sort of explanation. We know that many people in Belgium, including your leading filmmakers, are also confused and angered,...
Over 150 leading figures from the European and international industry have signed an open letter in support of Christian De Schutter, former managing director of Flanders Image, whose sudden removal from his role was announced in a short email sent by Koen Van Bockstal, CEO of Flanders Audiovisual Fund (Vaf), on December 20.
“We’re all flummoxed by the situation and as his longtime colleagues we think we deserve some sort of explanation. We know that many people in Belgium, including your leading filmmakers, are also confused and angered,...
- 1/12/2024
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Ariane Louis-Seize’s “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person” has picked up the director’s award at Venice Days.
“It bravely addresses crucial themes such as depression, mental health, euthanasia and neurodiversity. Nevertheless, it is able to do so with a light-hearted feel, which makes the film radical and courageous,” noted the jury, composed of European cinephiles from the 27 Times Cinema program and led by Portugal’s João Pedro Rodrigues, behind “The Ornithologist” and “Will-o’-the-Wisp.”
“While the film has unique tone and style, it joyfully reaches a wider audience thanks to its tenderness and emotional engagement,” they added, praising Louis-Seize’s “strong directorial vision.”
In the film, a young vampire has a problem: she is too sensitive to kill. When her parents cut off her blood supply, Sasha meets Paul, a teenager with suicidal tendencies who is willing to give his life to save hers.
It’s produced by...
“It bravely addresses crucial themes such as depression, mental health, euthanasia and neurodiversity. Nevertheless, it is able to do so with a light-hearted feel, which makes the film radical and courageous,” noted the jury, composed of European cinephiles from the 27 Times Cinema program and led by Portugal’s João Pedro Rodrigues, behind “The Ornithologist” and “Will-o’-the-Wisp.”
“While the film has unique tone and style, it joyfully reaches a wider audience thanks to its tenderness and emotional engagement,” they added, praising Louis-Seize’s “strong directorial vision.”
In the film, a young vampire has a problem: she is too sensitive to kill. When her parents cut off her blood supply, Sasha meets Paul, a teenager with suicidal tendencies who is willing to give his life to save hers.
It’s produced by...
- 9/8/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Canadian director Ariane Louis-Seize’s comedy-drama Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person has scooped the Director’s Award at the Venice Film Festival parallel section Giornate degli Autori.
The coming-of-age tale revolves around a teenage vampire Sasha, who is too sensitive to kill. When her concerned parents decide to cut off her blood supply, her life is in peril.
Fortunately, she crosses paths with Paul, a desolate teenager with suicidal tendencies who willingly offers his life to save hers. However, what begins as a mutual agreement soon evolves into a nocturnal journey to fulfil Paul’s final desires before the break of day.
It was among 10 titles playing in the GdA competition this year.
The jury was composed of young European cinephiles from the 27 Times Cinema program, a joint initiative between the GdA, the European Parliament’s Lux Audience Award and Europa Cinemas.
It was presided over by Portuguese director...
The coming-of-age tale revolves around a teenage vampire Sasha, who is too sensitive to kill. When her concerned parents decide to cut off her blood supply, her life is in peril.
Fortunately, she crosses paths with Paul, a desolate teenager with suicidal tendencies who willingly offers his life to save hers. However, what begins as a mutual agreement soon evolves into a nocturnal journey to fulfil Paul’s final desires before the break of day.
It was among 10 titles playing in the GdA competition this year.
The jury was composed of young European cinephiles from the 27 Times Cinema program, a joint initiative between the GdA, the European Parliament’s Lux Audience Award and Europa Cinemas.
It was presided over by Portuguese director...
- 9/8/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Russell Crowe is standing on a stage, playing an electric guitar. He’s singing “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash, accompanied by a trumpetist, a drummer, someone at a keyboard, another guitarist, and even four backing singers. He starts rocking out to the instrumental section. The crowd, full of Czech film industry insiders, international critics, and fans, is undoubtedly entertained.
This is not yet another remake of “A Star Is Born,” but simply the kind of event you can expect to witness at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, taking place every summer in the Czech city and welcoming talent from all over the world.
First established in 1946, Kviff went through a transformation in the early 1990s following the fall of communism. Karel Och, working at the festival since 2001 and its artistic director since 2011, thinks this shift explains how spectators themselves have changed.
“They didn’t really react at Q&a’s,...
This is not yet another remake of “A Star Is Born,” but simply the kind of event you can expect to witness at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, taking place every summer in the Czech city and welcoming talent from all over the world.
First established in 1946, Kviff went through a transformation in the early 1990s following the fall of communism. Karel Och, working at the festival since 2001 and its artistic director since 2011, thinks this shift explains how spectators themselves have changed.
“They didn’t really react at Q&a’s,...
- 7/12/2023
- by Manuela Lazic
- Indiewire
Hedge Funds into Festivals: Future Frames — Generation Next of European Cinema at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2023Can U.S. companies be viewing international film festivals in a new light that foretells a new source of financing for the festivals which are facing the same cutbacks as all other cultural initiatives as post-Covid inflation and arming big wars take the lion’s share of capital?
Sydney Levine
Published in
SydneysBuzz The Blog
·5 min read·4 days ago
Three important new players are eyeing ten emerging European film directors as they launch their careers in the film industry at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the 8th edition of Future Frames — Generation Next of European Cinema organized by the European Film Promotion and Kviff. The selected participants, chosen among film students and graduates, will showcase their films to the festival audience and engage in an intensive program that will introduce them to the film industry and media in a way that goes beyond the borders of Europe.
The final 10, chosen by Kviff’s artistic director Karel Och and his team of programmers follow a two-part schedule, starting with an online pre-program of pitching training and industry meetings. During the festival, Efp introduces the young directors and their films to the public, film industry and press. The three-day on-site event running from 2 July is rounded off by this year’s mentor, the acclaimed Polish director Agnieszka Smoczyńska who will provide an exclusive private master class for the young filmmakers.
*** click here for more information about you might be selected ***
The new financing infusion comes from future-seeing U.S.- and U.K.-based bigtime cultural business for this year’s Future Frames program
A new partnership with leading multi-national lottery operator Allwyn as well as U.S.-based talent agency UTA and management company Range Media Partners will provide feedback and guidance to the filmmakers. One participant will ultimately be selected who will receive a special scholarship sponsored by Allwyn to go to Los Angeles and learn from the best in the film industry.
UTA’s partnership with the Karlovy Vary Film Festival may be explained in part by the agency’s partner Rena Ronson. The first woman to run an independent financing, packaging and sales department at an agency as sole head, she now co-heads UTA Independent Film Group. In reading her in-depth interview with Screen International, readers will learn what gives Rena her special international view of film, something sorely lacking in most U.S. major players.
U.S. based venture capital as invested in Range Media Partners is also aiming outward from the U.S. The largest startup in Hollywood’s talent representation sector in years, Rmp was launched in late summer 2020 during the Covid pandemic. Its founders and partners, two former agents from CAA, Peter Micelli and Jack Whigham, have an ambitious vision for the management, production and business development side of the industry. With financial backing coming former Wall Street hedge funder Steven A. Cohen’ who reached a $1.2 billion settlement of insider trading charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2013, his private equity firm, Point72, has been a valued advisor but has no day-to-day role in running the agency. Their combined vision sees going beyond classic booking roles in TV shows and movies into the empire-building of business development and venture capital investments. Range Media now has nearly 150 staffers thanks to the financial backing from Point72 and it has expanded quickly through another partnership with A+E Networks that gives it a boost in content production and distribution.
Agnieszka Smoczyńska
In an exclusive master class entitled “How to make your first movie“, Agnieszka Smoczyńska will talk about her experiences and encourage the young directors to follow their ideas and go their own ways. Smoczyńska will present her highly-acclaimed first feature film, The Lure, a mixture of musical and horror film.
Agnieszka Smoczyńska debuted in 2015 with The Lure– genre-bending, horror-musical mashup which won awards around the world, at dozens of international festivals, including Sundance Film Festival Porto, Sofia, Montreal, Vilnius. The Lure is a part of the prestigious Criterion Collection and was theatrically released in US via Janus Film. Her second feature film Fugue premiered at the Cannes Critics’ Week. In 2023, it was released in US theaters. In 2022, her English-language debut, The Silent Twins starring Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance, premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival. Smoczyńska took part in the European Cinema: Ten Women Filmmakers to Watch program. She was also a winner of the Global Filmmaking Award sponsored by the Sundance Institute. In 2022 she was among five directors to watch at Cannes Film Festival.
About Allwyn
Announced as a main partner of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in April 2023, Allwyn, a leading multi-national lottery operator, will support the Future Frames initiative for three years. As a main partner of Kviff, Allwyn will host the Allwyn Future Frames Lounge on site and bring the ten emerging European talents together with industry leaders, including overseas talent agency UTA and management company Range Media Partners.
“We look forward to welcoming all the talented directors to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival this year, selected as part of the Future Frames initiative. We are also very much looking forward to welcoming one of the ten directors on the newly established scholarship to Hollywood, introduced this year in partnership with UTA and Range Media. Changing lives is core to our mission and we are very pleased to be affording talented directors the opportunity to work with the very best in the film industry,” said Pavel Turek, Allwyn’s Chief Officer of Global Brand, Corporate Communication, and Csr.
This year’s group not only has experience in festivals, but the 10 also includes two award winners such as Germany’s Sophia Mocorrea who won the Short Film Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival and received a Special Mention at this year’s Berlinale with her film The Kidnapping of the Bride in the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section. The Netherlands’ Joris Tobé’s Frantic Attempts won the Knf Award for Best Graduation Project at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2022. Other films from this year’s Berlinale include The Shift by Denmark’s Amalie Maria Nielsen (Generation Kplus) and Spain’s Christian Avilés’ Daydreaming So Vividly About Our Spanish Holidays(Berlinale Shorts). Heart Fruit by Kim Allamand celebrated its world premiere in the Pardi Di Domani section at the Locarno Film Festival last year.
For more details of the selected 10, click here.
Also chosen are Czech Republic’s Anna Izabela Wowra for Stuck Together, Italy’s Giulia Regini for Cut From the Same Cow, Lithuania’s Rinaldas Tomaševičius for 15, Portugal’s Inês Pedrosa e Melo for Home, Revised, Slovak Republic’s Monika Mahútová for Standing Still and Switzerland’s Kim Allamand for Heart Fruit.
MoviesInternational FilmFilm FestivalsWomen In FilmFilm Financing...
Sydney Levine
Published in
SydneysBuzz The Blog
·5 min read·4 days ago
Three important new players are eyeing ten emerging European film directors as they launch their careers in the film industry at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the 8th edition of Future Frames — Generation Next of European Cinema organized by the European Film Promotion and Kviff. The selected participants, chosen among film students and graduates, will showcase their films to the festival audience and engage in an intensive program that will introduce them to the film industry and media in a way that goes beyond the borders of Europe.
The final 10, chosen by Kviff’s artistic director Karel Och and his team of programmers follow a two-part schedule, starting with an online pre-program of pitching training and industry meetings. During the festival, Efp introduces the young directors and their films to the public, film industry and press. The three-day on-site event running from 2 July is rounded off by this year’s mentor, the acclaimed Polish director Agnieszka Smoczyńska who will provide an exclusive private master class for the young filmmakers.
*** click here for more information about you might be selected ***
The new financing infusion comes from future-seeing U.S.- and U.K.-based bigtime cultural business for this year’s Future Frames program
A new partnership with leading multi-national lottery operator Allwyn as well as U.S.-based talent agency UTA and management company Range Media Partners will provide feedback and guidance to the filmmakers. One participant will ultimately be selected who will receive a special scholarship sponsored by Allwyn to go to Los Angeles and learn from the best in the film industry.
UTA’s partnership with the Karlovy Vary Film Festival may be explained in part by the agency’s partner Rena Ronson. The first woman to run an independent financing, packaging and sales department at an agency as sole head, she now co-heads UTA Independent Film Group. In reading her in-depth interview with Screen International, readers will learn what gives Rena her special international view of film, something sorely lacking in most U.S. major players.
U.S. based venture capital as invested in Range Media Partners is also aiming outward from the U.S. The largest startup in Hollywood’s talent representation sector in years, Rmp was launched in late summer 2020 during the Covid pandemic. Its founders and partners, two former agents from CAA, Peter Micelli and Jack Whigham, have an ambitious vision for the management, production and business development side of the industry. With financial backing coming former Wall Street hedge funder Steven A. Cohen’ who reached a $1.2 billion settlement of insider trading charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2013, his private equity firm, Point72, has been a valued advisor but has no day-to-day role in running the agency. Their combined vision sees going beyond classic booking roles in TV shows and movies into the empire-building of business development and venture capital investments. Range Media now has nearly 150 staffers thanks to the financial backing from Point72 and it has expanded quickly through another partnership with A+E Networks that gives it a boost in content production and distribution.
Agnieszka Smoczyńska
In an exclusive master class entitled “How to make your first movie“, Agnieszka Smoczyńska will talk about her experiences and encourage the young directors to follow their ideas and go their own ways. Smoczyńska will present her highly-acclaimed first feature film, The Lure, a mixture of musical and horror film.
Agnieszka Smoczyńska debuted in 2015 with The Lure– genre-bending, horror-musical mashup which won awards around the world, at dozens of international festivals, including Sundance Film Festival Porto, Sofia, Montreal, Vilnius. The Lure is a part of the prestigious Criterion Collection and was theatrically released in US via Janus Film. Her second feature film Fugue premiered at the Cannes Critics’ Week. In 2023, it was released in US theaters. In 2022, her English-language debut, The Silent Twins starring Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance, premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival. Smoczyńska took part in the European Cinema: Ten Women Filmmakers to Watch program. She was also a winner of the Global Filmmaking Award sponsored by the Sundance Institute. In 2022 she was among five directors to watch at Cannes Film Festival.
About Allwyn
Announced as a main partner of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in April 2023, Allwyn, a leading multi-national lottery operator, will support the Future Frames initiative for three years. As a main partner of Kviff, Allwyn will host the Allwyn Future Frames Lounge on site and bring the ten emerging European talents together with industry leaders, including overseas talent agency UTA and management company Range Media Partners.
“We look forward to welcoming all the talented directors to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival this year, selected as part of the Future Frames initiative. We are also very much looking forward to welcoming one of the ten directors on the newly established scholarship to Hollywood, introduced this year in partnership with UTA and Range Media. Changing lives is core to our mission and we are very pleased to be affording talented directors the opportunity to work with the very best in the film industry,” said Pavel Turek, Allwyn’s Chief Officer of Global Brand, Corporate Communication, and Csr.
This year’s group not only has experience in festivals, but the 10 also includes two award winners such as Germany’s Sophia Mocorrea who won the Short Film Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival and received a Special Mention at this year’s Berlinale with her film The Kidnapping of the Bride in the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section. The Netherlands’ Joris Tobé’s Frantic Attempts won the Knf Award for Best Graduation Project at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2022. Other films from this year’s Berlinale include The Shift by Denmark’s Amalie Maria Nielsen (Generation Kplus) and Spain’s Christian Avilés’ Daydreaming So Vividly About Our Spanish Holidays(Berlinale Shorts). Heart Fruit by Kim Allamand celebrated its world premiere in the Pardi Di Domani section at the Locarno Film Festival last year.
For more details of the selected 10, click here.
Also chosen are Czech Republic’s Anna Izabela Wowra for Stuck Together, Italy’s Giulia Regini for Cut From the Same Cow, Lithuania’s Rinaldas Tomaševičius for 15, Portugal’s Inês Pedrosa e Melo for Home, Revised, Slovak Republic’s Monika Mahútová for Standing Still and Switzerland’s Kim Allamand for Heart Fruit.
MoviesInternational FilmFilm FestivalsWomen In FilmFilm Financing...
- 7/10/2023
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
At a festival the size and stature of the Czech Republic’s Karlovy Vary, new discoveries are a daily occurrence. But it is rare that at festival’s end, one of the most excitingly buzzy emergent names should be that of a filmmaker who died 37 years ago and who has languished in relative obscurity – certainly in the Anglophone world – ever since. And yet here we are, at the tail end of an 11-film Yasuzo Masumura retrospective – the biggest of its kind ever mounted at an international film festival – that has proved, in a word, revelatory.
It’s not just in terms of blowing the dust from this extraordinary, unjustly overlooked filmmaker’s catalog, but also in the broader sense of being an exemplary model for how to connect a vibrant, youthful regional audience to global film history. There is a classic film fan born every minute, but in Karlovy Vary this year,...
It’s not just in terms of blowing the dust from this extraordinary, unjustly overlooked filmmaker’s catalog, but also in the broader sense of being an exemplary model for how to connect a vibrant, youthful regional audience to global film history. There is a classic film fan born every minute, but in Karlovy Vary this year,...
- 7/8/2023
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Central Europe’s biggest cinema fest and party, has a reputation for offering up a healthy mix of regional and international films, as well as a mix of serious and fun fare, including some more outlandish and challenging movies.
The festival’s 57th edition, running June 30-July 8 in the Czech spa town, is no different.
Here is THR‘s look at some of the more outlandish and bizarre-sounding films that it will offer up to cineasts and industry insiders from around the globe.
Sisu, Midnight Screenings section
Described as “a survivalist action film stripped down to the bone” on the Karlovy Vary festival website, Sisu features a tired unit of Nazis at the end of the war picking a fight with a lone man, portrayed by Jorma Tommila, in Finland. “Part Western and part ironic Finnish answer” to action flicks starring the likes of Sylvester Stallone,...
The festival’s 57th edition, running June 30-July 8 in the Czech spa town, is no different.
Here is THR‘s look at some of the more outlandish and bizarre-sounding films that it will offer up to cineasts and industry insiders from around the globe.
Sisu, Midnight Screenings section
Described as “a survivalist action film stripped down to the bone” on the Karlovy Vary festival website, Sisu features a tired unit of Nazis at the end of the war picking a fight with a lone man, portrayed by Jorma Tommila, in Finland. “Part Western and part ironic Finnish answer” to action flicks starring the likes of Sylvester Stallone,...
- 6/29/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spanish actress and writer Itaso Irano with her first feature as a director, The Girls Are Alright in Crystal Globe Competition at Karlovy Vary Photo: Courtesy of Kviff Patricia Clarkson will be on the Crystal Globe Jury in Karlovy Vary Photo: Courtesy of Kviff As a pointer to the way world cinema production is bouncing back after the pandemic the selectors at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival were deluged with more than 2000 submissions for the 57th edition in the Czech spa town.
Karel Och, Kviff’s artistic director, said: “It has been an incredible adventure for the programming team to get acquainted with this year’s state of the arthouse cinema via almost 2000 submissions. We are proud of the selection and simply cannot wait to share it with the audience.”
The main Crystal Globe competition has new features from a varied range of countries and directors including the thriller...
Karel Och, Kviff’s artistic director, said: “It has been an incredible adventure for the programming team to get acquainted with this year’s state of the arthouse cinema via almost 2000 submissions. We are proud of the selection and simply cannot wait to share it with the audience.”
The main Crystal Globe competition has new features from a varied range of countries and directors including the thriller...
- 5/30/2023
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The 57th edition includes new films by directors Pascal Plante, Stephan Komandarev, Tinatin Kajrishvili and Babak Jalali.
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has unveiled the official selection for its 57th edition, including new features by Pascal Plante, Stephan Komandarev and Tinatin Kajrishvili.
The festival, which runs from June 30-July 8 in the Czech spa town, has nine world premieres and two international premieres in its main Crystal Globe Competition.
Canadian director Plante, whose Nadia Butterfly was in Cannes’ Official Selection in 2020 and Fake Tattoos played in the Berlinale’s Generation strand in 2018, world premieres arthouse thriller Red Rooms about a woman...
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has unveiled the official selection for its 57th edition, including new features by Pascal Plante, Stephan Komandarev and Tinatin Kajrishvili.
The festival, which runs from June 30-July 8 in the Czech spa town, has nine world premieres and two international premieres in its main Crystal Globe Competition.
Canadian director Plante, whose Nadia Butterfly was in Cannes’ Official Selection in 2020 and Fake Tattoos played in the Berlinale’s Generation strand in 2018, world premieres arthouse thriller Red Rooms about a woman...
- 5/30/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, Eastern and Central Europe’s leading cinema event, has unveiled its lineup, which includes new works by Pascal Plante, Stephan Komandarev, Tinatin Kajrishvili and Babak Jalali in the Crystal Globes Competition. They will vie against films by up-and-comers Ernst De Geer, Itsaso Arana and Cyril Aris. The section has nine world and two international premieres. Oscar-nominated actor Patricia Clarkson is one of the jury members.
The Proxima Competition, which made its debut at last year’s Kviff, presents what the festival defines as “bold works,” directed by young filmmakers and renowned auteurs alike. The section comprises of 10 world and two international premieres. The festival says “playfulness, courage and freshness can be found” in the new films by Swiss auteur Thomas Imbach, Poland’s Olga Chajdas, Cyprus-born Kyros Papavassiliou, French filmmaker Émilie Brisavoine and Romanian documentarist Alexandru Solomon, among others.
Eight films will play in the Special Screenings section,...
The Proxima Competition, which made its debut at last year’s Kviff, presents what the festival defines as “bold works,” directed by young filmmakers and renowned auteurs alike. The section comprises of 10 world and two international premieres. The festival says “playfulness, courage and freshness can be found” in the new films by Swiss auteur Thomas Imbach, Poland’s Olga Chajdas, Cyprus-born Kyros Papavassiliou, French filmmaker Émilie Brisavoine and Romanian documentarist Alexandru Solomon, among others.
Eight films will play in the Special Screenings section,...
- 5/30/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The Karlovy Vary Film Festival has unveiled the official selection for its upcoming 57th edition. The lineup comprises 31 films across three sections and a host of world and international premieres. Scroll down for the full list.
Among the lineup is Les chambres rouges (Red Rooms), the latest pic from Canadian filmmaker Pascal Plante, who will compete alongside Iranian filmmaker Babak Jalali and Swedish director Ernst De Geer, who will also debut new works in competition.
The Czech festival’s Crystal Globe competition will feature nine world and two international premieres, while the Proxima Competition for young filmmakers and auteurs with films that defy categorization will screen ten world and two international premieres.
The jury for this year’s Crystal Globe competition will feature actress Patricia Clarkson (Sharp Objects), who will join producer Dora Bouchoucha, Sundance senior programmer John Nein, filmmaker Olmo Omerzu, and Irish actor Barry Ward.
“It has been...
Among the lineup is Les chambres rouges (Red Rooms), the latest pic from Canadian filmmaker Pascal Plante, who will compete alongside Iranian filmmaker Babak Jalali and Swedish director Ernst De Geer, who will also debut new works in competition.
The Czech festival’s Crystal Globe competition will feature nine world and two international premieres, while the Proxima Competition for young filmmakers and auteurs with films that defy categorization will screen ten world and two international premieres.
The jury for this year’s Crystal Globe competition will feature actress Patricia Clarkson (Sharp Objects), who will join producer Dora Bouchoucha, Sundance senior programmer John Nein, filmmaker Olmo Omerzu, and Irish actor Barry Ward.
“It has been...
- 5/30/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
European training program School of Film Advancement (Sofa), which aims to strengthen regional film industries across Europe with a focus on Eastern partnership, has launched its ninth edition and 2022-2023 project selection.
The first Sofa workshop, running through Sept. 30, kicked off on Sunday outside the Polish capital of Warsaw.
After two virtual years, the program returns with an expanded edition that comprises a line-up of 16 projects and 20 participants, composed of up-and-coming film industry executives, curators and cultural managers from 17 countries including Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Bangladesh, Switzerland and Germany.
In the program’s opening session, participants emphasized the need for creative cooperation across borders between the Eastern Partnership countries and the EU, given the fraught political situations in a number of European countries.
Sofa’s 2022-2023 project selection includes business and institutional projects focused on environmental activism,...
The first Sofa workshop, running through Sept. 30, kicked off on Sunday outside the Polish capital of Warsaw.
After two virtual years, the program returns with an expanded edition that comprises a line-up of 16 projects and 20 participants, composed of up-and-coming film industry executives, curators and cultural managers from 17 countries including Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Bangladesh, Switzerland and Germany.
In the program’s opening session, participants emphasized the need for creative cooperation across borders between the Eastern Partnership countries and the EU, given the fraught political situations in a number of European countries.
Sofa’s 2022-2023 project selection includes business and institutional projects focused on environmental activism,...
- 9/27/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Wissam Charaf’s Dirty Difficult Dangerous also won the Europa Cinemas Label.
Graham Foy’s The Maiden has won Venice’s Giornate degli Autori (GdA) Cinema of the Future award.
The Canadian-us film was among seven titles from the GdA sidebar, all first or second features, competing for the €3,000 prize.
Foy’s debut follows three suburban teenagers whose lives are intertwined when one of them disappears and strange occurrences begin cropping up.
The jury was made up of five students from an Italian film school who said: “The film impressed us with its emotional density and the immediacy of its unrestrained,...
Graham Foy’s The Maiden has won Venice’s Giornate degli Autori (GdA) Cinema of the Future award.
The Canadian-us film was among seven titles from the GdA sidebar, all first or second features, competing for the €3,000 prize.
Foy’s debut follows three suburban teenagers whose lives are intertwined when one of them disappears and strange occurrences begin cropping up.
The jury was made up of five students from an Italian film school who said: “The film impressed us with its emotional density and the immediacy of its unrestrained,...
- 9/9/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Abel Ferrara, Shia Labeouf And Steve Buscemi Head To Venice Sidebar Giornate Degli Autori
Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio, starring Shia Labeouf as the controversial 20th-Century monk, will be among the 10 films world premiering in competition in parallel Venice sidebar Giornate degli Autori (August 31 to September 10). Other contenders include Canadian filmmaker Graham Foy’s teen tragedy The Maiden, U.K.-Moroccan director Fyzal Boulifa’s mother and son tale The Damned Don’t Cry; Algerian costume drama The Last Queen by Adila Bendimerad and Damien Ounouri and opening film Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous, a Beirut-set love story involving a Syrian refugee and Eritrean careworker tale by French-Lebanese director Wissam Charaf. The films will compete for the GdA Director’s Award, which is decided by a jury of 27 young European cinephiles, presided over this year by French director Céline Sciamma, under the coordination of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) director Karel Och.
Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio, starring Shia Labeouf as the controversial 20th-Century monk, will be among the 10 films world premiering in competition in parallel Venice sidebar Giornate degli Autori (August 31 to September 10). Other contenders include Canadian filmmaker Graham Foy’s teen tragedy The Maiden, U.K.-Moroccan director Fyzal Boulifa’s mother and son tale The Damned Don’t Cry; Algerian costume drama The Last Queen by Adila Bendimerad and Damien Ounouri and opening film Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous, a Beirut-set love story involving a Syrian refugee and Eritrean careworker tale by French-Lebanese director Wissam Charaf. The films will compete for the GdA Director’s Award, which is decided by a jury of 27 young European cinephiles, presided over this year by French director Céline Sciamma, under the coordination of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) director Karel Och.
- 7/28/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The French writer-director will help young film enthusiasts choose the best film from selection.
French director Céline Sciamma has been named jury president of this year’s Giornate degli Autori (GdA), which runs alongside the Venice Film Festival (August 31 - September 10).
Sciamma will preside over 27 young European film enthusiasts to select the recipient of the GdA Director’s award for best film from the Giornate Official Selection. The process will be coordinated by Karlovy Vary Film Festival director Karel Och.
It is the only award given at the GdA, a sidebar of the Venice Film Festival which runs independently parallel...
French director Céline Sciamma has been named jury president of this year’s Giornate degli Autori (GdA), which runs alongside the Venice Film Festival (August 31 - September 10).
Sciamma will preside over 27 young European film enthusiasts to select the recipient of the GdA Director’s award for best film from the Giornate Official Selection. The process will be coordinated by Karlovy Vary Film Festival director Karel Och.
It is the only award given at the GdA, a sidebar of the Venice Film Festival which runs independently parallel...
- 7/14/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
French director and screenwriter Céline Sciamma has been announced as jury president of Venice parallel section Giornate degli Autori (GdA), running August 31 to September 10.
She will preside over a jury of 27 young European cinephiles attending GdA under the auspices of the 27 Times Cinema program, a joint initiative organized by the independent sidebar, the European Parliament’s Lux Audience Award and Europa Cinemas
This jury decides the GdA Director’s Award, the sidebar’s only official prize, under the coordination of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) director Karel Och.
“Our choice of Céline Sciamma as jury president doesn’t only mean having one of the most intriguing voices in contemporary film with us at Giornate degli Autori; most importantly, what it means is embracing her vision of reality,” said GdA artistic director Gaia Furrer of the Portrait Of A Lady On Fire and Petite Maman director.
“Céline Sciamma has always...
She will preside over a jury of 27 young European cinephiles attending GdA under the auspices of the 27 Times Cinema program, a joint initiative organized by the independent sidebar, the European Parliament’s Lux Audience Award and Europa Cinemas
This jury decides the GdA Director’s Award, the sidebar’s only official prize, under the coordination of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) director Karel Och.
“Our choice of Céline Sciamma as jury president doesn’t only mean having one of the most intriguing voices in contemporary film with us at Giornate degli Autori; most importantly, what it means is embracing her vision of reality,” said GdA artistic director Gaia Furrer of the Portrait Of A Lady On Fire and Petite Maman director.
“Céline Sciamma has always...
- 7/14/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s no one way to experience the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, and no singular type of attendee. Stroll into the Grandhotel Pupp, the 18th century luxury resort that serves as the main social hive, and you may clink glasses with Netflix execs, members of the HFPA and filmmakers of all stripes; venture into the dense forests that surround the Czech spa town and discover the ad hoc sites where hundreds of teens camp out for a week-long party.
Head into a theater, however, and you’ll see those many worlds meet.
Boasting 453 screenings spread across nine days, this year’s edition wrapped this past weekend, awarding its top prize to the brooding Canadian-Iranian drama “Summer With Hope” ahead of a closing night presentation of George Miller’s “Three Thousand Years of Longing” – rather perfectly encapsulating the festival’s joint promise.
Also Read:
‘Summer With Hope,’ ‘Word’ Win Top Prizes...
Head into a theater, however, and you’ll see those many worlds meet.
Boasting 453 screenings spread across nine days, this year’s edition wrapped this past weekend, awarding its top prize to the brooding Canadian-Iranian drama “Summer With Hope” ahead of a closing night presentation of George Miller’s “Three Thousand Years of Longing” – rather perfectly encapsulating the festival’s joint promise.
Also Read:
‘Summer With Hope,’ ‘Word’ Win Top Prizes...
- 7/13/2022
- by Ben Croll
- The Wrap
Czech title ‘Word’ takes best director for Beata Parkanova; ‘A Room Of My Own’ leads share best actress.
Sadaf Foroughi’s Canadian-Iranian drama Summer With Hope has won the Crystal Globe for best film at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff), which held its closing awards ceremony on Friday July 9.
Foroughi’s second feature is about a swimmer learning a new open water discipline, who develops a close alliance with his coach.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
Written and directed and produced by Foroughi, it is also produced by Kiarash Anvari and Christina Piovesan for Canada’s First Generation Films.
Sadaf Foroughi’s Canadian-Iranian drama Summer With Hope has won the Crystal Globe for best film at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff), which held its closing awards ceremony on Friday July 9.
Foroughi’s second feature is about a swimmer learning a new open water discipline, who develops a close alliance with his coach.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
Written and directed and produced by Foroughi, it is also produced by Kiarash Anvari and Christina Piovesan for Canada’s First Generation Films.
- 7/9/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Czech screenwriter and director Beata Parkanova says she had a rich mine of real-life characters and scenes to draw on in crafting her second feature, the retro drama “The Word,” competing in the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival’s main event, the Crystal Globe race.
The filmmaker behind “Moments,” a drama that competed in Kviff’s East of the West section in 2018, is screening her sophomore feature at Karlovy Vary in what artistic director Karel Och calls a “masterfully told and highly original intimate drama” built around the family of notary Vaclav Vojir, “a small-town moral authority,” and his fiercely loyal wife, Vera.
The story follows its protagonists through a political and societal ordeal in the summer of 1968, with nuanced performances by Martin Finger and Gabriela Mikulková.
Finger’s principled probate notary and his suffer-no-fools wife, played by Mikulkova, were both inspired by Parkanova’s own family, she says.
“I...
The filmmaker behind “Moments,” a drama that competed in Kviff’s East of the West section in 2018, is screening her sophomore feature at Karlovy Vary in what artistic director Karel Och calls a “masterfully told and highly original intimate drama” built around the family of notary Vaclav Vojir, “a small-town moral authority,” and his fiercely loyal wife, Vera.
The story follows its protagonists through a political and societal ordeal in the summer of 1968, with nuanced performances by Martin Finger and Gabriela Mikulková.
Finger’s principled probate notary and his suffer-no-fools wife, played by Mikulkova, were both inspired by Parkanova’s own family, she says.
“I...
- 7/3/2022
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
While Ukrainian filmmakers have called out international festivals such as Cannes and Karlovy Vary for the inclusion of Russian titles in their lineups, Liev Schreiber, who has Ukrainian roots stemming from his maternal grandfather, admits he “struggles” with the idea of boycotting art of any kind.
“I struggle with the idea of boycotting any kind of art or expression,” Schreiber told journalists at a press conference at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on Saturday. “Having said that, the reason that I believe, and everyone always asked me why I think Ukraine is going to win, is because I believe that they are going to come out of this eventually on the right side of history. And I believe that because they have the truth on their side.”
Schreiber, who was in town to discuss his initiative BlueCheck Ukraine, stressed that what is most in play right now is truth in the media,...
“I struggle with the idea of boycotting any kind of art or expression,” Schreiber told journalists at a press conference at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on Saturday. “Having said that, the reason that I believe, and everyone always asked me why I think Ukraine is going to win, is because I believe that they are going to come out of this eventually on the right side of history. And I believe that because they have the truth on their side.”
Schreiber, who was in town to discuss his initiative BlueCheck Ukraine, stressed that what is most in play right now is truth in the media,...
- 7/2/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
As its 56th edition – running July 1-9 – kicks off, Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival is ready to party like it’s 2019.
“We can’t predict how many people will come, as some still don’t want to travel, but it’s supposed to be as close to [pre-pandemic] 2019 as possible,” says artistic director Karel Och, noting the audience is still one of the festival’s biggest assets.
It’s their enthusiasm for cinema that has “enchanted even big Hollywood stars,” echoes president Jiří Bartoška, hoping for a great atmosphere in Karlovy Vary.
But there have been significant changes at the festival, starting with the death of the longtime artistic advisor and former artistic director Eva Zaoralová in March.
“When it happened, it was just like when Bowie died — certain people you just consider immortal,” says Och. The festival will celebrate Zaoralová with an exhibition of photographs and a screening of her favorite film,...
“We can’t predict how many people will come, as some still don’t want to travel, but it’s supposed to be as close to [pre-pandemic] 2019 as possible,” says artistic director Karel Och, noting the audience is still one of the festival’s biggest assets.
It’s their enthusiasm for cinema that has “enchanted even big Hollywood stars,” echoes president Jiří Bartoška, hoping for a great atmosphere in Karlovy Vary.
But there have been significant changes at the festival, starting with the death of the longtime artistic advisor and former artistic director Eva Zaoralová in March.
“When it happened, it was just like when Bowie died — certain people you just consider immortal,” says Och. The festival will celebrate Zaoralová with an exhibition of photographs and a screening of her favorite film,...
- 7/1/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Good afternoon Insider squad. Max Goldbart here back from Glastonbury with all the news, analysis and sunburn you need as we look back on the final week of June. Read on.
Karlovy Vary Kicks Off
Czeching-in: The film festival calendar is in full swing this summer and the picturesque Czech festival of Karlovy Vary kicks off today, ending next Saturday. On the ground for Deadline are Diana Lodderhose and our new Senior International Film Correspondent Melanie Goodfellow, taking in the Prague festival, which will see 33 films from five continents compete across three sections. Italian director Paolo Genovese’s relationship drama Superheroes will open, while George Miller’s Cannes title Three Thousand Years of Longing is set to close, and A-listers Liev Schreiber, Geoffrey Rush and Benicio del Toro are all in attendance. Diana set us up with two excellent primers, as she posed how Kv continues to be an “edgy...
Karlovy Vary Kicks Off
Czeching-in: The film festival calendar is in full swing this summer and the picturesque Czech festival of Karlovy Vary kicks off today, ending next Saturday. On the ground for Deadline are Diana Lodderhose and our new Senior International Film Correspondent Melanie Goodfellow, taking in the Prague festival, which will see 33 films from five continents compete across three sections. Italian director Paolo Genovese’s relationship drama Superheroes will open, while George Miller’s Cannes title Three Thousand Years of Longing is set to close, and A-listers Liev Schreiber, Geoffrey Rush and Benicio del Toro are all in attendance. Diana set us up with two excellent primers, as she posed how Kv continues to be an “edgy...
- 7/1/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
As the 56th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) is about to kick off on Friday, there will be plenty to discuss at this year’s event in the picturesque Czech spa town. The prominent Central European festival, which is returning to its usual early July slot after last year’s edition was delayed to August because of the pandemic, will see 33 films from five continents screen across its three sections – the Crystal Globe Competition, the Special Screenings section and its new competition, Proxima, which replaces the former East of the West section.
This year’s selections will be bookended by Friday’s opening night film Superheroes, from Italian director Paolo Genovese, and George Miller’s Cannes title Three Thousand Years Of Longing, which will close the festival on July 9. The lineup includes the world premiere of Jake Paltrow’s Israel and Ukraine-shot feature June Zero, about...
This year’s selections will be bookended by Friday’s opening night film Superheroes, from Italian director Paolo Genovese, and George Miller’s Cannes title Three Thousand Years Of Longing, which will close the festival on July 9. The lineup includes the world premiere of Jake Paltrow’s Israel and Ukraine-shot feature June Zero, about...
- 6/29/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Festival organisers respond to critical open letter from Ukrainian filmmakers.
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has refused to withdraw a state-backed Russian film from its upcoming edition despite an open letter of protest from a group of Ukrainian directors.
The festival in the Czech Republic is set to screen Stalin-era drama Captain Volkonogov Escaped on July 1 as part of its Horizons strand. Directed by Natasha Merlulova and Aleksey Chupov, the film premiered in competition at Venice last year and its production received support from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
Kviff has previously denounced Russia’s invasion of...
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has refused to withdraw a state-backed Russian film from its upcoming edition despite an open letter of protest from a group of Ukrainian directors.
The festival in the Czech Republic is set to screen Stalin-era drama Captain Volkonogov Escaped on July 1 as part of its Horizons strand. Directed by Natasha Merlulova and Aleksey Chupov, the film premiered in competition at Venice last year and its production received support from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
Kviff has previously denounced Russia’s invasion of...
- 6/28/2022
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Festival organisers respond to critical open letter from Ukrainian filmmakers.
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has refused to withdraw a state-backed Russian film from its upcoming edition despite an open letter of protest from a group of Ukrainian directors.
The festival in the Czech Republic is set to screen Stalin-era drama Captain Volkonogov Escaped on July 1 as part of its Horizons strand. Directed by Natasha Merlulova and Aleksey Chupov, the film premiered in competition at Venice last year and its production received support from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
Kviff has previously denounced Russia’s invasion of...
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has refused to withdraw a state-backed Russian film from its upcoming edition despite an open letter of protest from a group of Ukrainian directors.
The festival in the Czech Republic is set to screen Stalin-era drama Captain Volkonogov Escaped on July 1 as part of its Horizons strand. Directed by Natasha Merlulova and Aleksey Chupov, the film premiered in competition at Venice last year and its production received support from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
Kviff has previously denounced Russia’s invasion of...
- 6/28/2022
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The Czech Republic’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has defended its decision to invite a Russian film to its 56th edition, in spite of promises that it would not welcome Russia state-backed films due to the war in Ukraine.
Russian directors Natasha Merlulova and Aleksey Chupov’s drama Captain Volkonogov Escaped is due to play in the Horizons sidebar.
A number of Ukrainian directors who have also been invited to show their films at the festival published an open letter protesting the move on Tuesday.
“We understand your arguments, however, we strictly refuse your interpretation that the screening of this film, which was in the past supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, distracts the international community from the war crimes committed in Ukraine,” said the festival’s president Jiří Bartoška, executive director Kryštof Mucha and artistic director Karel Och in an official statement.
Russian directors Natasha Merlulova and Aleksey Chupov’s drama Captain Volkonogov Escaped is due to play in the Horizons sidebar.
A number of Ukrainian directors who have also been invited to show their films at the festival published an open letter protesting the move on Tuesday.
“We understand your arguments, however, we strictly refuse your interpretation that the screening of this film, which was in the past supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, distracts the international community from the war crimes committed in Ukraine,” said the festival’s president Jiří Bartoška, executive director Kryštof Mucha and artistic director Karel Och in an official statement.
- 6/28/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
In a region of the world — central and eastern Europe — that hasn’t had much to celebrate recently, the news that the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is returning in full force this year (the 56th Kviff runs July 1-9) is truly a reason to party.
“We had a physical event last year but it was still a bit under the cloud of Covid,” says Kviff artistic director Karel Och. “This time around, everyone is really in the mood, you can feel the atmosphere that makes Karlovy Vary so special. It’s going to be as close to [the last pre-pandemic festival] 2019 as possible.”
Karlovy Vary holds a unique position in the festival calendar. Coming after the craziness of Cannes and before the awards-season ramp-up that begins with Venice and Toronto, the Czech fest offers an oasis of calm. Located in the postcard-perfect spa town in western...
In a region of the world — central and eastern Europe — that hasn’t had much to celebrate recently, the news that the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is returning in full force this year (the 56th Kviff runs July 1-9) is truly a reason to party.
“We had a physical event last year but it was still a bit under the cloud of Covid,” says Kviff artistic director Karel Och. “This time around, everyone is really in the mood, you can feel the atmosphere that makes Karlovy Vary so special. It’s going to be as close to [the last pre-pandemic festival] 2019 as possible.”
Karlovy Vary holds a unique position in the festival calendar. Coming after the craziness of Cannes and before the awards-season ramp-up that begins with Venice and Toronto, the Czech fest offers an oasis of calm. Located in the postcard-perfect spa town in western...
- 6/28/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Several leading Ukrainian filmmakers have called out the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for including a Russian film in its 56th edition, which kicks off on Friday, insisting that it’s reneged on a promise not to welcome any movies with ties to the Russian government.
In a letter addressed to artistic director Karel Och and festival leadership that was shared with Variety, the filmmakers behind Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk’s “Pamfir,” Maksym Nakonechnyi’s “Butterfly Vision” and Valentyn Vasyanovych’s “Reflection,” criticized the long-running Czech festival for including “Captain Volkonogov Escaped,” by directors Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov, in its Horizons sidebar.
The film, which had its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival last year, received backing from the Russian culture ministry.
“Screening any film that was financially supported by the Russian Ministry of Culture in the midst of war will whitewash Putin’s regime and make it stronger,...
In a letter addressed to artistic director Karel Och and festival leadership that was shared with Variety, the filmmakers behind Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk’s “Pamfir,” Maksym Nakonechnyi’s “Butterfly Vision” and Valentyn Vasyanovych’s “Reflection,” criticized the long-running Czech festival for including “Captain Volkonogov Escaped,” by directors Natasha Merkulova and Aleksey Chupov, in its Horizons sidebar.
The film, which had its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival last year, received backing from the Russian culture ministry.
“Screening any film that was financially supported by the Russian Ministry of Culture in the midst of war will whitewash Putin’s regime and make it stronger,...
- 6/27/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Option
Transatlantic production powerhouse Sister (“Chernobyl”) has optioned the rights to adapt BAFTA and Emmy winning screenwriter and longtime collaborator Abi Morgan’s (“The Split”) “This is Not a Pity Memoir.” Morgan will adapt her book for screen, and also direct and executive produce, with Sister co-founder and chief creative officer, Jane Featherstone (“Landscapers”). The memoir follows Morgan’s family life after a tragic change in her family circumstance.
Morgan said: “Working with Jane and Sister over the last few tumultuous years, they have been my running partners, given a unique birds eye view on the unfolding drama. As producers of some of the best film and television out there, there is no one else I would trust to help bring the deeply personal ‘This is Not a Pity Memoir’ to the screen.”
Featherstone added: “Abi has such an extraordinary gift for words, so while it should be absolutely no...
Transatlantic production powerhouse Sister (“Chernobyl”) has optioned the rights to adapt BAFTA and Emmy winning screenwriter and longtime collaborator Abi Morgan’s (“The Split”) “This is Not a Pity Memoir.” Morgan will adapt her book for screen, and also direct and executive produce, with Sister co-founder and chief creative officer, Jane Featherstone (“Landscapers”). The memoir follows Morgan’s family life after a tragic change in her family circumstance.
Morgan said: “Working with Jane and Sister over the last few tumultuous years, they have been my running partners, given a unique birds eye view on the unfolding drama. As producers of some of the best film and television out there, there is no one else I would trust to help bring the deeply personal ‘This is Not a Pity Memoir’ to the screen.”
Featherstone added: “Abi has such an extraordinary gift for words, so while it should be absolutely no...
- 6/27/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The German festival is running from June 23 to July 2.
Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage will launch Filmfest München in an opening gala at the German city’s Isar Philharmonic concert hall today
The Filmfest is screening 120 films from 52 countries, including 35 world premieres. Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher will be presented with this year’s CineMerit Award, while there will be a homage to German filmmaker Doris Dörrie with the premiere of her latest film The Pool.
Festival director Diana Iljine and artistic director Christoph Gröner talk to Screen about this year’s event and the Filmfest’s significance as a launchpad for international careers of German films.
Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage will launch Filmfest München in an opening gala at the German city’s Isar Philharmonic concert hall today
The Filmfest is screening 120 films from 52 countries, including 35 world premieres. Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher will be presented with this year’s CineMerit Award, while there will be a homage to German filmmaker Doris Dörrie with the premiere of her latest film The Pool.
Festival director Diana Iljine and artistic director Christoph Gröner talk to Screen about this year’s event and the Filmfest’s significance as a launchpad for international careers of German films.
- 6/23/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Film festival unveils 27 world premieres and three international premieres.
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) has announced the line-up of 33 features for its 56th edition, which includes Jake Paltrow’s Ukraine-shot Adolf Eichmann feature June Zero.
The Czech festival will take place from July 1-9 and the selection includes 27 world premieres, three international premieres and three European premieres.
Scroll down for full list of titles
The 12 titles in the Crystal Globe Competition are all world premieres, with the exception of Anna Kazejak’s Fucking Bornholm; Sophie Linnenbaum’s The Ordinaries; and Jonás Trueba’s You Have To Come And See It – all international premieres.
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) has announced the line-up of 33 features for its 56th edition, which includes Jake Paltrow’s Ukraine-shot Adolf Eichmann feature June Zero.
The Czech festival will take place from July 1-9 and the selection includes 27 world premieres, three international premieres and three European premieres.
Scroll down for full list of titles
The 12 titles in the Crystal Globe Competition are all world premieres, with the exception of Anna Kazejak’s Fucking Bornholm; Sophie Linnenbaum’s The Ordinaries; and Jonás Trueba’s You Have To Come And See It – all international premieres.
- 5/31/2022
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The 56th Karlovy Vary Film Festival has unveiled its official selection, which comprises 33 films from five continents screening across three sections. Scroll down for full list.
Artistic director Karel Och’s program includes twenty-seven world premieres, three international premieres, and three European premieres, covering five continents.
Among the lineup are Jake Paltrow’s drama June Zero about the trial of Nazi Adolf Eichmann. Shot on Super-16mm film in Israel and Ukraine, the film is produced by Miranda Bailey (God’s Country), David Silber (Incitement) and Oren Moverman (Bad Education).
In addition to the Crystal Globe Competition and Special Screenings section, Kviff’s new competition, Proxima (for young filmmakers and auteurs with films that defy categorization), will make its debut in this year’s edition. Contrary to its preceding competition, East of the West, Proxima has no geographical restrictions and is open to filmmakers from around the world.
The Czech festival...
Artistic director Karel Och’s program includes twenty-seven world premieres, three international premieres, and three European premieres, covering five continents.
Among the lineup are Jake Paltrow’s drama June Zero about the trial of Nazi Adolf Eichmann. Shot on Super-16mm film in Israel and Ukraine, the film is produced by Miranda Bailey (God’s Country), David Silber (Incitement) and Oren Moverman (Bad Education).
In addition to the Crystal Globe Competition and Special Screenings section, Kviff’s new competition, Proxima (for young filmmakers and auteurs with films that defy categorization), will make its debut in this year’s edition. Contrary to its preceding competition, East of the West, Proxima has no geographical restrictions and is open to filmmakers from around the world.
The Czech festival...
- 5/31/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Thirty-three films comprise the eclectic lineup for the 56th Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, the programming team led by the artistic director Karel Och revealed Tuesday. The selection includes 27 world premieres, three international premieres, and three European premieres, covering five continents.
In addition to the Crystal Globe Competition and Special Screenings section, Kviff’s new competition, Proxima, will make its debut in this year’s edition. Proxima aims to be “an inclusive space for pictures by young filmmakers and renowned auteurs alike, presenting bold works that defy categorization,” the festival said. In contrast to the East of the West competition, which it replaces, Proxima has no geographical restrictions.
Thirteen titles in the official selection are directed by filmmakers who have competed in Kviff before. Nine films are debut features. Melodramas, dystopian sci-fis, romantic comedies and essay documentaries are part of the wide-ranging lineup.
“From the 1,500 films that have been submitted this year,...
In addition to the Crystal Globe Competition and Special Screenings section, Kviff’s new competition, Proxima, will make its debut in this year’s edition. Proxima aims to be “an inclusive space for pictures by young filmmakers and renowned auteurs alike, presenting bold works that defy categorization,” the festival said. In contrast to the East of the West competition, which it replaces, Proxima has no geographical restrictions.
Thirteen titles in the official selection are directed by filmmakers who have competed in Kviff before. Nine films are debut features. Melodramas, dystopian sci-fis, romantic comedies and essay documentaries are part of the wide-ranging lineup.
“From the 1,500 films that have been submitted this year,...
- 5/31/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Karlovy Vary artistic advisor Eva Zaoralová with, from left, artistic director Karel Och, production manager Petr Lintimer, executive director Kryštof Mucha, president of the festival Jiří Bartoška, and presenter Marek Eben Photo: Courtesy of Kviff The artistic director for many decades of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic Eva Zaoralová has died at the age of 89.
With her trademark black-rimmed spectacles and blonde hair she was an unmistakeable presence at the festival which was established in 1946 as the leading film event in Central and eastern Europe.
Zaoralová, a film journalist with a passion for French cinema in particular and Czech actor Jiří Bartoška formed a new team in 1994 as artistic director and president respectively with the aim of restoring the event to international status after years of political interference by the former Communist regime. She stepped down due to failing health in 2010 and Karel Och took...
With her trademark black-rimmed spectacles and blonde hair she was an unmistakeable presence at the festival which was established in 1946 as the leading film event in Central and eastern Europe.
Zaoralová, a film journalist with a passion for French cinema in particular and Czech actor Jiří Bartoška formed a new team in 1994 as artistic director and president respectively with the aim of restoring the event to international status after years of political interference by the former Communist regime. She stepped down due to failing health in 2010 and Karel Och took...
- 3/11/2022
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Zaoralova led the reboot of the festival in 1994.
Czech journalist Eva Zaoralova, who was artistic director of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for 16 years, has died at the age of 89.
A statement issued by the festival read, “Some news we wish would never come. On Thursday 10 March, Eva Zaoralova left us forever.”
Zaoralova led the festival’s relaunch in 1994 as artistic director, alongside renowned Czech actor Jiri Bartoska as president. Under the duo’s leadership, the festival – founded in 1946 - changed from running alternating years with Moscow Film Festival, to becoming an annual event.
The former journalist and film academic...
Czech journalist Eva Zaoralova, who was artistic director of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for 16 years, has died at the age of 89.
A statement issued by the festival read, “Some news we wish would never come. On Thursday 10 March, Eva Zaoralova left us forever.”
Zaoralova led the festival’s relaunch in 1994 as artistic director, alongside renowned Czech actor Jiri Bartoska as president. Under the duo’s leadership, the festival – founded in 1946 - changed from running alternating years with Moscow Film Festival, to becoming an annual event.
The former journalist and film academic...
- 3/11/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Eva Zaoralová, the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival’s artistic advisor and its artistic director for many years, has died, the festival confirmed Friday. Zaoralová was 89 years old.
Established in 1946, Karlovy Vary is one of the world’s oldest film festivals, and one of its most prestigious, considered to be the leading festival in Central and Eastern Europe. But in 1994, when a new team led by film journalist Zaoralová and actor Jiří Bartoška stepped in, as the festival’s artistic director and president, respectively, its fortunes had declined, after decades of political interference by the former communist regime. They tirelessly reshaped the stagnating festival into an event worthy of international attention. In 2010, Zaoralová stepped down as artistic director, with Karel Och taking the reins, and she has served as the festival’s artistic advisor ever since.
In a statement issued by the festival on Friday, Bartoška said: “Eva and I...
Established in 1946, Karlovy Vary is one of the world’s oldest film festivals, and one of its most prestigious, considered to be the leading festival in Central and Eastern Europe. But in 1994, when a new team led by film journalist Zaoralová and actor Jiří Bartoška stepped in, as the festival’s artistic director and president, respectively, its fortunes had declined, after decades of political interference by the former communist regime. They tirelessly reshaped the stagnating festival into an event worthy of international attention. In 2010, Zaoralová stepped down as artistic director, with Karel Och taking the reins, and she has served as the festival’s artistic advisor ever since.
In a statement issued by the festival on Friday, Bartoška said: “Eva and I...
- 3/11/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The Kviff Group, a Czech Republic-based media group built around the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, has acquired a majority stake in Aerofilms, a leading arthouse distributor in the Czech Republic.
The purchase, which was executed via the group’s distribution arm, Kviff Distribution, continues its expansion, seen most recently with the launch of the Kviff TV streaming platform, and fueled by investment by Jakub Havrlant’s Rockaway Capital. The move will up the content offered by Kviff.TV to more than 500 titles.
The Kviff Group also has an event’s arm, Kviff Events, which last month staged the film and live music event Variations, in collaboration with the Czech Philharmonic. Other events include the Pragueshorts Film Festival and Kviff at Your Cinema, which takes films from the Karlovy Vary festival to regional cinemas in the Czech Republic.
Aerofilms, which has released 170 films in Czech movie theaters since its founding...
The purchase, which was executed via the group’s distribution arm, Kviff Distribution, continues its expansion, seen most recently with the launch of the Kviff TV streaming platform, and fueled by investment by Jakub Havrlant’s Rockaway Capital. The move will up the content offered by Kviff.TV to more than 500 titles.
The Kviff Group also has an event’s arm, Kviff Events, which last month staged the film and live music event Variations, in collaboration with the Czech Philharmonic. Other events include the Pragueshorts Film Festival and Kviff at Your Cinema, which takes films from the Karlovy Vary festival to regional cinemas in the Czech Republic.
Aerofilms, which has released 170 films in Czech movie theaters since its founding...
- 12/16/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Marrakech International Film Festival’s project incubator showcased 15 projects in development and nine projects.
Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir’s The Mother Of All Lies and Tunisian-French director Erige Sehiri’s Under The Fig Trees have won the top post-production prizes at the Marrakech International Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops talent and project incubator.
The films were among 15 projects in development and nine projects in post-production presented in the fourth edition of the workshops, running online from November 22 to 25 and attended by more than 300 international film professionals.
The post-production jury comprised Nuha Eltayeb, director of content acquisitions for the Middle East,...
Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir’s The Mother Of All Lies and Tunisian-French director Erige Sehiri’s Under The Fig Trees have won the top post-production prizes at the Marrakech International Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops talent and project incubator.
The films were among 15 projects in development and nine projects in post-production presented in the fourth edition of the workshops, running online from November 22 to 25 and attended by more than 300 international film professionals.
The post-production jury comprised Nuha Eltayeb, director of content acquisitions for the Middle East,...
- 11/25/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is replacing its East of the West sidebar, established in the 1990s and converted to a competition section in 2005, with the new Proxima Competition, dedicated to showcasing works from upcoming filmmakers and challenging new works from established auteurs. The aim of the new section is to “celebrate, together with the Crystal Globe Competition contemporary cinema with a slate of forward thinking and notable discoveries,” according to organizers.
“Proxima is replacing the popular East of the West competition which was established in the 1990s with the aim to aid filmmakers from the former Eastern Bloc to emerge out of the region’s politically indoctrinated isolation, an isolation that existed on both institutional and psychological levels,” Kviff artistic director Karel Och explained.
“Now that the festival is confident that the mission has been accomplished, it is crucial to consider and contextualize the region from a global perspective.
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is replacing its East of the West sidebar, established in the 1990s and converted to a competition section in 2005, with the new Proxima Competition, dedicated to showcasing works from upcoming filmmakers and challenging new works from established auteurs. The aim of the new section is to “celebrate, together with the Crystal Globe Competition contemporary cinema with a slate of forward thinking and notable discoveries,” according to organizers.
“Proxima is replacing the popular East of the West competition which was established in the 1990s with the aim to aid filmmakers from the former Eastern Bloc to emerge out of the region’s politically indoctrinated isolation, an isolation that existed on both institutional and psychological levels,” Kviff artistic director Karel Och explained.
“Now that the festival is confident that the mission has been accomplished, it is crucial to consider and contextualize the region from a global perspective.
- 11/16/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Returning after not one but two cancellations caused by the pandemic, Karlovy Vary Film Festival moves into its final days, with artistic director Karel Och already looking back on the 55th edition, pushed back to Aug. 20-28.
“It was a good decision to postpone,” he tells Variety, noting that the streamlined program, with 25 fewer titles than usual, helped satisfy the audience’s needs. “I think people appreciated the fact that even if they came just for one day, they could see what they wanted to see.”
The event has welcomed the likes of Ninja Thyberg, Alice Diop, Berlinale winner Radu Jude, French DJ Laurent Garnier and “Compartment No. 6” director Juho Kuosmanen, who interacted with the viewers during a slew of live Q&As and talks.
“We have this traditional sense of what the cinema experience should be, of bringing over filmmakers and enabling these encounters, but we can’t stop progress,...
“It was a good decision to postpone,” he tells Variety, noting that the streamlined program, with 25 fewer titles than usual, helped satisfy the audience’s needs. “I think people appreciated the fact that even if they came just for one day, they could see what they wanted to see.”
The event has welcomed the likes of Ninja Thyberg, Alice Diop, Berlinale winner Radu Jude, French DJ Laurent Garnier and “Compartment No. 6” director Juho Kuosmanen, who interacted with the viewers during a slew of live Q&As and talks.
“We have this traditional sense of what the cinema experience should be, of bringing over filmmakers and enabling these encounters, but we can’t stop progress,...
- 8/27/2021
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Despite an apparent last-minute sense of concern by Karlovy Vary fest organizers over international press coverage of Johnny Depp and his ongoing legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard over domestic abuse allegations, the rocker/actor/producer made his appearances without much fuss and introduced the docu he co-produced, “Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan” to welcoming crowds on Friday.
Depp’s other project at the Czech fest, the Japan-set thriller “Minamata,” filmed largely in Serbia in 2020, directed by Andrew Levitas and starring Depp as an alcoholic photojournalist, screens at Karlovy Vary’s Municipal Theater on Saturday, a historic 18th-century venue midway along the spa town’s ornate Promenade.
Taking the stage with Karlovy Vary artistic director Karel Och, the “Crock of Gold” director Julien Temple, producer Stephen Deuters and MacGowan’s wife Victoria Clarke, Depp described the filming of the 2020 rockumentary as something akin to catching and...
Depp’s other project at the Czech fest, the Japan-set thriller “Minamata,” filmed largely in Serbia in 2020, directed by Andrew Levitas and starring Depp as an alcoholic photojournalist, screens at Karlovy Vary’s Municipal Theater on Saturday, a historic 18th-century venue midway along the spa town’s ornate Promenade.
Taking the stage with Karlovy Vary artistic director Karel Och, the “Crock of Gold” director Julien Temple, producer Stephen Deuters and MacGowan’s wife Victoria Clarke, Depp described the filming of the 2020 rockumentary as something akin to catching and...
- 8/27/2021
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
In the next two days Depp will present two films and meet the public.
International attendees at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival are split in their opinion on the festival’s decision to host a tribute to Johnny Depp today and tomorrow at the Czech event.
Depp will meet fans on the red carpet this afternoon at the main Hotel Thermal venue, before presenting a screening of Julien Temple’s documentary Crock Of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane MacGowan, which the actor also produced.
Tomorrow he will present Andrew Levitas’ Minamata, which he produced and in which he also stars.
International attendees at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival are split in their opinion on the festival’s decision to host a tribute to Johnny Depp today and tomorrow at the Czech event.
Depp will meet fans on the red carpet this afternoon at the main Hotel Thermal venue, before presenting a screening of Julien Temple’s documentary Crock Of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane MacGowan, which the actor also produced.
Tomorrow he will present Andrew Levitas’ Minamata, which he produced and in which he also stars.
- 8/27/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Och also discusses festival date move, Czech talents.
A “presumption of innocence” convinced Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) to honour controversial US actor-producer Johnny Depp at its 55th edition, according to artistic director Karel Och.
The festival is one of several late summer and autumn European events paying tribute to Depp, who will arrive in Karlovy Vary tomorrow (August 26). He will present screenings of Julien Temple’s Crock Of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane MacGowan and Andrew Levitas’ Minamata, the latter of which he stars in and both of which he produced.
“We’re convinced that there is...
A “presumption of innocence” convinced Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) to honour controversial US actor-producer Johnny Depp at its 55th edition, according to artistic director Karel Och.
The festival is one of several late summer and autumn European events paying tribute to Depp, who will arrive in Karlovy Vary tomorrow (August 26). He will present screenings of Julien Temple’s Crock Of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane MacGowan and Andrew Levitas’ Minamata, the latter of which he stars in and both of which he produced.
“We’re convinced that there is...
- 8/25/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Roster includes Lantern’s Lane, Flee The Light.
Montreal-based WaZabi Films will launch sales on Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) world premiere selections Maria Chapdelaine from Sébastien Pilote and Ivan Grbovic’s Drunken Birds (Les Oiseaux Ivres).
Maria Chapdelaine will screen in Contemporary World Cinema and takes place in rural Quebec in the early 20th century where a teenage girl must choose one of three suitors. Pilote adapted the screenplay from Louis Hémon’s 1913 novel. WaZabi represents worldwide rights excluding Canada, where MK2|Mile End will distribute.
Pierre Even (War Witch) of Item 7 and Sylvain Proulx produced the film, which...
Montreal-based WaZabi Films will launch sales on Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) world premiere selections Maria Chapdelaine from Sébastien Pilote and Ivan Grbovic’s Drunken Birds (Les Oiseaux Ivres).
Maria Chapdelaine will screen in Contemporary World Cinema and takes place in rural Quebec in the early 20th century where a teenage girl must choose one of three suitors. Pilote adapted the screenplay from Louis Hémon’s 1913 novel. WaZabi represents worldwide rights excluding Canada, where MK2|Mile End will distribute.
Pierre Even (War Witch) of Item 7 and Sylvain Proulx produced the film, which...
- 8/25/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The 55th edition of the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival returned to life in a fully live format Friday after a year-long Covid-forced break, with its traditional rousing dance numbers and a lifetime achievement Crystal Globe for Michael Caine.
The versatile two-time Oscar winner prompted his third standing ovation from the audience packed into the fest’s Grand Hall at the Hotel Thermal when he raised his walking cane from the stage in thanks to his fans.
Saying he began his actor’s journey as “a nobody from nowhere who knew nothing,” Caine told the crowd, “You’ve given me an award for something I love doing.” Fest president Jiri Bartoska honored him with what the actor called the heaviest prize he’s ever tried to lift at an upbeat ceremony featuring elaborate choreography themed around the 1960s U.S. pop song “Popcorn,” with dancers whirling discs that riffed on...
The versatile two-time Oscar winner prompted his third standing ovation from the audience packed into the fest’s Grand Hall at the Hotel Thermal when he raised his walking cane from the stage in thanks to his fans.
Saying he began his actor’s journey as “a nobody from nowhere who knew nothing,” Caine told the crowd, “You’ve given me an award for something I love doing.” Fest president Jiri Bartoska honored him with what the actor called the heaviest prize he’s ever tried to lift at an upbeat ceremony featuring elaborate choreography themed around the 1960s U.S. pop song “Popcorn,” with dancers whirling discs that riffed on...
- 8/21/2021
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
It is said that with age comes wisdom and that adage feels strikingly true when it comes to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The prominent Central European event is the one of the world’s oldest film festivals, founded in July 1946, a month before Locarno launched its first festival and few months before the Cannes Film Festival unveiled its first edition in September that same year. Originally held in Mariánské Lázne, a neighboring Czech town, before it moved to Karlovy Vary in 1947, the now A-list festival was born out of a yearning to show that World War II had ended and healing could begin with culture.
This year, more than ever does that notion ring true as Karlovy Vary is set to unveil its 55th edition from August 20-28 after last year’s event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Interestingly, from 1959 to 1993 Karlovy Vary alternated years with the Moscow Film Festival,...
This year, more than ever does that notion ring true as Karlovy Vary is set to unveil its 55th edition from August 20-28 after last year’s event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Interestingly, from 1959 to 1993 Karlovy Vary alternated years with the Moscow Film Festival,...
- 8/18/2021
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
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