Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 

The 44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival ended with the awarding of the Crystal Globes. The Crystal Globe for Best Film went to the Belgian-Canadian film Angel at Sea by director Frédéric Dumont. The film focuses on the bitter childhood experience of a boy named Louis who grows up with a beloved though manic-depressive father.

The main jury, led by Claudie Ossard, also conferred the Special Jury Prize on the Iranian film Twenty by director Abdolreza Kahani. It tells of the employees of a small reception hall who have just twenty days before the establishment closes.

Best Director went to Germany’s Andreas Dresen for the comedy Whisky with Vodka. His feature employs the film-within-a-film genre to portray an aging actor named Otto forced to contend with a new understudy.

Best Actress was taken by the favorite, Denmark’s Paprika Steen, for her role in the drama Applause. The actress powerfully evoked the (un)recovered alcoholism of an actress seeking to regain custody of her children.

Best Actor was split: Belgian-born actor Olivier Gourmet won for his role as the problematic father of the protagonist in Angel at Sea, and renowned American actor Paul Giamatti won for playing himself in Cold Souls. Special Mention was awarded to 15-year-old Filip Gabacz, who grippingly portrayed a young star pupil who becomes a child prostitute in the Polish film Piggies.

The documentary jury awarded Slovak documentarist Marko Škop, who scored at the KVIFF three years ago with Other Worlds: this time his film Osadné took Best Documentary. Special Mention went to the American doc We Live in Public from Ondi Timoner. In the short documentary category (up to 30 minutes), the German-Indian-Pakistani film Wagah won, with Special Mention going to Poland’s Till It Hurts.

The East of the West competition honored the Russian film Room and a Half by Andrey Khrzhanovsky, which tell of the life of poet Joseph Brodsky and his family. Special Mention was given to Poland’s Scratch by Michał Rosa.

The non-statutory awards were conferred in the afternoon. The Audience Award went to the Israeli comedy A Matter of Size.

During the gala closing ceremonies, John Malkovich accepted the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema. Earlier at this year’s festival the same award went to French Actress Isabelle Huppert and Czech Director Jan Švankmajer. On Friday, actor Antonio Banderas received the Festival President’s Award.

The 44th Karlovy Vary IFF took place from July 3-11, 2009. The 45th Karlovy Vary IFF will take place from July 2-10, 2010.