Karlovy Vary marks 80 years with 60th festival

Shafaq News- Karlovy Vary

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the second-oldest film festival in the world and part of the “first wave” of post-war European film festivals, is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.

Slovak Actress Magda Vášáryová Receives The Festival President’s Award

At the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the Festival President’s Award will be presented to renowned Slovak actress Magda Vášáryová.

In honor of Magda Vášáryová, the festival will screen the film “Birds, Orphans and Fools”, directed by Juraj Jakubisko. The film is a Czechoslovakian-French co-production, written by Jakubisko with the writer Karol Sidon, and filmed in the turbulent year of 1968.

The Screen “Birds, Orphans and Fools” Was Banned for 20 Years

At that time, a special committee of the Slovak Ministry of Culture labeled this mosaic-like, fantastical allegory of unfulfilled dreams and the absurdity of the world “un-socialistic” and forbade the distribution of “Birds, Orphans and Fools”. More than 20 years later, in 1990, the film was screened at the 27th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and also won the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Prize.

The Jury Members of the Crystal Globe Competition

The jury members of the Crystal Globe Competition of the 60th Karlovy Vary Film Festival (KVIFF) are: Justin Chang, film critic at The New Yorker from the United States, Amanda Nell Eu, director from Malaysia, Pavel Rejholec, sound designer, producer, composer and university lecturer from the Czech Republic, Nadia Turincev, Russian producer living in France, and Eskil Vogt, director and screenwriter from Norway.

The Jury Members of the Proxima Competition

The jury members of the Proxima Competition at this prestigious and top-tier event in world cinema include: Ms. Estrella Araiza, the General Director of the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG) and Cineteca UDG, from Mexico, Dirk Decker, producer and co-founder of Hamburg-based Tamtam Film from Germany; Jakub Felcman, screenwriter, film critic, producer and director from the Czech Republic, Devika Girish, editor at Film Comment magazine and a Talks programmer at the New York Film Festival from the United States and Marija Kavtaradze, director and screenwriter from Lithuania.

Screening of the Film “Hijamat” Produced and Edited by Jafar Panahi

At the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the feature film “Hijamat,” written and directed by Nader Saevar and produced and edited by renowned Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, will have its world premiere in the Crystal Globe Competition section. The film is a German production.

Screening of the Film “The Friend's House Is Here” by Iranian Directors

Also at this prestigious artistic event, the film “The Friend's House is Here”, directed and written by young Iranian filmmakers Maryam Ataei and Hossein Keshavarz, and produced by the United States and Iran, will be screened in the non-competitive Special Screenings section.

Karlovy Vary, One of the Most Prestigious Festivals in Central and Eastern Europe

The festival's 60th edition will be held under the executive management of Kryštof Mucha and the artistic direction of Karel Och. The program includes 12 films in the Crystal Globe Competition, 12 in the Proxima Competition, and 13 in the out-of-competition Special Screenings section, alongside titles featured in the classic “Out of the Past” retrospective and a photo exhibition documenting 80 years of festival history. Events will be hosted at multiple venues across Karlovy Vary, including the Thermal Hotel cinemas, the Karlovy Vary Theatre, Drahomíra Cinema, Čas Cinema, Husovka Theatre, Pupp Cinema, and Lázně III Cinema.

For more details: https://www.kviff.com/en/homepage

Credit: Independent journalist and reporter Mansour Jahani