Published: May 15, 2017| 12:00 PM

The artistic director of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Karel Och, will sit on the jury for Un Certain Regard at the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival.

“It is an honour to represent the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on a Cannes jury, and to thus follow in the footsteps of my predecessor Eva Zaoralová, who sat on the same jury in 2004,” says Och.

The prestigious competition section Un Certain Regard usually shows films by young directors who represent the diverse range of visions and styles found in contemporary international cinema and who are not afraid to use fresh new ways of telling a story.

For Karel Och personally, being on festival juries is one of the most interesting experiences of working in the world of cinema. “Its main essence is the sharing of the cinematic experience, passionate discussions, the attempt to offer similarly intense experiences to people attending our festival, and last but not least to help call attention to filmmakers’ works,” he says. For decades, representatives of the Karlovy Vary festival have made sure to attend the Cannes Film Festival, the most important cinematic event of the year.

This year’s Un Certain Regard jury will be headed by American actress Uma Thurman. Also joining Karel Och on the jury are Egyptian director Mohamed Diab, French actor Reda Kateb, and Belgian director Joachim Lafosse.