The biographical film Basquiat was screened at the KVIFF in 1997, starring a young actor at the start of his career named Jeffrey Wright. As presenter Sasha Michailidis discovered through a quick survey, several people from the Grand Hall were also in Karlovy Vary at the time. On Friday, they had the chance to watch the film about the influential painter once again, this time accompanied by Jeffrey Wright, now a star of James Bond films and The Hunger Games, a Tony Award winner and an Oscar nominee.
“The first thing I did when I landed today was smile. As you can see from the photo behind me, I have some lovely memories of this place. Jiří Bartoška and I became friends. I saw him again when I was filming Casino Royale here. He taught me to laugh, about the local culture, and my first Czech words, like Becherovka. I wanted to come back here. This festival was the warmest and most inviting of all the places I’ve visited,” said the actor, expressing his gratitude for the invitation.
“I’m delighted that we can now celebrate the life of Jean-Michel Basquiat here. For two reasons: At his very core, he embodied the power of freedom, creativity and being true to oneself. He spoke about what America aspires to be – a beacon of freedom, the freedom to realise who you are and who you can be. He was the son of immigrants who went on to become perhaps the most popular and influential artist of the last fifty years. His story wasn’t very well known before our film came out, and I’m glad I was able to help more people learn about him. The film also speaks to the power of storytelling. It’s about the life of a young artist, yes. But it also speaks to us through its humanity, which unites us all,” said the actor about the film that launched his career.
“Ironically, I ended up being part of another film about Basquiat, Samo Lives, which we finished filming in the fall. Kelvin Harrison played Basquiat brilliantly in that film. In this film, I played the role of his father; apparently I’m that old. Maybe I’ll be back next year with this film,” said the actor as he took his leave. He is due to receive the Festival President’s Award at the KVIFF tomorrow.
