FESTIVAL FOCUS KARLOVY VARY Young at heart


Karlovy Vary film festival (June 29-July 7) may be entering its 47th edition, but the platform it offers to debut film-makers and its youthful popularity show it has not lost its edge, writes Laurence Boyce


W


ith the festival calendar becoming increasingly crowded, even those who


concentrate solely on the big events have difficulty finding room to breathe. Located in the sedate Czech Republic


spa town, the Karlovy Vary Interna- tional Film Festival — now in its 47th year — is seen by many as a welcome respite from the more hectic schedule that typifies other A-list festivals. Despite its laid-back atmosphere,


Karlovy Vary remains an important event for the industry, especially for those in Central and Eastern Europe. And one of the most recognisable things about the festival is its young and enthusiastic audiences, with queues for films consisting equally of major distributors and university students. “The festival has an outstanding


position among other festivals because of its unaffected atmosphere,” says Krystof Mucha, the event’s executive director. “It is a place where two seem- ingly distinct worlds meet — film pro- fessionals and the lay public — which are connected by a common interest in film.”


Public relations Unlike Cannes and Venice — where public audiences make up a smaller proportion of screening audiences — Karlovy Vary actively encourages locals and cineastes to experience the 200- plus film programme. “Our goal is maximum responsive-


ness to both film professionals and the viewing public, with the goal of making their stay at the festival as comfortable as possible,” adds Mucha. “Thanks to our strong commercial partners, we haven’t had to raise prices for several years. If visitors take advantage of our festival passes, the price is a fifth of the amount of a regular movie screening.” Last year the festival sold 126,000 tickets. It also attracted more than 800


n 10 Screen International June-July 2012 The festival’s laid-back atmosphere has made it a hit with the public THE INDUSTRY LOOKS EAST


Karlovy Vary will introduce up to 20 works in progress (in post- production or pre-release) from Central and Eastern Europe to international sales agents, distributors and festivals while Docu Talents from the East will present new documentaries from the region. Aleksandra Biernacka, from


public broadcaster TVP in Poland, is enthusiastic about the Works in Progress initiative: “The panel has been fruitful for us on many


different occasions with, for example, All That I Love by Jacek Borcuch being selected for the Sundance Dramatic Competition in 2009 and Marek Lechki’s Erratum (2010) shown at Pusan and numerous other festivals worldwide. And To Kill A Beaver by Jan Jakub Kolski is to have its world premiere in this year’s international competition.” Karlovy Vary, in association with the Czech Film Centre and Slovak


Film Institute, will present its first co-production workshop, Pitch & Feedback. It will present Czech and Slovak film projects in development with potential for international co-productions, which will receive feedback from experts in the international film industry. For the first time, Central and


Eastern European film centres will have the opportunity to showcase their work at stands in the Film Industry Office.


» www.screendaily.com


film buyers, sellers, distributors, film festival programmers, representatives of film institutions and other industry professionals. Under the artistic direction of Karel


Och, who took over the role in 2011 after working as a longtime programmer under previous artistic director Eva Zaoralova, the festival increasingly champions new film-makers without losing sight of industry glamour. This year, for example, Helen Mirren will be on hand to collect the award for out- standing artistic contribution to world cinema. Unsurprisingly, work from Central


and Eastern Europe features heavily, especially in the East of the West com- petition, which has been given a central focus within the festival under Och. This year’s main Competition will


consist of eight world premieres and four international premieres, among them the latest film from The Best Of Youth director Marco Tullio Giordana, Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy; and To Kill A Beaver from Polish direc- tor Jan Jakub Kolski whose previous film Venice made a splash on the festival circuit. One anticipated debut feature is the world premiere of Boy Eating The Bird’s Food by Ektoras Lygizos, an exis- tential drama about three days in the


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68