30/05/2023 - The largest Czech film gathering will welcome established auteurs and emerging talents, showcasing a diverse and genre-spanning competition line-up

The 57th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF, 30 June-8 July) – the largest film gathering in the Czech Republic – has revealed its diverse and genre-spanning competition selections. Karel Och, KVIFF's artistic director, noted: “For the programming team, getting acquainted with the state of this year's arthouse cinema scene has been an incredible adventure – one facilitated by almost 2,000 submissions. We are proud of our selection and simply cannot wait to share it with our audience.”

The main competitive section of the festival, the Crystal Globe Competition, presents nine world premieres and two international ones, encompassing a diverse selection of both seasoned directors with major film-festival experience and debutants showcasing their talent. The Crystal Globe jury – which includes actress Patricia Clarkson; film producer Dora Bouchoucha; Sundance Film Festival director of Strategic Initiatives and senior programmer John Nein; Slovenian-born, Prague-based filmmaker Olmo Omerzu; and actor Barry Ward – will be deliberating over a range of titles. These include Itsaso Arana's debut film, The Girls Are Alright [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Itsaso Arana
film profile], which celebrates female companionship and summer, adding a touch of magic; The Hypnosis [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Asta Kamma August
interview: Ernst De Geer
film profile], a modern satire about social inhibitions and societal expectations from Swedish director Ernst De Geer; Where the Wind Blows [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marco Righi
film profile], a provocative interpretation of the New Testament by Italian director Marco Righi; Georgian director Tinatin Kajrishvili's satirical parable about faith and beliefs, Citizen Saint [+see also:
film review
interview: Tinatin Kajrishvili
film profile]; and Blaga's Lessons [+see also:
film review
interview: Stephan Komandarev
film profile] by Stephan Komandarev, a critique of the social situation in post-communist Bulgaria.

The Proxima Competition, inaugurated last year (see the news) as a replacement for the East of the West Competition, is set to welcome a variety of intriguing entries. They include Alexandru Solomon's Romanian documentary Arsenie. An Amazing Afterlife [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alexandru Solomon
film profile], offering colourful and humorous perspectives on contemporary society's faith in miracles amid global crises; Embryo Larva Butterfly [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kyros Papavassiliou
film profile] by Kyros Papavassiliou, an inventive exploration of time and relationships in a world questioning the linearity of time; Lost Children [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michèle Jacob
film profile], a Belgian psychological horror by Michèle Jacob; Keeping Mum [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emilie Brisavoine
film profile] by Emilie Brisavoine, an intimate exploration of a distinctive family dynamic and the complex relationship between a mother and her daughter; and Thomas Imbach's reflective video diary Say God Bye [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Thomas Imbach
film profile], exploring his own career and his relationship with Jean-Luc Godard. The Proxima jury will be comprised of film critic Dana Linssen, film producer Marija Razgutė, documentary filmmaker Šimon Šafránek, author and researcher Barbara Wurm, and CEO of Rediance Meng Xie.

The forthcoming edition of KVIFF will host eight films in its Special Screenings section, showcasing a diverse range of topics, styles and genres. This selection, comprising five fiction features and three documentaries, is designed to complement KVIFF's official selection. Jean-Gabriel Périot's Facing Darkness [+see also:
film review
interview: Jean-Gabriel Périot
film profile] provides a raw account of the Sarajevo siege through archival footage and contemporary reflections; Luka Beradze wittily exposes the empty promises of populist politicians in Smiling Georgia [+see also:
film review
interview: Luka Beradze
film profile]; and Pier-Philippe Chevigny's debut film, Richelieu [+see also:
film review
film profile], delves into labour injustice.

Domestic cinema will once again be richly represented across all sections. Tomáš Klein will unveil his cinematic tale about love, fear of loneliness, and the father-son relationship, A Sensitive Person [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tomáš Klein
film profile], as a world premiere, alongside Matěj Chlupáček's detective drama We Have Never Been Modern [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Matěj Chlupáček and Miro Ši…
film profile], in the main competition. The feature-length debut by Albert Hospodářský, Brutal Heat [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Albert Hospodářský
film profile], will make an appearance in the Proxima Competition, paired with Olga Chajdas's Czech-co-produced sophomore feature, Imago [+see also:
film review
interview: Olga Chajdas, Lena Góra
film profile]. The long-awaited revival of Czech sci-fi, Restore Point (see the news), will be unveiled in the Special Screenings strand, accompanied by a loose adaptation of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Snake Gas [+see also:
film review
film profile], and the chamber home-invasion horror She Came at Night [+see also:
film review
interview: Tomáš Pavlíček, Jan Vejnar
film profile].

Here is the full line-up of the competition sections:

Crystal Globe Competition

Red Rooms - Pascal Plante (Canada)
The Girls Are Alright [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Itsaso Arana
film profile] - Itsaso Arana (Spain)
A Sensitive Person [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tomáš Klein
film profile] - Tomáš Klein (Czech Republic/Slovakia)
Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cyril Aris
film profile] - Cyril Aris (Lebanon/Germany)
Fremont - Babak Jalali (USA)
The Hypnosis [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Asta Kamma August
interview: Ernst De Geer
film profile] - Ernst De Geer (Sweden/Norway/France)
Where the Wind Blows [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marco Righi
film profile] - Marco Righi (Italy)
Citizen Saint [+see also:
film review
interview: Tinatin Kajrishvili
film profile] - Tinatin Kajrishvili (Georgia/France/Bulgaria)
Empty Nets [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Behrooz Karamizade
film profile] - Behrooz Karamizade (Germany/Iran)
Blaga's Lessons [+see also:
film review
interview: Stephan Komandarev
film profile] - Stephan Komandarev (Bulgaria/Germany)
We Have Never Been Modern [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Matěj Chlupáček and Miro Ši…
film profile] - Matěj Chlupáček (Czech Republic/Slovakia)

Proxima Competition

Arsenie. An Amazing Afterlife [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alexandru Solomon
film profile] - Alexandru Solomon (Romania/Luxembourg)
Birth - Ji-young Yoo (South Korea)
Brutal Heat [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Albert Hospodářský
film profile] - Albert Hospodářský (Czech Republic/Slovakia)
The Song of the Auricanturi - Camila Rodríguez Triana (Colombia/Argentina)
Embryo Larva Butterfly [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kyros Papavassiliou
film profile] - Kyros Papavassiliou (Cyprus/Greece)
Lost Children [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michèle Jacob
film profile] - Michèle Jacob (Belgium)
Guras - Saurav Rai (India/Nepal)
Imago [+see also:
film review
interview: Olga Chajdas, Lena Góra
film profile] - Olga Chajdas (Poland/Netherlands/Czech Republic)
In Camera [+see also:
film review
interview: Naqqash Khalid
film profile] - Naqqash Kahlid (UK)
Dark Matter - Karim Lakzadeh (Iran)
Keeping Mum [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emilie Brisavoine
film profile] - Emilie Brisavoine (France)
Say God Bye [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Thomas Imbach
film profile] - Thomas Imbach (Switzerland)

Special Screenings

Restore Point [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Robert Hloz
film profile] - Robert Hloz (Czech Republic/Slovakia/Poland/Serbia)
Facing Darkness [+see also:
film review
interview: Jean-Gabriel Périot
film profile] - Jean-Gabriel Périot (France/Switzerland/Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Smiling Georgia - Luka Beradze (Georgia/Germany)
Snake Gas [+see also:
film review
film profile] - David Jařab (Czech Republic/Slovakia/Romania)
She Came at Night [+see also:
film review
interview: Tomáš Pavlíček, Jan Vejnar
film profile] - Tomáš Pavlíček, Jan Vejnar (Czech Republic)
Richelieu [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Pier-Philippe Chevigny (Canada/France)
Slow [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marija Kavtaradze
film profile] - Marija Kavtaradze (Lithuania/Spain/Sweden)
All Men Become Brothers [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Robert Kirchhoff (Slovakia/Czech Republic)