Films from Chinese director Zhai Yixiang, Germany’s Jan-Ole Gerster and American director Martha Stephens are among the geographically diverse selections in the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival main competition section.
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is the largest film festival in the Czech Republic and the most prestigious such festival in Central and Eastern Europe. It is one of the oldest A-list film festivals (i.e., non-specialized festivals with a competition for feature-length fiction films), a category it shares with the festivals in Cannes, Berlin, Venice, San Sebastian, Moscow, Montreal, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Among filmmakers, buyers, distributors, sales agents, and journalists, KVIFF is considered the most important event in all of Central and Eastern Europe.
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival started in 1946 and takes place in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
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Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2019 Announces Competition Lineup
To The Stars directed by Martha Stephens
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Karlovy Vary IFF 2019 Announces Films in Out of Competition + Special Events Lineup
Old-Timers Ondřej Provazník and Martin Dušek make their feature-film debut out of competition at the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival with the world premiere of Old-Timers, the dramatic story of two aging former political prisoners who set out in a camper van with the goal of finding and killing the communist prosecutor who sent the nation’s elite to its death. Jiří Schmitzer and Ladislav Mrkvička excel in this unusual road-movie.
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Karlovy Vary International Film Festival to Pay Tribute to Egyptian Director Youssef Chahine
Youssef Chahine on the set of Destiny (1996) The iconic Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine (1926-2008) will be honored at the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival with a large retrospective of 11 remastered films consisting of early lesser-known works as well as established classics.
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‘I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians’ Wins Top Prize at 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
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Olmo Omerzu, Jiří Konečný, Ada Solomon, Radu Jude (Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary)[/caption]
“I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians” from Romanian film director Radu Jude won the Crystal Globe for Best Feature Film at the 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. In the film Radu Jude takes up a massacre perpetrated by the Romanian Administration through the Romanian Army on the Eastern Front in 1941, an actual event that a young activist artist decides to stage. “As we are in the Czech Republic and my film was made with the Czech co-production, I would like to thank all the Czech people involved, primarily Jiří Konečný”, said Radu Jude.
Barry Levinson received the Právo Audience Award for his thirty-year old movie Rain Man. Levinson also received the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinematography at the Closing Ceremony. “This is really a wonderful festival and an incredible experience for us. And also an extraordinary honour for a boy from Baltimore to be now granted an award for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema here in the Czech Republic. Film is an artistic form that interconnects the whole world. While differing feelings drive us apart, we should bear in mind that we are in fact all quite similar,” the director expressed his gratitude.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv4q3sWs8wE
The 54th Karlovy Vary IFF will be held from June 28th to July 6th, 2019.
53rd Karlovy Vary IFF Awards
OFFICIAL SELECTION – COMPETITION
GRAND JURY Mark Cousins, United Kingdom Zrinka Cvitešić, Croatia Marta Donzelli, Italy Zdeněk Holý, Czech Republic Nanouk Leopold, NetherlandsGRAND PRIX – CRYSTAL GLOBE (25 000 USD)
“I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians” / „Îmi este indiferent dacă în istorie vom intra cabarbari” Directed by: Radu Jude Romania, Czech Republic, France, Bulgaria, Germany, 2018SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (15 000 USD)
Sueño Florianópolis / Sueño Florianópolis Directed by: Ana Katz Argentina, Brasil, France, 2018BEST DIRECTOR AWARD
Olmo Omerzu for the film Winter Flies / Všechno bude Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, 2018BEST ACTRESS AWARD
Mercedes Morán for her role in the film Sueño Florianópolis / Sueño Florianópolis Directed by: Ana Katz Argentina, Brasil, France, 2018BEST ACTOR AWARD
Moshe Folkenflik for his role in the film Redemption / Geula Directed by: Joseph Madmony, Boaz Yehonatan Yacov Israel, 2018SPECIAL JURY MENTION
Jumpman / Podbrosy Directed by: Ivan I. Tverdovskiy Russia, Lithuania, Ireland, France, 2018SPECIAL JURY MENTION
History of Love / Zgodovina ljubezni Directed by: Sonja Prosenc Slovenia, Italy, Norway, 2018EAST OF THE WEST – COMPETITION
EAST OF THE WEST JURY Peter Badač, Slovakia Iris Elezi, Albania Myriam Sassine, Lebanon Dounia Sichov, France Andrei Tănăsescu, RomaniaEAST OF THE WEST GRAND PRIX (15 000 USD)
Suleiman Mountain / Suleiman gora Directed by: Elizaveta Stishova Kyrgyzstan, Russia, 2017EAST OF THE WEST SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (10 000 USD)
Blossom Valley / Virágvölgy Directed by: László Csuja Hungary, 2018DOCUMENTARY FILMS – COMPETITION
DOCUMENTARY FILMS JURY Raúl Camargo, Chile M. Siam, Egypt Diana Tabakov, Czech RepublicGRAND PRIX FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM (5 000 USD)
Putin’s Witnesses / Svideteli Putina Directed by: Vitaly Mansky Latvia, Switzerland, Czech Republic, 2018DOCUMENTARY SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Walden / Walden Directed by: Daniel Zimmermann Switzerland, Austria, 2018PRÁVO AUDIENCE AWARD
Rain Man / Rain Man Directed by: Barry Levinson USA, 1988 CRYSTAL GLOBE FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD CINEMA Tim Robbins, USA CRYSTAL GLOBE FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD CINEMA Barry Levinson, USA FESTIVAL PRESIDENT’S AWARD Robert Pattinson, United Kingdom FESTIVAL PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTION TO CZECHCINEMATOGRAPHY Jaromír Hanzlík, Czech RepublicNON-STATUTORY AWARDS
AWARD OF INTERNATIONAL FILM CRITICS (FIPRESCI)
Awarded by The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). FIPRESCI JURY René Marx, France Marita Nyrhinen, Finland Alejandra Trelles, Uruguay Sueño Florianópolis / Sueño Florianópolis Directed by: Ana Katz Argentina, Brasil, France, 2018THE ECUMENICAL JURY AWARD
THE ECUMENICAL JURY Michael Otřísal, Czech Republic Milja Radovic, United Kingdom David Sipoš, Slovenia Redemption / Geula Directed by: Joseph Madmony, Boaz Yehonatan Yacov Israel, 2018Commendations
Winter Flies / Všechno bude Directed by: Olmo Omerzu Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, 2018 Miriam Lies / Miriam miente Directed by: Natalia Cabral, Oriol Estrada Dominican Republic, Spain 2018FEDEORA AWARD
Awarded by the Federation of Film Critics of Europe and the Mediterranean (FEDEORA) to the best film from the East of the West – Competition. FEDEORA JURY Stefan Dobroiu, Romania Natascha Drubek, Germany Nenad Dukić, Serbia Suleiman Mountain / Suleiman gora Directed by: Elizaveta Stishova Kyrgyzstan, Russia, 2017EUROPA CINEMAS LABEL AWARD
For the best European film in the Official Selection – Competition and in the East of the West – Competition. EUROPA CINEMAS LABEL JURY Daira Āboliņa, Latvia Simon Blaas, Netherlands Balázs Kalmanovits, Hungary Jan Makosch, Germany “I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians” / „Îmi este indiferent dacă în istorie vom intra ca barbari” Directed by: Radu Jude Romania, Czech Republic, France, Bulgaria, Germany, 2018WORKS IN PROGRESS, DOCS IN PROGRESS AND EURIMAGES LAB PROJECT AWARD AT KVIFF 2018
WORKS IN PROGRESS (100,000 Euro) JURY Matthijs Wouter Knol, Germany Rossitsa Valkanova, Bulgaria Rickard Olsson, Sweden During Works in Progress, eleven projects were presented from countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, and now also the Middle East. A prize in the value of 100,000 Euro will be given to the project. The whole award consists of post-production services in UPP (60,000 Euro), Soundsquare (30,000 Euro), and a cash prize of 10,000 Euro from Barrandov Studio. All This Victory / All This Victory Director: Ahmad Ghossein Producer: Georges Schoucair, Myriam Sassine, Marie-Pierre Macia, Claire Gadéa, Fabian Massah Lebanon, France, GermanyDOCS IN PROGRESS (5,000 Euro)
JURY Tanja Georgieva, Germany Noemi Schory, Israel Shane Smith, Canada Ten projects from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, and the Middle East were presented within Docs in Progress event which introduced new documentary films that will premiere after the Karlovy Vary IFF. The winning film received a cash prize in the amount of 5,000 Euro. The Projectionist / The Projectionist Director: Yuriy Shylov Producer: Gennady Kofman, Olha Beskhmelnytsina, Dirk Simon, Miroslaw Dembinski Ukraine, Germany, Poland A Special Mention was awarded to the Polish project Little Poland by Matej Bobrik.EURIMAGES LAB PROJECT AWARD (50,000 Euro)
JURY David Kořínek, Czech Republic Dorien van de Pas, Netherlands Christoph Terhechte, Germany KVIFF is the first of four international film festivals in Europe to be awarding the Eurimage prize. KVIFF has selected projects for the Eurimage prize that surpass traditional film methods and are based on international cooperation. The prize was awarded in the value of 50,000 Euro. Eight Eurimages projects were presented at the KVIFF. Normal / Normal Director: Adele Tulli Producer: Valeria Adilardi, Laura Romano, Luca Ricciardi Italy, Sweden
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Works in Progress, Eurimages Lab Project and Docs in Progress Prizes Awarded at 2018 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
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ALL THIS VICTORY[/caption]
On Works in Progress at the 2018 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, eleven projects were presented from countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, and now also the Middle East. The jury chose ALL THIS VICTORY by director Ahmad Ghossein as the winning project. A prize in the value of 100,000 Euro will be given to the project.
The Eurimages Lab Project prize went to the winning project NORMAL by director Adele Tulli. KVIFF is the first of four international film festivals in Europe to be awarding the Eurimage prize. KVIFF has selected projects for the Eurimage prize that surpass traditional film methods and are based on international cooperation. The prize was awarded in the value of 50,000 Euro.
The Docs in Progress prize went to the winning project THE PROJECTIONIST. For this section, projects are chosen from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, and the Middle East. The winning film received a cash prize in the amount of 5,000 Euro.
A Special Mention was awarded to the Polish project Little Poland.
ALL THIS VICTORY
90 min, Lebanon, France, Germany
Directed by: Ahmad Ghossein
Scriptwriter: Ahmad Ghossein, Abla Khoury, Syllas Tzoumerkas
Producer: Georges Schoucair, Myriam Sassine, Marie-Pierre Macia, Claire Gadéa, Fabian Massah
Camera: Shadi Chaaban
Music: Charbel Haber
Cast: Karam Ghossein, Adel Chahine, Boutros Rouhana, Issam Bou Khaled, Sahar Minkara Karame, Flavia Juska Bechara, Eli El Choufani, Charles Hbailiny
Language: Arabic
Genre: fiction
Release date: 07/03/2019
Synopsis:
Lebanon, July 2006. War is raging between Hezbollah and Israel. During a 24-hour ceasefire, Marwan heads out in search of his father, who has refused to leave his Southern village, leaving his wife Rana alone to prepare their immigration to Canada. Marwan finds no traces of his father and the ceasefire is quickly broken, forcing him to take shelter in the house of Najib, his father’s friend. Marwan finds himself trapped under a hail of bombs with Najib and a group of elders, who are friends of his father. Tension rises inside and outside of the house. Suddenly, a group of Israeli soldiers enter the first floor. The next three days sees the situation spiral out of control.
NORMAL
70 min, Italy, Sweden
Directed by: Adele Tulli
Scriptwriter: Adele Tulli
Producer: Valeria Adilardi, Laura Romano, Luca Ricciardi
Camera: Clarissa Cappellani, Francesca Zonars
Music: Andrea Koch
Language: Italian
Genre: creative documentary
Release date: 01/10/2018
What’s missing: final editing, sound post-production, color grading, international promotion, production financing gap
Synopsis:
An unsettling visual journey through gender norms in contemporary Italy. Blending realist and experimental aesthetics, Normal sketches a disorienting portrait of the accepted ideas of normality. A kaleidoscopic mosaic of everyday-life scenes observes the ritualized performance of femininity and masculinity in ordinary interactions, from birth to adulthood, interpreting gender as a corporeal and performative practice, a social ceremony, a collective mise-en-scène affecting our gestures, desires, behaviours, and aspirations. With an innovative and visionary film language, Normal meditates on the everyday constraints of gendered reality, producing a poignant reflection on a current and crucial matter.
THE PROJECTIONIST
70 min, Ukraine, Germany, Poland
Directed by: Yuriy Shylov
Scriptwriter: Yuriy Shylov
Producer: Gennady Kofman, Olha Beskhmelnytsina, Dirk Simon
Camera: Yuriy Shylov, Serafim Kusakin, Illya Ehorov
Language: Ukrainian, Russian
Genre: dramedy, documentary
Release date: 02/11/2018
What’s missing: sales agent, distributors, broadcasters, festivals
Synopsis:
Valentin is an eccentric projectionist. For 44 years, he’s been working in one of the oldest movie theatres in Kiev’s city centre. In his projection booth, he drinks with war veterans, dances with the show girls from next door or cuts his friend’s hair. Every day at work seems like another adventure. The turmoil on Maidan Square and the war remain behind the scenes, while the life on screen creates an alternative reality. It all comes to an abrupt end when a fire breaks out in the cinema and Valentin is forced to retire. He looks after his dying mother, rushing to help her the moment she calls. With an average life expectancy for men in Ukraine of 64 years, Valentin is aware that he does not have much time left. Still, he fights desperately to find a new meaning in life in a rapidly changing country.
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CRYSTAL SWAN is Belarus Entry in Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film | Trailer
In a series of first, Darya Zhuk’s debut feature “Crystal Swan” about a young female DJ in Belarus who hope to emigrate to the U.S, which world premieres at the 2018 Karlovy Vary Film Festival has been selected as Belarus’ submission for the Oscars’ foreign-language film category for the 91st Academy Awards reports Variety. This is the first country to publicly announce their selection for the 91st Academy Awards race, and it is the first time Belarus has entered a film in the Oscars competition for 22 years.
In post-Soviet Belarus, unemployed raver Velya dreams of emigrating to the U.S. After purchasing blank letterhead and forging proof of employment to win a much-coveted visa, her dream appears within reach… Until Velya realizes the American consulate plans to call the fake phone number on her application to confirm her employment. Velya’s only solution is to endure a week in a small factory town to convince the authorities of her supposed job. She locates the cramped Soviet apartment on the other end of the line, overrun by a family preparing for the wedding of their son. The imperious mother refuses to lie for her, but Velya negotiates a solution: she can answer the phone during business hours as if she works at the factory. But Velya’s presence soon upends both the family’s and the town’s order, with potentially disastrous consequences for all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eav__UGDdQ
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Terry Gilliam, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer and More Guests Confirmed for Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
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Terry Gilliam, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer[/caption]
Among the guests coming to the festival, the 53rd Karlovy Vary IFF will welcome Director Terry Gilliam, actor Anna Paquin and director Stephen Moyer, actor Rory Cochrane, Actor Caleb Landry Jones, Romain Gavras and producer John Lesher.
TERRY GILLIAM TO PRESENT THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE IN KARLOVY VARY
Director Terry Gilliam will personally appear at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival to present his new film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, which had its premiere at this year’s festival in Cannes. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote faced many trials and tribulations and was many years in the making. Eighteen years ago, the original shoot starring Johnny Depp and Jean Rochefort was halted after just six days. The series of catastrophes that halted the project, which Gilliam had spent ten years preparing, was later the subject of Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe’s documentary Lost in La Mancha (2002), which was shown at the 37th KVIFF. But the legendary director did not give up on his dream and now, eighteen years later, he can present his film to the public. Cynical advertising director Toby comes across his nearly forgotten student film and sets out for the place where he had filmed his adaptation of Cervantes’s famous novel. He discovers that his film project has forever changed the hopes and dreams of a small village. He meets a confused shoemaker who is convinced that he is Don Quixote and that Toby is his Sancho Panza. Soon, Toby finds himself prisoner of the old man’s bizarre fantasies, and it becomes more and more difficult to discern fact from fiction. Over the course of his comical and surreal adventures, Toby is forced to face up to the tragic consequences of his film. Gilliam’s film stars Adam Driver, Jonathan Pryce, Olga Kurylenko, Stellan Skarsgård and Joana Ribeiro. Terry Gilliam, one of the most distinctive contemporary directors in the world today, gained fame as a member of the famous comedy troupe Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and along with Terry Jones he co-directed several of the Pythons’ feature film projects. His best known solo outings as director include The Fischer King (1991, nominated for a Golden Globus for director), Twelve Monkeys (1995), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) and The Brothers Grimm (2005). In 2006, Terry Gilliam visited the KVIFF to personally present his film Tideland (2005).OSCAR-WINNING ACTOR ANNA PAQUIN AND ACTOR/DIRECTOR STEPHEN MOYER TO BE GUESTS AT THE KARLOVY VARY FESTIVAL
Among the guests coming to the festival, the 53rd Karlovy Vary IFF will welcome actor Anna Paquin and director Stephen Moyer, who will present The Parting Glass along with screenwriter, and co star Denis O’Hare, and producer Cerise Hallam Larkin. Moyer currently stars in FOX/MARVEL’S “The Gifted”.“The Parting Glass” is Moyer’s feature film directorial debut. Paquin will next be seen in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, a crime drama for Netflix, and is starring in and Executive Producing Flack, directed by Peter Cattaneo. O’Hare was most recently nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance on the acclaimed series This Is Us and will next be seen in the feature films Late Night, The Goldfinch and Swallow.ACTOR RORY COCHRANE WILL PRESENT FILM HOSTILES
The film Hostiles will be presented at KVIFF by american actor Rory Cochrane, known to audience primarily for the television series CSI: Miami. Rory Cochrane recently starred in the critically acclaimed film Black Mass opposite Johnny Depp, and portrayed the real-life character ‘Stephen Flemmi’. Before this, Rory was honored as a member of the ensemble cast of the 2012 Oscar-winning Best Picture Argo, directed by and starring Ben Affleck. Cochrane shared in several accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Motion Picture Ensemble, for his role as one of six American Embassy staffers trapped in Iran after the 1979 embassy takeover. His more recent film credits include another true-life drama Parkland, and the horror thriller Oculus, which premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. Upcoming, he stars in the independent war drama Soy Negro and The Most Hated Woman in America, Netflix’s drama feature starring Melissa Leo and produced by Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect). Born in New York, Cochrane spent much of his childhood in England, eventually returning to Manhattan to study at the La Guardia High School of Performing Arts. His first notable role was as Jeff Goldblum’s character’s son in the drama Fathers and Sons. His early film roles also include Slater, the young stoner in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, Billy Mack Black, the crazed tattooed killer in Love and A 45 and Lucas in Empire Records. His subsequent film credits include The Low Life and Dogtown for director George Hickenlooper; Joel Schumacher’s Flawless, with Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Robert De Niro; The Prime Gig with Vince Vaughn and Ed Harris; Hart’s War, opposite Colin Farrell and Bruce Willis; A Scanner Darkly which reunited him with Richard Linklater; Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale; Passion Play, with Bill Murray and Mickey Rourke; and Bringing Up Bobby, with Milla Jovovich.WORLD PREMIERE OF IN-COMPETITION “TO THE NIGHT” TO BE PRESENTED BY ACTOR CALEB LANDRY JONES
Actor Caleb Landry Jones, whom audiences will recognize from the series Twin Peaks and Breaking Bad or from the film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, will be at the festival to present the in-competition film To the Night. Caleb Landry Jones started out with small film roles, after which he got the chance to appear in several episodes of Breaking Bad (2009–10) and Twin Peaks (2017). In 2011, he appeared as one of the mutants in X-Men: First Class, which was followed by appearances alongside Tom Cruise in the thriller American Made (2017), in the horror movie Get Out (2017), which won an Oscar for Best Screenplay, and in the widely acclaimed Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).DIRECTOR ROMAIN GAVRAS TO PRESENT HIS FILM “THE WORLD IS YOURS”
Romain Gavras has been making films since he was young, when he began directing shorts. He co-founded the cinematic group Kourtrajmé, which focused on recording Paris’s hip-hop scene. He has also shot numerous music videos that have been viewed by millions of people – for instance for M.I.A., Kanye West and Jay-Z – and for which he has been nominated for the Grammy Awards. His video for M.I.A.’s “Bad Girls” won two MTV awards in 2012 and was also nominated for a Grammy. Gavras is also a respected director of commercials. In 2010, he made his feature-film debut with Our Day Will Come starring Vincent Cassel. The son of the famous director Costa-Gavras, Romain Gavras will appear at the 53rd KVIFF to present The World Is Yours (Le Monde est à toi, 2018), a gag-filled comedy that surprised audiences at this year’s festival in Cannes and that features such actors as Isabelle Adjani and Vincent Cassel.OSCAR-WINNING PRODUCER TO PRESENT “HOSTILES”
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is proud to welcome as one of its guests producer John Lesher, who won an Oscar for Birdman (2014) starring Michael Keaton. With over 25 years years of experience, John Lesher is an Academy Award-Winning Producer, having worked on Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Birdman”. In addition to that, Lesher produced “Hostiles”, starring Christian Bale, “Black Mass”, starring Johnny Depp, “Fury”, starring Brad Pitt and “End of Watch” starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Lesher has “White Boy Rick” and “The Beach Bum” in post production both starring Matthew McConaughey. Prior to producing, Lesher founded Paramount Vantage in addition to being president of the film group at Paramount Pictures and before that Lesher was a partner at Endeavor and UTA. John Lesher has produced numerous successful films, including the Brad Pitt wartime drama Fury (2014) and the biographical crime drama Black Mass (2015) with Johnny Depp. At this year’s festival, Lesher will present the latest film by director Scott Cooper, Hostiles, starring Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike. Karlovy Vary audiences may remember Cooper thanks to his Crazy Heart (2009), which was shown at the 45th KVIFF.PRODUCER GREG SHAPIRO TO AGAIN VISIT KVIFF
Producer Greg Shapiro, who won a Best Picture for director Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker, will make his fourth appearance at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Shapiro also collaborated with Bigelow on the critically-acclaimed Zero Dark Thirty (2012) and produced Daniel Espinosa’s Child 44 (2015), which was filmed in the Czech Republic. He is currently completing several films, including Serenity with Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey and Richard Says Goodbye with Johnny Depp.
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Karlovy Vary International Film Festival To Award Oscar-Winning Actor and Director Tim Robbins
Actor, director, screenwriter, producer and musician Tim Robbins, who won an Oscar for best supporting actor for his performance in Mystic River (2003) and who was nominated for a best director Oscar for Dead Man Walking (1995) will be honored at this year’s 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival with the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema.
Thanks to his family background, Tim Robbins had contact with the world of art from an early age. He began his acting career at theaters in New York, and after completing his education he worked as an actor and director with the experimental theatre ensemble The Actor’s Gang, which under his guidance earned widespread audience acclaim and more than a hundred critics’ awards.
After appearing in several smaller film and television roles, Robbins gained more widespread attention thanks to his part in director Ron Shelton’s sports film Bull Durham (1988). Proof that Robbins was an actor of great promise came with his performance in the drama Jacob ’s Ladder (1990). A decisive moment in his acting career was his collaboration with the outstanding director Robert Altman – Robbins’ appearance in the main role in Altman’s The Player (1992) earned him a Golden Globe and the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival.
That same year, Robbins showed that he was a multifaceted auteur by filming his directorial debut Bob Roberts (1992) according to his own screenplay. Besides appearing in the title role, he also wrote (in collaboration with his brother David) the music for the film and even sang many of the songs himself.
Soon thereafter, Robbins again joined with Robert Altman to shoot Short Cuts (1993). The ensemble cast won a Special Golden Globe and also took home the Volpi Cup from the Venice Film Festival.
There followed appearances in the Coen brothers’ The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), another outing with Robert Altman (the comedy from the world of fashion Prêt-à-Porter, 1994), and his work with Frank Darabont on The Shawshank Redemption (1994), which was nominated for seven Oscars.
Also around this time, Robbins successfully continued with his work as director and screenwriter. Dead Man Walking (1996) earned him an Oscar nomination for best director, while Susan Sarandon won an Oscar for best actress. His next auteur outing, Cradle Will Rock (1999), which premiered at Cannes, explored the relationship between the individual artist and society during a tumultuous time in the U.S. though this time in another era. As with Dead Man Walking, Robbins produced, and the music was written by his brother David.
After Stephen Frears’s romantic comedy High Fidelity (2000) and Michel Gondry’s bizarre Human Nature (2001) – the latter of which was based on a script by Charlie Kaufman – Robbins appeared in one of his most successful roles in Clint Eastwood’s crime drama Mystic River (2004), for which both Robbins and lead actor Sean Penn won an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Recently Robbins has been seen in Marjorie Prime (2017) and HBOs The Brink (2016) and Here And Now (2018).
At the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Tim Robbins will present his two auteur films Bob Roberts and Cradle Will Rock. In addition, he will appear on stage for a special concert performance by Tim Robbins and The Rogues Gallery Band.
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53rd Karlovy Vary IFF Announces Line-Up
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I Do Not Care If We Go Down In History As Barbarians[/caption]
Ten world and two international premieres will compete at this year’s 53rd Karlovy Vary IFF including the latest by leading Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude “I Do Not Care If We Go Down In History As Barbarians”, an original exploration of the subject of nationality and a nation coming to terms with the traumatic moments of its own past. Respected Argentinian director Ana Katz presents a mixture of subtle melancholy with light humor in her family drama Sueño Florianópolis, and we find a no less complex look at the question of male-female relationships in The Fireflies Are Gone, the story of a rebellious yet charismatic teenager directed by Canadian filmmaker Sébastien Pilote.
A harrowing performance by actor Caleb Landry Jones dominates Peter Brunner’s dark Austro-American drama To the Night. Two other filmmakers previously recognized at KVIFF present equally original though noticeably more poetic new films: the Russian director of the popular Zoology, Ivan Tverdovsky, presents Jumpman, while Israeli director Joseph Madmony is presenting his third premiere at KVIFF, the subtly moving drama Redemption, co-directed by cinematographer Boaz Y. Yakov.
Domestic cinema will be represented by Olmo Omerzu’s road movie about the force of boyhood friendship Winter Flies and by debut filmmaker Adam Sedlák’s claustrophobic minimalist study of the slow decline of body and mind, Domestique. Other debuts are from the Dominican Republic and Spain (Natalia Cabral and Oriol Estrada’s nuanced story of an adolescent girl, Miriam Lies), Poland (Paweł Maślona’s dark comedy Panic Attack) and Turkey (Ömür Atay’s moving drama Brothers). The selection, which spans a wide range of styles and genres, is rounded out by talented Slovenian director Sonja Prosenc’s poetic tale of female coming-of-age History of Love.
OFFICIAL SELECTION – COMPETITION
“Îmi este indiferent dacă în istorie vom intra ca barbari” / “I Do Not Care If We Go Down In History As Barbarians” / „Je mi jedno, že se zapíšeme do dějin jako barbaři“ Director: Radu Jude Romania, Czech Republic, France, Bulgaria, Germany, 2018, 140 min, World premiere A young artist is planning to reconstruct a historical event from 1941, during which the Romanian Army carried out ethnic cleansing on the Eastern Front. One of contemporary Europe’s most distinctive creators has come out with an ingeniously conceived film that – although the topic unfolds slowly and in detail – hits the viewer with a singular emotional punch. Atak paniki / Panic Attack / Panický záchvat Director: Paweł Maślona Poland, 2017, 100 min, International premiere In his blackly humorous debut, talented director Paweł Maślona has submitted a consummate answer to the question whether or not a panic attack can be translated into film language. Dramatic moments in the lives of several unfortunates living in contemporary Warsaw are here presented with refreshing playfulness and a singular knack for mixing the tragic and the comic. La disparition des lucioles / The Fireflies Are Gone / Mizející světlušky Director: Sébastien Pilote Canada, 2018, 96 min, World premiere The sleepy town where Léo lives doesn’t offer her much chance of self-fulfillment. Extricating herself from her mother’s influence and her constricting environment isn’t easy for the frustrated young woman, yet happiness might be close at hand. A stylistically precise, pop-impressionistic film about a girl’s quest to find out who she really is, featuring the captivating Karelle Tremblay in the lead role. Domestik / Domestique / Domestik Director: Adam Sedlák Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, 2018, 116 min, World premiere Top cyclist Roman has had enough of serving as a domestique, a bicycle racer who sacrifices for the team. And since strenuous training and a strict regimen don’t lead to the type of performance he longs for, he sets up an oxygen tent at home. His obsession with having a sports career, however, renders him oblivious to his wife Šarlota’s desire to have a baby. A claustrophobic drama on the utter breakdown of a marriage almost suffocated by a machine that oxygenates the blood. Geula / Redemption / Geula Director: Joseph Madmony, Boaz Yehonatan Yaakov Israel, 2018, 100 min, World premiere Being able to care for a gravely ill daughter is of the utmost importance to a loving father. The treatment which is to give the child a new chance at life is something the poorly paid widower simply can’t afford. The idea to start performing again with a rock band from his early days, however, sees the devout man confronting not only those around him but – above all – himself as well. Kardeşler / Brothers / Bratři Director: Ömür Atay Turkey, Germany, Bulgaria, 2017, 103 min, World premiere Seventeen-year-old Yusuf comes home after spending four years at a detention center. His return to the family circle freshly recalls the act that his loved ones, bound by rigid tradition, forced Yusuf to commit. Directed with an assured hand, this intimate debut concerns guilt and punishment and how difficult it is to choose between blood ties and tradition on the one hand, and what is morally right on the other. Miriam miente / Miriam Lies / Miriam lže Director: Oriol Estrada, Natalia Cabral Dominican Republic, Spain, 2018, 90 min, World premiere Shy girl Miriam is waiting to celebrate her 15th birthday and she wants to invite her guy. So far they’ve only chatted online, and the anticipated blind date only complicates things. A gentle picture about the uncertainties of growing up, girls’ competitiveness, and the demands of others, which can be confusing when you’re young. Podbrosy / Jumpman / Skokan Director: Ivan I. Tverdovskiy Russia, 2018, 86 min, International premiere Young Oksana put Denis in a baby box when he was an infant. Sixteen years later she steals him away from a children’s home, intent on making amends for her neglect. Denis, however, has no idea of the heavy price to be paid for his mother’s favour: the fragile boy has one unusual quality which Oksana has no qualms about exploiting. Sueño Florianópolis / Sueño Florianópolis / Cesta do Florianópolisu Director: Ana Katz Argentina, Brazil, France, 2018, 103 min, World premiere Lucrecia, Pedro, and their teenage kids Julian and Florencia set out from Buenos Aires one sweltering day in a rattletrap Renault to vacation in the Brazilian summer resort of Florianópolis. Renowned Argentinian director Ana Katz draws upon gentle humor and light melancholy to relate a tale of first love, past lovers, fateful encounters, and fleeting joys. To the Night / To the Night / Do noci Director: Peter Brunner Austria, USA, 2018, 102 min, World premiere As a child Norman survived a fire that took the rest of his family. As an adult he is still struggling with the resulting trauma, and he finds it difficult to start a new life with his girlfriend and little boy. An oppressive atmosphere, subtle hints, and spectacular images playing upon the subconscious – these are the primary attributes of this brutally intimate study of a wounded individual. Captivating Caleb Landry Jones excels in the main role. Všechno bude / Winter Flies / Všechno bude Director: Olmo Omerzu Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, Slovak Republic, 2018, 85 min, World premiere Mischievously self-assured Mára and somewhat eccentric Heduš set out into the frozen wastes in search of adventure – by car, naturally. After all, Mára’s turning fifteen soon. A road movie about the flies that occasionally buzz around even in winter, and a story – before it ends at the police station – that tells of the elusive bond of boyhood friendship and the irrepressible desire to experience something, even if you don’t exactly know what. Zgodovina ljubezni / History of Love / Příběh lásky Director: Sonja Prosenc Slovenia, Italy, Norway, 2018, 105 min, World premiere Seventeen-year-old Iva is in the process of coming to terms with the death of her mother. Influenced by this deep personal loss and by the discovery that she didn’t know everything about her mom, the girl slowly immerses herself into a strange, almost dreamlike world. Sonja Prosenc’s movie is dominated by a distinctive poetic that attacks the viewer’s senses, as well as by a narratively loose style and an ability to construct a story with the aid of the subtlest of suggestions.
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Danish Actress Trine Dyrholm To Present NICO, 1988 at Karlovy Vary Film Festival [Trailer]
The Karlovy Vary festival’s Horizons section will present the music biopic Nico, 1988, with a personal introduction from Danish actress Trine Dyrholm, who plays the title character.
Nico, 1988 charts the final chapters in the artistic career of music icon Nico, birth name Christa Päffgen. Most often talked about as Warhol’s muse or in connection with the band the Velvet Underground, Päffgen lived a dramatic life full of intensity, one that ultimately saw her rebirth as an artist and her discovery of herself as a woman and mother.
“Trine Dyrholm was key to the film,” says director Susanna Nicchiarelli about her lead actor. “Her contribution to my film and to me personally was tremendous. Trine gave Nico energy and vitality; she provided the movie with the exact amount of energy that was needed.”
Trine Dyrholm started out as the singer for the popular Danish band The Moonlighters. She studied acting and is one of the busiest actors working in Denmark today. Her movie credits include Thomas Vinterberg’s Festen (1998), the comedy In China They Eat Dogs (1999), and the Oscar-nominated historical drama A Royal Affair (2012). In 2016 at the Berlinale she picked up a Silver Bear for best actress in Vinterberg’s The Commune (2016).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38RBdHtWkWo
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Karlovy Vary’s People Next Door Section Will Present Oscar-Winning Short Film THE SILENT CHILD [Trailer]
For the third time the Karlovy Vary IFF will present the People Next Door program section, focusing on films with hearing-impaired protagonists.
One of the motion pictures presented in People Next Door will be The Silent Child (2017), which took this year’s Academy Award® for Best Live Action Short Film. This emotive movie will be presented by actress and screenwriter Rachel Shenton and director Chris Overton.
The Silent Child tells the story of a four-year-old profoundly deaf girl who, thanks to a social worker played by Rachel Shenton, emerges from a world of silence by means of sign language. The script was inspired by the personal experiences of the British actress and writer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxwBd9OMOC4
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Director Barry Levinson to Receive Award at Karlovy Vary Festival
Screenwriter-producer-director Barry Levinson, who won an Academy Award for Rain Man, will accept the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema at this year’s Karlovy Vary festival.
The Karlovy Vary festival continues its tradition of recognizing the most important personalities of world cinema, the likes of which include directors William Friedkin, Jerry Schatzberg, and Ken Loach, and screenwriter Paul Laverty. In his writing and directing capacity, Academy Award winner and five-time nominee Barry Levinson deftly combines personal stories with an often satirical look at society, and his movies have fundamentally influenced numerous young filmmakers.
Barry Levinson established himself as a writer of successful television shows. With his onetime wife, Valerie Curtin, he then wrote the movie script for Norman Jewison’s courtroom drama …and justice for all (1979), which brought them an Oscar nomination. He debuted as a director with the comedy-drama Diner (1982), receiving his second Oscar nomination for the script. Ivan Král, a Czech musician based in the US, co-wrote the film music.
Subsequent titles confirmed his reputation with critics and audiences: The Natural (1984) with Robert Redford, Tin Men (1987) with Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito, and Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) with Robin Williams.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the legendary picture Rain Man (1988), awarded four Oscars (e.g. Best Director for Barry Levinson) and numerous other honors, including the Golden Bear at the Berlinale and the David di Donatello for Best Foreign Film. Under Levinson’s guidance, Dustin Hoffman turned in one of his most memorable performances and Tom Cruise extended his star status while paired up with onscreen girlfriend Valeria Golino. His next movie, the drama Avalon (1991), earned Levinson another Oscar nomination, this time for Best Original Screenplay. The Warren Beatty vehicle Bugsy (1991), based on the life of the well-known gangster, brought Levinson another two Academy Award nominations – for best director and picture.
Recently turned 20, Levinson’s movie Wag the Dog is a behind-the-scenes political parody (once again) starring Dustin Hoffman in an Oscar-nominated role. The film earned Barry Levinson a Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize at Berlinale in 1998.
Similar to his work with Hoffman, with whom he also shot the drama Sleepers (1996) and the sci-fi picture Sphere (1998), he teams up with other Hollywood stars for multiple productions, including Robert De Niro (Wag the Dog, What Just Happened, 2008) and Robin Williams (Toys, 1992; Man of the Year, 2006).
Levinson produces the majority of his movies and has backed a number of ambitious project by other directors, among others Mike Newell’s crime drama Donnie Brasco (1997) and Neil LaBute’s romantic drama Possession (2002).
Barry Levinson will present his latest directorial effort at KVIFF, the HBO-produced drama Paterno, and will introduce Rain Man and the timeless satire Wag the Dog.