Festival In Focus: How The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Continues To Be An “Edgy” & Culturally Significant Film Destination

deadline.com:

As the 56th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) is about to kick off on Friday, there will be plenty to discuss at this year’s event in the picturesque Czech spa town.

The prominent Central European festival, which is returning to its usual early July slot after last year’s edition was delayed to August because of the pandemic, will see 33 films from five continents screen across its three sections – the Crystal Globe Competition, the Special Screenings section and its new competition, Proxima, which replaces the former East of the West section.This year’s selections will be bookended by Friday’s opening night film Superheroes, from Italian director Paolo Genovese, and George Miller’s Cannes title Three Thousand Years Of Longing, which will close the festival on July 9.

The lineup includes the world premiere of Jake Paltrow’s Israel and Ukraine-shot feature June Zero, about the trial of Nazi Adolf Eichmann, the international premiere of Sophie Linnenbaum’s The Ordinaries and further 26 world premieres including burgeoning Czech director Simon Holy’s And Then There Was Love.“We feel that this year’s selection is a real reflection of our taste,” Karlovy Vary artistic director Karel Och tells Deadline. “It’s got an edginess to it and its reflective of a new means of cinematic expression that doesn’t stand in the way of the audience’s receptiveness and inclinations.

I’m really happy about how complex and diverse the lineup is.”Renowned for its enthusiastic audiences who travel from across Europe and camp out in the 13th Century spa town to catch a glimpse of the latest festival offerings alongside some 1,000 industry delegates who come into town, KVIFF has very much positioned itself as a festival