Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Encyclopedia
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival
held annually in July in Karlovy Vary
(Carlsbad), Czech Republic
. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe
's major film events.
and Karlovy Vary
. Above all it was intended to screen the results of the recently nationalized Czechoslovak
film industry
. After the first two years the festival moved permanently to Karlovy Vary.
For several decades after the Communist takeover in February 1948
the festival was entirely under the control of the political establishment. Periods in which the selection of films, the conferral of awards, and the invitation of guests were dominated by Communist propaganda
alternated with less restrictive periods, such as the sixties, in which the festival program was able to offer the latest artistic trends in both Czechoslovak and world cinema, including the West. Festivals with international stars and noteworthy films gave way to others filled with bombastic socialist rhetoric, which nearly caused the complete loss of the festival audience.
The great social and political changes that took place after the Velvet Revolution
in November 1989 pushed concerns about organizing the Karlovy Vary IFF to the background. The program for 1990 was saved by the release of a collection of Czechoslovak films which had been locked up for years in a storage vault. And the appearance of a number of important international guests such as Miloš Forman
, Lindsay Anderson
, Annette Bening
and Robert De Niro
helped as well. Future festivals were in doubt. Financial problems and a lack of interest on the part of the government, organizers and viewers almost ended the festival's long tradition in 1992.
In 1994 the 29th Karlovy Vary IFF inaugurated an entirely new tradition. After nearly forty years of alternating with the Moscow IFF
, the festival began once again to take place every year. The Karlovy Vary Film Festival Foundation was set up in 1993 co-created by the Ministry of Culture, The City of Karlovy Vary, and the Grand Hotel Pupp. Actor Jiří Bartoška
was invited to be the festival's president, and Eva Zaoralová became program director in 1995. Since 1998 the organization of the festival has been carried out by Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary, a joint stock company
.
competition; in accordance with FIAPF
regulations only those films which have not been shown in competition at any other international festivals can be included. The documentary competition is another important festival event. The extensive informative program features both distribution pre-premiers and films awarded at other festivals. But it also includes discoveries of artistic creations by independent directors, productions coming out of little known film industries, retrospectives, and an overview of Czech film
output during the past year. For the tenth straight year the festival will present Variety Critics' Choice: new and interesting films of mainly European production selected by critics working at this prestigious magazine.
Seminars focusing primarily on European film are another important part of the festival.
Thousands of visitors and the great variety of films testify to the effectiveness of the program team with program director Eva Zaoralová at its head. Due to their valiant efforts many films will be purchased at the festival for wider distribution or, thanks to receiving a festival award, will attract the attention of major producers, distributors, and the media.
The festival program has the following sections:
had already classified Karlovy Vary as a category A festival. Given the creation of the Moscow IFF and the political decision to organize only one "A" festival for all socialist countries
, Karlovy Vary was forced to alternate with Moscow between 1959 and 1993.
Since the very beginning the Grand Prize has been the Crystal Globe
– although its form has often changed. As of the 35th Karlovy Vary IFF 2000 the Crystal Globe has taken on a new look: now the figure of a woman stands raising a crystal ball (artistic concept worked out by Tono Stano, Aleš Najbrt, Michal Caban, and Šimon Caban).
The Feature Film Competition is divided into the following main awards:
The Documentary Competition is divided into the following main awards:
Each year, the festival also presents the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema.
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
held annually in July in Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...
(Carlsbad), Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's major film events.
History
The Karlovy Vary film festival is one of the oldest in the world. The pre-war dream of many enthusiastic filmmakers materialized in 1946 when a non-competition festival of films from seven countries took place in Mariánské LázněMariánské Lázne
Mariánské Lázně is a spa town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. The town, surrounded by green mountains, is a mosaic of parks and noble houses...
and Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...
. Above all it was intended to screen the results of the recently nationalized Czechoslovak
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
film industry
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
. After the first two years the festival moved permanently to Karlovy Vary.
For several decades after the Communist takeover in February 1948
Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948
The Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948 – in Communist historiography known as "Victorious February" – was an event late that February in which the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia, ushering in over four decades...
the festival was entirely under the control of the political establishment. Periods in which the selection of films, the conferral of awards, and the invitation of guests were dominated by Communist propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
alternated with less restrictive periods, such as the sixties, in which the festival program was able to offer the latest artistic trends in both Czechoslovak and world cinema, including the West. Festivals with international stars and noteworthy films gave way to others filled with bombastic socialist rhetoric, which nearly caused the complete loss of the festival audience.
The great social and political changes that took place after the Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
in November 1989 pushed concerns about organizing the Karlovy Vary IFF to the background. The program for 1990 was saved by the release of a collection of Czechoslovak films which had been locked up for years in a storage vault. And the appearance of a number of important international guests such as Miloš Forman
Miloš Forman
Jan Tomáš Forman , better known as Miloš Forman , is a Czech-American director, screenwriter, professor, and an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. Two of his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, are among the most celebrated in the history of film, both gaining him the Academy Award for...
, Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Gordon Anderson was an Indian-born, British feature film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading light of the Free Cinema movement and the British New Wave...
, Annette Bening
Annette Bening
Annette Carol Bening is an American actress. Bening is a four-time Oscar nominee for her roles in The Grifters, American Beauty, Being Julia and The Kids Are All Right, winning Golden Globe Awards for the latter two films...
and Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
helped as well. Future festivals were in doubt. Financial problems and a lack of interest on the part of the government, organizers and viewers almost ended the festival's long tradition in 1992.
In 1994 the 29th Karlovy Vary IFF inaugurated an entirely new tradition. After nearly forty years of alternating with the Moscow IFF
Moscow International Film Festival
Moscow International Film Festival , is the film festival first held in Moscow in 1959. From its inception to 1995 it was held every second year in July, alternating with the Karlovy Vary festival. The festival has been held annually since 1995....
, the festival began once again to take place every year. The Karlovy Vary Film Festival Foundation was set up in 1993 co-created by the Ministry of Culture, The City of Karlovy Vary, and the Grand Hotel Pupp. Actor Jiří Bartoška
Jirí Bartoška
Jiří Bartoška is a Czech actor and the president of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.Bartoška played a number of roles in many Czech films, later he became most known as the president of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival...
was invited to be the festival's president, and Eva Zaoralová became program director in 1995. Since 1998 the organization of the festival has been carried out by Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary, a joint stock company
Joint stock company
A joint-stock company is a type of corporation or partnership involving two or more individuals that own shares of stock in the company...
.
Program
The core of the program is the feature filmFeature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
competition; in accordance with FIAPF
FIAPF
The FIAPF based in Paris, created in 1933, is an organization composed with 31 member associations from 25 of the leading audiovisual production countries...
regulations only those films which have not been shown in competition at any other international festivals can be included. The documentary competition is another important festival event. The extensive informative program features both distribution pre-premiers and films awarded at other festivals. But it also includes discoveries of artistic creations by independent directors, productions coming out of little known film industries, retrospectives, and an overview of Czech film
Cinema of the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic was a seedbed for many acclaimed film directors.Three Czech/Czechoslovak movies that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film were The Shop on Main Street by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos in 1965, Closely Watched Trains by Jiří Menzel in 1967 and...
output during the past year. For the tenth straight year the festival will present Variety Critics' Choice: new and interesting films of mainly European production selected by critics working at this prestigious magazine.
Seminars focusing primarily on European film are another important part of the festival.
Thousands of visitors and the great variety of films testify to the effectiveness of the program team with program director Eva Zaoralová at its head. Due to their valiant efforts many films will be purchased at the festival for wider distribution or, thanks to receiving a festival award, will attract the attention of major producers, distributors, and the media.
The festival program has the following sections:
- Competition of feature-length films – films never before shown in competition at any other international festival.
- Documentary Film Competition – a competition divided into two parts: documentariesDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
less than and longer than 30 minutes. - Horizons – pre-premieres of films bought for wider distribution, and films awarded at other festivals.
- Another View – works experimenting with form and content, or those revealing an uncommon creative approach.
- Forum of Independents – more than just "independent" American filmmakers.
- East of the West – films from the former socialist bloc.
- Czech Films – an overview of Czech films made during the past year.
- Retrospectives – several thematic retrospectives presenting the work of a certain world-renowned film personality, a particular period, or a selection of works chosen according to specific criteria.
Awards
The Karlovy Vary IFF first held an international film competition in 1948. Since 1951, an international jury has evaluated the films. The Karlovy Vary competition quickly found a place among other developing festivals and by 1956 FIAPFFIAPF
The FIAPF based in Paris, created in 1933, is an organization composed with 31 member associations from 25 of the leading audiovisual production countries...
had already classified Karlovy Vary as a category A festival. Given the creation of the Moscow IFF and the political decision to organize only one "A" festival for all socialist countries
Communist state
A communist state is a state with a form of government characterized by single-party rule or dominant-party rule of a communist party and a professed allegiance to a Leninist or Marxist-Leninist communist ideology as the guiding principle of the state...
, Karlovy Vary was forced to alternate with Moscow between 1959 and 1993.
Since the very beginning the Grand Prize has been the Crystal Globe
Crystal Globe
Crystal Globe is the main award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, first given in the city of Karlovy Vary of the Czech Republic, in 1948.In the international competition of films, IFFKV presents the following awards:...
– although its form has often changed. As of the 35th Karlovy Vary IFF 2000 the Crystal Globe has taken on a new look: now the figure of a woman stands raising a crystal ball (artistic concept worked out by Tono Stano, Aleš Najbrt, Michal Caban, and Šimon Caban).
The Feature Film Competition is divided into the following main awards:
- Grand Prix – Crystal Globe for best feature film (grand total $20,000)
- Special Jury Prize
- Best Director Award
- Best Actress Award
- Best Actor Award
The Documentary Competition is divided into the following main awards:
- Best Documentary Film in the category for film lasting 30 minutes or less
- Best Documentary Film in the category for film lasting above 30 minutes in length
Each year, the festival also presents the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema.
Crystal Globe Winners – Grand Prix
- 2011 Boker tov adon fidelman /en:Restoration (Israel) – director Yossi (Joseph) Madmoni
- 2010 La mosquitera /en:The Mosquito Net (Spain) – director Agustí Vila
- 2009 Un ange à la mer /en:Angel at Sea (Belgium/Canada) – director Frédéric Dumont
- 2008 Frygtelig Lykkelig /en:Terribly Happy (Denmark) – director Henrik Ruben GenzHenrik Ruben GenzHenrik Ruben Genz is a Danish film director.Before becoming involved with film, Genz attended Designskolen Kolding, where he studied graphic design, after giving up on an earlier dream of being a painter. While there, he did some work with video, and a chance meeting with director Arne Bro...
- 2007 Mýrin /en:Jar CityJar City (film)Jar City Jar City Jar City (Icelandic: Mýrin is a 2006 Icelandic film directed by Baltasar Kormákur. It is based on Mýrin, a novel written by Arnaldur Indriðason, released in English as Tainted Blood (also released in English as Jar City)....
(Iceland/Germany) – director Baltasar KormákurBaltasar KormákurBaltasar Kormákur is an Icelandic actor, theater and film director, and film producer. He is best known for directing the films 101 Reykjavík, Hafið, A Little Trip to Heaven , and a film based on the book Mýrin by Arnaldur Indriðason... - 2006 SherrybabySherrybabySherrybaby is a 2006 American drama film written and directed by Laurie Collyer. Screened at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2006, the film received a limited release in the United States on September 8, 2006.-Plot:...
(USA) – director Laurie Collyer - 2005 Mój Nikifor /en:My Nikifor (Poland) – director Krzysztof KrauzeKrzysztof KrauzeKrzysztof Krauze is a Polish film director, screenwriter, photographer and cinematographer from Warsaw best known for his 1999 film thriller Debt....
- 2004 Certi bambini /en:A Children's StoryA Children's StoryA Children’s Story , also known as Certain Children in Australia, was directed by Andrea and Antonio Frazzi in 2004 and is an Italian film which focuses on the life of an eleven year old boy growing up in an environment of poverty and criminality in Naples...
(Italy) – director Andrea Frazzi, Antonio Frazzi - 2003 La finestra di fronte /en:Facing WindowsFacing WindowsFacing Windows is a 2003 Italian movie directed by Ferzan Özpetek.Tagline: Desire knows no bounds.-Plot:...
(Italy, GB, Turkey, Portugal) – director Ferzan OzpetekFerzan ÖzpetekFerzan Özpetek is an Italian-Turkish film director and screenwriter, residing in Italy.- Biography :Ferzan Ozpetek was born in Istanbul in 1959. When he was a young student in 1976, he decided to move to Italy to study Cinema History at Sapienza University of Rome... - 2002 Rok ďábla /en:Year of The DevilYear of The DevilYear of the Devil is a 2002 Czech film directed by Petr Zelenka. It stars musicians who act as themselves: Czech folk music band Čechomor, musicians and poets Jaromír Nohavica, Karel Plihal and British musician and composer Jaz Coleman...
(Czech Republic) – director Petr ZelenkaPetr ZelenkaPetr Zelenka is an award-winning Czech playwright and director of theatre and film. His films have been recognized at international festivals in Moscow and Rotterdam... - 2001 Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain /en:AmélieAmélieAmélie is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume Laurant, the film is a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre...
(France) – director Jean-Pierre JeunetJean-Pierre Jeunet-Life and career:Jean-Pierre Jeunet was born in Roanne, Loire, France. He bought his first camera at the age of 17 and made short films while studying animation at Cinémation Studios. He befriended Marc Caro, a designer and comic book artist who became his longtime collaborator and... - 2000 Eu tu eles /en:Me You ThemMe You ThemMe You Them is a 2000 Brazilian drama film directed by Andrucha Waddington.-Cast:* Regina Casé - Darlene* Lima Duarte - Osias* Stênio Garcia - Zezinho* Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos - Ciro* Nilda Spencer - Raquel...
(Brasil) – director Andrucha Waddington - 1999 Hachaverim shel Yana/en:Yana's FriendsYana's FriendsYana's Friends , directed by Arik Kaplun, is an Israeli movie awarded the Crystal Globe at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 1999....
(Israel) – director Arik Kaplun - 1998 Le coeur au poing /en:StreetheartStreetheartStreetheart is a 1998 film that was awarded the Crystal Globe at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 1998...
(Canada) – director Charles BinaméCharles BinaméCharles Binamé is a Quebec director. He was born in Belgium and came to Montreal with his family at a young age. In 1971, he began work as an assistant director with the National Film Board of Canada. During the 1980s, he directed commercials in England... - 1997 Ma vie en rose /en:My Life in Pink (Belgium, France, GB) – director Alain BerlinerAlain BerlinerAlain Berliner is a Belgian director best known for the 1997 film Ma vie en rose, which won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 55th Golden Globe Awards in 1998...
- 1996 Kavkazskij plennik /en:Prisoner of the MountainsPrisoner of the MountainsPrisoner of the Mountains , also known as Prisoner of the Caucasus, is a 1996 Russian war drama film directed by Sergei Bodrov and written by Bodrov, Arif Aliyev and Boris Giller...
(Russia, Kazakhstan) – director Sergej BodrovSergei BodrovSergei Vladimirovich Bodrov is a two-time Academy Award-nominated Russian-American film director, screenwriter, and producer.Bodrov was born in Khabarovsk, Russian SFSR, USSR . In the post-Soviet period he emigrated to the United States. His son, actor Sergei Bodrov, Jr... - 1995 Jízda /en:The Ride (Czech republic) – director Jan SvěrákJan SverákJan Svěrák is a Czech film director. He is the son of screenwriter and actor Zdeněk Svěrák. He studied documentary filmmaking at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague...
- 1994 Mi Hermano del Alma /en:My Soul Brother (Spain) – director Mariano Barroso
- for older winners (......1946) see Crystal GlobeCrystal GlobeCrystal Globe is the main award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, first given in the city of Karlovy Vary of the Czech Republic, in 1948.In the international competition of films, IFFKV presents the following awards:...
.
External links
- Official website
- Official Video Channel
- Festivary.cz - Unofficial website
- Karlovy Vary - a film fan’s aqua vitae - Czech.cz, The official Website of the Czech Republic
- Radio Prague monitoring of Karlovy Vary festival 2009