The American director made Kafka in Prague in 1991 and exactly fifteen years ago, he promised to come to KVIFF to present a recut version of the film. “His visit is a dream come true, and I am not exaggerating,” said the festival’s artistic director Karel Och, welcoming the winner of the Oscar and other awards from festivals such as Cannes and the Berlinale.
The director introduced Mr. Kneff, a monochrome silent film starring Jeremy Irons as the writer, to the audience with the following words: “Imagine that it is not Sunday afternoon, but Friday midnight. You were out with friends, maybe Kafka was there with you, and suddenly you hear that a crazy movie is about to be screened. It’s crazy because someone interested in Soderbergh’s work broke into his house, took the original Kafka film, shot some new material, cut 20 minutes of footage and then released it all.” The director thanked the amused audience for the large turnout and continued: “I think if someone else had made this film, I would have hired a lawyer and sued them. And I created it because it was necessary.”
You can also see the original Kafka at the festival, for example on Monday, 1 July at 1pm at the Karlovy Vary Municipal Theatre or on Wednesday, 3 July at 5pm at Cinema B.
