Karlovy Vary Film Festival kicks off

It’s lights, camera, action in Karlovy Vary, with the town’s 43rd annual film festival kicking off on Friday. Over the next eight days, festival-goers will be treated to screenings of over 220 films, and around 60 premieres. Each year, the population of the picturesque and otherwise tranquil West Bohemian spa town swells to over three times its normal size - as industry bigwigs, stars, and film-lovers flock to Karlovy Vary from all over the world.

Photo: Štěpánka Budková

The biggest name set to appear at the festival is Robert De Niro. He touched down in the Czech Republic on Thursday, saying he was happy to be back (he visited Karlovy Vary 18 years ago), but saying that he felt seriously jetlagged. And let’s hope that he has managed to sleep that off, because on Friday night he will be presenting his new film ‘What Just Happened’ – which is actually the opening film at the festival. In the course of the week, Mr De Niro will be receiving a Crystal Globe for his outstanding contribution to world cinema. So, really, he is the focus of a lot of attention at the festival.

But a lot of the big names this year really can be found on the festival jury, which is being chaired by Ivan Passer. He’s the Czech director behind new wave films like ‘Intimate Lighting’ and ‘A Boring Afternoon’. He now lives in the United States and has flown over for the festival. He’ll be joined by actress Brenda Blethyn, who received a great deal of critical acclaim for her part in Mike Leigh’s ‘Secrets and Lies’, but more recently has been on our screens alongside Keira Knightly as Mrs. Bennet in ‘Pride and Prejudice’, and then in ‘Atonement’.

The jury will be choosing between 14 films. Two of these are Czech, and one of these in turn is a Czech-Polish co production. That film is ‘Karamazovs’ by Petr Zelenka, who has already achieved fame with his films ‘The Buttoners’ and ‘Year of the Devil’. ‘Karamazovs’ has been on general release here since spring, and has been a bit disappointing at the box office, but a win at Karlovy Vary could change all that. The second Czech film is called ‘Night Owls’ by Michaela Pavlátová. This will be premiering at the festival.

The main competition is only one part of what is going on in Karlovy Vary over the next eight days. There will be concerts – Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglová are coming to sing their Oscar-winning song ‘Falling Slowly’, and a few others besides, at the festival on Thursday night. And all week, director Armin Mueller Stahl will be exhibiting his paintings at the Karlovy Vary Art Gallery.

But Karlovy Vary wouldn’t be Karlovy Vary without the parties. There will be a big opening bash taking place tonight, and an equally extravagant party to close the festival next Saturday. Last year mirror balls were a big theme – there were women dancing on mirror balls being dangled from the roof. It is difficult to guess how they could make it any more glitzy and spangly than that this year, but here’s predicting they’ll manage somehow…