KVIFF Industry Days: The Program for Film Professionals Is Expanding and Introducing a Number of New Initiatives

The festival continues to expand its program for film professionals, creating new opportunities for the industry to meet, discover upcoming projects and engage with the key challenges shaping today’s audiovisual landscape. With the continued support of the PPF Foundation, the Film Industry program is structured around two complementary strands — Cinematic Focus and Screen Focus — responding to the evolving needs of audiovisual professionals in Central Europe. KVIFF Industry Days 2026 will take place from Sunday, July 5 to Wednesday, July 8, at the Kaiserbad venue.

KVIFF Promises Broadens Its International Scope

The festival platform KVIFF Promises, formerly known as KVIFF Eastern Promises, has long introduced projects to producers, distributors, festivals and sales agents, and now drops its former regional designation to reflect its expanded scope. With a renewed focus on Central Europe and an openness to projects from across the globe, KVIFF Promises strengthens its position as an important meeting point for international co-production and discovery.

The platform continues to showcase emerging talent through its collaboration with the Midpoint Institute, presenting projects from the Feature Launch program. Established midcareer directors from Central Europe will be highlighted in the KVIFF Central Stage showcase, with Switzerland joining the line-up of countries presented last year.

First Edition of Book-to-Screen at KVIFF

This new joint project is launched thanks to brand new collaborations with Frankfurter Buchmesse, Svět knihy (Book World) and Moravian Library in Brno and with the support of the PPF Foundation. It will present to producers up to 10 book titles suitable for film or series adaptation coming from the region of Central and Eastern Europe. Its long-term goal is to create a market for film rights to adaptations of literary works from the region, thereby strengthening cooperation between the film and book industries.

Publishers and literary agencies from Central and Eastern Europe that own film rights were invited to submit titles with strong film potential by April 30th, 2026. An international jury composed of representatives of the organizing organizations is currently in the process of selecting 5-10 works from the submitted applications. These will be presented to domestic and foreign producers on July 7, 2026. In addition to book presentations, the program will also include a panel discussion focused on film adaptations and a networking meeting for all participants.

Inspired by a similar project, Books at Berlinale, which has been successfully organized by Berlinale Co-Production Market and Frankfurter Buchmesse since 2006, the Book-toScreen at KVIFF aims to bring stories from Central and Eastern Europe to a stronger acclaim.

Industry Program: From True Crime Ethics to Alternative Distribution

The Film Industry program will once again feature a series of presentations, panel discussions, and workshops with leading experts in the fields of audiovisual media, cinematography, and television series production from the Czech Republic and abroad. The program will focus on topics such as high-quality production values, the ethics of true crime stories, alternative film distribution, as well as innovative approaches to storytelling and private equity financing of projects.

In collaboration with the Czech Association of Audiovisual Producers and the State Audiovisual Fund, the Czech Film Forum will offer a traditional discussion platform, where Czech producers and filmmakers review the past year and name challenges they are facing in the current film ecosystem. The program will also include a presentation of currently available AI tools. In collaboration with the ICDA, part of the program will focus on casting issues in Central and Eastern Europe. This year, KVIFF will also host, for the first time, a meeting of the Board of the European Film Academy, which annually awards the European Film Awards.

International Casting Directors Association at KVIFF

On Thursday, July 9, The International Casting Directors Association (ICDA) will present its annual Semiramis Award for Excellence in Casting. The award recognises outstanding achievement in casting and honours the creative contribution casting directors make to the success of film and television.

Alongside the award presentation, ICDA will host a dedicated series of panels and masterclasses exploring the craft and impact of casting in contemporary filmmaking, with several dozen international casting directors in attendance. Following last year’s presentation of the Semiramis Award at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, ICDA continues its partnership with major international festivals to highlight the vital role of casting directors.

The International Casting Directors Association (ICDA) is a global network of professional casting directors working across film, television, and new media. The association fosters artistic exchange, promotes professional standards, and advocates for the recognition of casting as a central creative discipline in storytelling.

Global Media Makers Residency Comes to Karlovy Vary

In collaboration with the U.S. embassies in Bratislava and Prague, and Film Independent, the Los-Angeles based non-profit organisation supporting independent filmmakers, KVIFF Industry Days will host the U.S. Department of State’s Global Media Makers Residency, a focused program for 14–20 independent producers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Designed as an intensive, hands-on residency, the program will explore new approaches to private financing and draw inspiration from the U.S. film industry. Through curated sessions, case studies and direct exchange with international experts, participants will gain practical insight into financing structures, packaging strategies and international collaboration, while also actively participating in KVIFF Industry Days and engaging with the KVIFF Promises program.

Oneplay Joins as Partner of Screen Focus Sessions

Building on the introduction of its series-focused strand last year, the festival continues to expand its program to reflect the growing importance of broadcaster and streaming-driven content in Central Europe. The Screen Focus strand welcomes a new key partner, Oneplay, which will support a range of panels, masterclasses and presentations tailored to today’s audiovisual professionals.

Producers, commissioners, and talent will have the opportunity to connect around topics such as international co-production, regional storytelling, export potential and premium production values. With the support of Oneplay and the presence of leading regional players, KVIFF Industry Days will place a stronger spotlight on the specific creative and industrial dynamics of episodic and multi-format content.