24/04/2025 - The festival’s industry strand, KVIFF Eastern Promises, is adding a new initiative, KVIFF Central Stage, intended for established filmmakers with fiction projects from Central Europe

The 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), running from 4-12 July, will pay tribute to US screen star John Garfield, renowned for his contributions to method acting. A retrospective will spotlight ten of his most memorable movies, including eight screened from original 35 mm prints, underscoring the thesp’s lasting influence on both film and acting techniques.

“We are thrilled to honour John Garfield, whose remarkable career remains a beacon of authenticity and dedication in cinema,” says Karel Och, KVIFF’s artistic director and curator of the tribute. “His work, which captured the very essence of realism on screen, still resonates with today’s audiences and filmmakers alike.” The tribute includes films that showcase Garfield's versatile performances, ranging from gritty crime dramas to wartime stories. The retrospective will include titles such as Abraham Polonsky’s Force of Evil, Jean Negulesco’s Humoresque, Robert Rossen’s Body and Soul (considered one of the greatest boxing films ever made), Tay Garnett’s The Postman Always Rings Twice and Michael Curtiz’s The Breaking Point.

The Future Frames – Generation NEXT of European Cinema programme (6-9 July), designed to support emerging European filmmakers, and organised by KVIFF and European Film Promotion, will continue its partnership with Allwyn, UTA and Range Media Partners, offering young directors mentorship and networking opportunities. The programme provides a platform for the next generation of filmmakers, with participants showcasing their short and medium-length films, and receiving expert guidance from industry professionals. Last year, Danish director William Sehested Høeg won a month-long residency where UTA and Range Media Partners arranged one-on-one meetings with distributors, producers and other professionals from the US film industry, with whom Høeg was able to engage in consultation on his planned feature film alongside other projects.

As part of its ongoing commitment to preserving Czech cinema, the festival will present the world premiere of the digitally restored 1969 film Ecce Homo Homolka by Jaroslav Papoušek. The sarcastic portrayal of a multigenerational family has been called “the final film of the Czechoslovak New Wave”. The festival regularly includes re-release premieres of films whose digital restoration has been made possible by Milada and Eduard Kučera in its official programme and as part of its special KVIFF Classics retrospectives. In addition, KVIFF will also bestow the President’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Czech Cinema upon acclaimed editor Jiří Brožek, recognising his extensive career that spans over 40 years and includes collaborations with leading Czech filmmakers such as Jiří Menzel, Věra Chytilová and Martin Šulík. Brožek is the absolute record holder in terms of the number of annual Czech Film and Television Academy awards for one profession across all categories, as he has worked on more than 100 Czech films, television productions and series. As a tribute to Brožek, KVIFF will present The Death of the Beautiful Deer, on which he collaborated with director Karel Kachyňa.

Regarding the KVIFF Eastern Promises industry strand, in addition to ongoing initiatives such as Works in Development – Feature Launch, Works in Development – Focus Queer, KVIFF Talents and the Pop Up Series Incubator, the festival is adding a new one this time around. KVIFF Central Stage is a brand-new industry programme for established filmmakers with fiction projects hailing from Central Europe. Selected projects will be showcased as part of the Industry Days at KVIFF 59, through moderated interviews. Filmmakers will also meet potential co-producers, sales agents and other industry professionals. The submission deadline is 2 May.