Stellan Skarsgård, Vicky Krieps and Dakota Johnson to be honoured at Karlovy Vary Film Festival
Organizers of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival have unveiled a star-studded line up for its 59th edition. The stellar list includes Stellan Skarsgård, Peter Sarsgaard, Vicky Krieps and Dakota Johnson.
Stellan Skarsgård, a revered figure in both European art house and Hollywood productions will introduce his new film Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier, fresh from its Grand Prix win in Cannes and already tipped for an Oscar nomination. Skarsgård, known for roles in films like Breaking the Waves, Pirates of the Caribbean, Good Will Hunting, and Mamma Mia!, but also Czech producer Vaclav Marhoul’s 2019 film The Painted Bird will receive the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema during the festival’s closing ceremony.
Joining Skarsgård on the list of stellar guests are Luxembourg actress Vicky Krieps, American actress Dakota Johnson, and Peter Sarsgaard, who will be the first to receive the Festival President’s Award at this year’s opening night. In his honour, the festival will screen Shattered Glass (2003).
Actress Vicky Krieps, praised for her role in Corsage, which won her both a European Film Award and recognition at Cannes, will also be honoured on the festival’s opening night.
Dakota Johnson is set to present two of her latest films. The first, Splitsville (2025), is a romantic comedy in which she stars and co-produced via her company TeaTime Pictures. The second, Materialists, is a sharp, modern love-triangle comedy directed by Celine Song, co-starring Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans. Johnson, descended from a Hollywood dynasty that includes grandmother Tippi Hedren (Hitchcock’s The Birds) and mother Melanie Griffith, will receive her award before the screening of Materialists on July 6 at 10:30 p.m. in the Grand Hall at Thermal.
As announced earlier Michael Douglas will present a newly restored version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at Karlovy Vary to mark the film’s 50th anniversary. Also present will be producer Paul Zaentz and the family of director Miloš Forman, commemorating the Oscar-winning film and its Czech-born creator.
As tradition has it, the opening night of the festival will spill over into the streets—British Grammy-winning synthpop band La Roux will perform live outside Hotel Thermal at 10:45 p.m. on July 4, with a free public concert, followed by the festival’s traditional fireworks display.
A deeply emotional element of this year’s festival will be the tribute to Jiří Bartoška, the festival’s long-time president who passed away earlier this year. His memory will be honoured through a documentary titled We Have to Frame It! a 2021 interview with Bartoška by directors Milan Kuchynka and Jakub Jurásek and a screening of the film Tiger Theory. A special outdoor exhibition titled “Jiří Bartoška – KVIFF President” will also feature 30 large-format panels positioned between the iconic Thermal and Pupp hotels, displaying 60 black-and-white photographs that chronicle both pivotal festival moments and intimate portraits of a man who guided KVIFF for over three decades.
