The Creator Of The Celebrated Hbo Series The Sopranos, David Chase, to Take the Stage at KVIFF

Seven-time Emmy winner and showrunner of the hit HBO series The  Sopranos David Chase will be a highlight in Karlovy Vary’s Industry Days program. In an exclusive on-stage conversation, he will reflect on his extraordinary contribution to television and film storytelling, while discussing the evolution of the audiovisual industry and creative risks.

The topics of discussion will draw from his more than fifty years of experience in the industry. Chase moved to Los Angeles after he completed graduate studies at Stanford University, earning credits on such notable series as The Magician and Kolchak: The Night Stalker. He eventually became a writer and producer for the classic NBC series The Rockford Files, for which he was awarded his first Emmy in 1978, in the category of Outstanding Drama Series. He received his second Emmy in 1980 for his script for the television film Off the Minnesota Strip, which also earned him a Writers Guild of America Award.

Chase began directing in the 1980s when he directed an episode he had written for Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He received further Emmy nominations for the series Northern Exposure and I’ll Fly Away.

The Sopranos debuted in January 1999 and went on to become arguably the most celebrated work in the history of cable television. The mafia saga was an absolute pop cultural phenomenon, running six seasons (1999–2007) and earning numerous awards, including 21 Emmys, five Golden Globes, and a George Foster Peabody Award – the “television Pulitzer.”

Chase made his feature film directorial debut with 2012’s Not Fade Away. This musical tale of growing up in an American suburb in the 1960s was one of the main attractions at the 50th anniversary New York Film Festival and was subsequently released in cinemas by Paramount Pictures.

In October 2021, the Warner Bros.-produced The Many Saints of Newark, a long-anticipated prequel to The Sopranos, opened in cinemas. David Chase wrote the film’s screenplay and acted as its producer.

His exceptional status was further confirmed by his recent induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame (2023). In addition, to mark the 25th anniversary of The Sopranos, director Alex Gibney dedicated a two-part documentary to Chase titled Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

David Chase will discuss his illustrious career in a special moderated discussion with Zac Ntim of Deadline. The event will take place on Wednesday, July 8, as part of the Screen Focus Sessions on the Film Industry Main Stage at the Kaiserbad.