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.”

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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 [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Itsaso Arana
scheda film], which celebrates female companionship and summer, adding a touch of magic; The Hypnosis [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Asta Kamma August
intervista: Ernst De Geer
scheda film], a modern satire about social inhibitions and societal expectations from Swedish director Ernst De Geer; Where the Wind Blows [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Marco Righi
scheda film], 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 [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Tinatin Kajrishvili
scheda film]; and Blaga's Lessons [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Stephan Komandarev
scheda film] 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 [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Alexandru Solomon
scheda film], offering colourful and humorous perspectives on contemporary society's faith in miracles amid global crises; Embryo Larva Butterfly [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Kyros Papavassiliou
scheda film] by Kyros Papavassiliou, an inventive exploration of time and relationships in a world questioning the linearity of time; Lost Children [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Michèle Jacob
scheda film], a Belgian psychological horror by Michèle Jacob; Keeping Mum [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Emilie Brisavoine
scheda film] 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 [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Thomas Imbach
scheda film], 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 [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Jean-Gabriel Périot
scheda film] 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 [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Luka Beradze
scheda film]; and Pier-Philippe Chevigny's debut film, Richelieu [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film], 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 [+leggi anche:
recensione
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intervista: Tomáš Klein
scheda film], as a world premiere, alongside Matěj Chlupáček's detective drama We Have Never Been Modern [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Matěj Chlupáček e Miro Šifra
scheda film], in the main competition. The feature-length debut by Albert Hospodářský, Brutal Heat [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Albert Hospodářský
scheda film], will make an appearance in the Proxima Competition, paired with Olga Chajdas's Czech-co-produced sophomore feature, Imago [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Olga Chajdas, Lena Góra
scheda film]. 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 [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film], and the chamber home-invasion horror She Came at Night [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Tomáš Pavlíček, Jan Vejnar
scheda film].

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

Crystal Globe Competition

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

Proxima Competition

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

Special Screenings

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