Known for presenting digitally restored films and retrospectives, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is now organising a separate event dedicated to legendary films. The first edition of KVIFF Classics will be held in Prague from 1-3 December in the Světozor and Ponrepo cinemas, and it is an initiative organised in collaboration with the Czech National Film Archive.

Kryštof Mucha, KVIFF’s executive director, commented: “The idea to organise a showcase of films that have made their mark on the history of cinema in Prague has been a long time in the making. Now is the right time to start a new tradition – and December is the best time to do it.”

Karel Och, KVIFF’s artistic director, added: “One strong source of inspiration is the Lumière Festival, a celebration of classical cinema in Lyon. Since 2009, this has been an absolute El Dorado for cinephiles. The idea behind KVIFF Classics, a magical meeting with movie classics, is to offer audiences the chance to see their favourite films after many years or the chance to see them for the first time as their creators intended – on the big screen. And we want to inspire future filmmakers by presenting unique encounters with better- or lesser-known milestones in cinematic history.”

The opening film, Věra Chytilová’s Daisies [+lee también:
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Each screening will be preceded by an introductory talk featuring interesting information about the film, presented by a member of the KVIFF programming team. Audiences can look forward to various classics of Czech and international cinema. The musical romantic comedy Singin’ in the Rain will be presented on the 70^th anniversary of the making of the film. The King of Comedy will be shown to commemorate Martin Scorsese’s 80th birthday and the 40^th anniversary of the filming of this dark comedy starring Robert De Niro. Another part of the festival will honour the late Jean-Luc Godard on 3 December – on what would have been his 92^nd birthday. The Ponrepo cinema will screen his film Two or Three Things I know About Her..., and that day, the festival will show two of Godard’s favourite flicks – the war drama Bitter Victory [+lee también:
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Tickets for KVIFF Classics are already available from the ticket offices and websites of the Světozor and Ponrepo cinemas, and more information about the programme, the films and the filmmakers is available here.