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Karlovy Vary IFF

Welcome

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is ranked by FIAPF among the most prestigious world film festivals and is considered the most important film event in Central and Eastern Europe, a region of 18 countries with a population of approximately 190.000.000 people.

The basic concept of the Karlovy Vary IFF comes out of the Czech Republic’s advantageous geopolitical location at the crossroads between Eastern and Western Europe. It introduces film industry representatives and press from all around the world to the newest local production, and presents new quality films from the rest of the world to Central and Eastern Europe’s own industry and press.

Due to its highly-regarded programming, quality facilities, and unique atmosphere, the Karlovy Vary IFF has become the key annual event for buyers, distributors, festival programmers, sales agents, journalists, and filmmakers.

Up to 350 of film directors, actors and other filmmakers personally present their films at Karlovy Vary. About 850 distributors, sales agents, producers, and festival programmers attend the festival each year. About 700 journalists attend the Karlovy Vary IFF each year - many of them arriving from the Central and Eastern European countries to cover the biggest film event in the region for their national media.

Karlovy Vary, located 100 km from Prague in scenic Western Bohemia, is a world-famous spa founded in the 14th century. European royalty, artists, and composers frequented the spa to enjoy its healing thermal mineral waters. There is a lot to do in the town and its surroundings – sports, sightseeing, history, architecture – all this is Karlovy Vary.


The unique and relaxed atmosphere of the Karlovy Vary IFF always surprises and awes newcomers. The festival is open to lay public and each year up to 10,000 mainly young people transform the otherwise tranquil spa town of Karlovy Vary into a 9-day film celebration, fully packing every cinema. Usually around 130.000 tickets are sold. Lay public attendance increases each year. It is precisely these people who create the unforgettable atmosphere at the Karlovy Vary festival, and who again and again surprise (especially foreign) visitors by their unaffected interest in often challenging films and meeting the filmmakers personally at the Master Classes or Q&As organized after the screenings.

History

The Karlovy Vary IFF is one of the oldest film festivals of all time (the first year took place in 1946). For more than 40 years the festival was organized under the pressure of the political situation in socialist Czechoslovakia. After the social changes in November 1989 the festival struggled for several years with lack of interest from the side of the state as well as public, in whose eyes it was almost irretrievably discredited

In the year 1994 the organization of the festival was taken up by a new team, in the lead of which stood the well-known Czech actor Jiří Bartoška and the significant film columnist and critic Eva Zaoralová, who decided to transform the stagnant show into a film forum of international importance. Within a few years, the team of Jiří Bartoška and Eva Zaoralová managed to return to the festival the prestige and interest of both professional and lay public through its new programme as well as organizational concept

Film selection

Annually in the Czech Republic, the Karlovy Vary IFF premieres approx. 180 new, carefully selected movies from all over the world, including up to 70 films presented as world, international, or European premieres. Up to 60 of the films are debuts.

Close attention is paid to the Official Selection - Competition. Only films made in the previous season may be included. Selected films must be presented as world, international or European premieres.

The second competition – East of the West – is focused on young talented filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe.

Independent films from all around the world as well as documentary films (both features and shorts) are competing for awards. Informative programs present the best from contemporary cinema. KVIFF brings to screen hidden treasures and classic films through various tributes and retrospectives.

The KVIFF aims to present significant examples of high quality movies from the world over, with a focus on the current season. A number of films were bought for distribution thanks to being presented at the Karlovy Vary IFF. Movies that started their international careers at Karlovy Vary include Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amélie from Montmartre, Caroline Link’s Nowhere in Africa, Reprise by Joachim Trier, Balthasar Kormakur’s Jar City, Terribly Happy by Henrik Ruben Genz, The Company Men by John Wells, and Martin Donovan’s Collaborator.

The film selection also offers buyers, distributors, and festival programmers from around the world the possibility of seeing the best new Central and Eastern European films shot in previous 18 months, and the chance to meet talented local filmmakers and producers.

The festival program includes the Variety´s Ten European Directors to Watch, a popular section organized by the prestigious Variety magazine in co-operation with European Film Promotion. The magazine’s critics present their selection of ten European films by most talented emerging directors.

Not only official film selection

In recent years, the festival has focused on external form of expression employing original design and decorations which are modified every year by a team of top Czech artists, designers and photographers. Events and panels focusing on film industry professionals have been developed that enrich the program for festival guests and visitors, as do public meetings with filmmakers.

Karlovy Vary IFF organizes every year the panel Works in Progress - a presentation for international distributors, sales agents, and festival programmers that offers a selection of feature films from Central and Eastern Europe (recently completed or in post-production) whose premieres are expected after the festival, Docu Talents from the East - a guide to outstanding upcoming creative documentaries from Central and Eastern Europe, Hollywood Panel with a discussion how to create a bridge between Hollywood and Europe in which knowledge and talent can flow both ways and Master Classes – Meet the Authors as a series of meetings at which directors, actors and producers present their work to the general public. The festival’s development continues, and the organizing team continues to improve the balanced mix of business and culture of this already unique film venue.

Festival Trailers

Karlovy Vary IFF’s trailers are a unique phenomenon. Traditionally, a new trailer has accompanied the new festival design of each new year. In 2008, however, festival organizers initiated a new tradition. Replacing the one-off yearly trailers, a new long-term collection will be used to introduce festival films for a number of years to come. The new trailers have a common denominator: they feature foreign and domestic recipients of the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema as well as Festival’s President Award. Shot by Ivan Zachariáš and Martin Krejčí, the stars of the trailers now include John Malkovich, Harvey Keitel, Danny DeVito, Miloš Forman, Andy García, Jude Law, Jiří Menzel and Věra Chytilová.

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