Karlovy Vary 2010 Update #3

The last day of the Karlovy Vary international film festival has come to an end and soon its glamour will fade into the night.

As many as 126,808 tickets were sold to screenings of 207 films, accompanied by 767 filmmakers and film professionals. Almost 600 journalists from all over the world came to report on the daily festival rush.

Awards have been announced during the closing ceremony with the Spanish film about a family in crisis by Augustí Vila La Mosquitera (The Mosquito Net) taking the Grand Prix – Crystal Globe award as the best film in the main competition, an award handed to the filmmakers by Nikita Mikhalkov awarded the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema and the Special Jury Award going to Kuky se vrací (Kooky), a Jan Svěrák film not only for children, that caused a sensation during the festival when the director launched a competition among the audience that searched for the puppet toy Kooky hidden every day in a different place in the spa town.

Rajko Grlić with his comedy Neka ostane medju nama (Just Between Us) won as the best director. The Best Actress award went to the young Anaïs Demoustier for her role as 15-year-old girl who imposes upon an older married couple in L’enfance du mal (Sweet Evil) and both leading actors of the Polish drama Matka Teresa od kotów (Mother Teresa of Cats) Mateusz Kościukiewicz and Filip Garbacz won as best actors.

The jury’s special mention award went to the Russian film Drugoje nebo (Another Sky) and Iran’s Chiz-haie hast keh nemidani (There Are Things You Don’t Know) simultaneously.

Mikael Wiström and Alberto Herskovits film Familia won as the best documentary over 30 minutes.

The audience award of the Czech daily Právo, decided by 67,070 viewers went to the Danish comedy Oldboys by Nikolaj Steen.

The festival may be over but if you haven’t seen all the films you wanted to or didn’t make it to the festival at all, you can catch a lot of them including the winning picture in Prague cinemas Světozor, Aero, and Atlas. Films such as Single Man, Mr. Nobody, Heaven, Hell, Heartbreaker, Submarino, Four Lions, and Serious Man have already been bought for Czech distribution, so you can look forward to see them in a theatre near you.

And as the awarded artists and lucky Kooky winners take home their prizes, the rest of us can look forward to the festival next year that will take place in the western Bohemian spa town again from 1 to 9 July, 2011.

Karlovy Vary 2010 Update #2

With the second festival weekend quickly approaching, the festival has had a few days to catch a second breath before the final home stretch and the announcement of the Crystal Globe winners on Saturday.

109,251 tickets were already sold and it looks like the festival will beat last year’s figures, proving not even the recession is strong enough of a reason for the fans to miss their favorite festival in central Europe.

Those who followed films in competition were certainly in for some interesting experience so far. The most expected film was Hitler à Hollywood (Hitler in Hollywood) by Frédéric Sojcher. This mockumentary thriller on a plot against European cinema stars Maria de Medeiros (Pulp Fiction, Henry & June), and Micheline Presle (Devil in the Flesh, I Want to Go Home) as well as other renowned actors and directors. This playful, mystifying film playing with the viewer’s conception of reality combining both, fiction and documentary, received mixed reviews so far, the final verdict of the jury yet to be seen.

Another competition film worth mentioning for its provocative nature is definitely Matka Teresa od kotów (Mother Teresa of Cats). This disturbing film based on a true story in Poland that happened two years ago opens with a brutal murder of a mother by her two sons. The film uses retrospective to tell most of the story and was a hard one to chew for the audience as well as film critics.

Among some of the amazing films I had a chance to see in the past couple of days was Na Putu (On The Path), a second feature by Jasmila Žbanić, whose first film Grbavica won a Golden Bear in Berlin. Her second film portraying a relationship of a young couple Amar and Luna set in today’s Bosnia and Herzegovina and their struggle to come to terms with the war and religion is as intense as her first feature. The focus stays on the main characters the whole time, studying their motives, never letting you rest. Superb acting, direction, music and cinematography again prove Žbanić is a true master of her craft.

I also have to mention a Jaroslav Fuit film Dvojka (Twosome). This Czech film is a road movie following Veronika and Michal on their holiday in Scandinavia hoping to overcome a crisis of their five-year relationship. After meeting Shimi, their trip takes on a different turn, revealing their true character. This film, together with Zoufalci (Dreamers) proves the new Czech talent is not afraid to dig below the surface and show the raw truth about the values the young Czech generation struggles with today.

Today, I’m looking forward to seeing The Company Men, first feature by John Wells, icon of screenwriting and producing, and tomorrow the screening of Nikita Mikhalkov’s new film Utomljonnyje solncem 2: Predstojanije (Burnt by the Sun 2: Exodus), screened in Cannes this year. The film did not receive good reviews, however, so I’m curious what the reactions will be among the KVIFF audience. Mikhalkov will receive a Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema before the screening.

Following a Master Class yesterday with the icon of film criticism Michel Ciment, where he spoke of the origins of film criticism in the 20th century, encouraged young filmmakers to experiment, denounced set rules for film criticism, spoke of the work of his favorite filmmakers, and highlighted the growing importance of film festivals and declining impact of film reviews on audience’s opinion, I’m looking forward to see a film he cooperated on, a portrait of John Boorman, as well as a documentary on his work, Michel Ciment: The Art of Sharing Movies, where he chats up directors such as Wim Wenders, Quentin Tarantino, and many others, screening on Saturday afternoon, just in time for me to make it to the closing ceremony, the final celebration of the spa town’s film party of the year.

Karlovy Vary 2010 Update

The first festival weekend is over and everything has settled into the usual festival routine. First guests have already walked the red carpet, first competition films have been screened, the usual fight for the tickets in front of the box offices and inside the theatres has begun, as has of course, the main competition for the Grand Prix – Crystal Globe award for the best feature film.

Jan Svěrák has launched a competition on its own at the screening of Kooky, when he tied the puppet toy Kooky to a bunch of balloons and set free to float over the audience during the film. The new lucky owner would be the one whose lap it would fall into during the film. Kooky really took his time and stayed up during the entire screening only to fall into hands of an eleven-year old Jakub, who was patient enough to wait for him long after the film had ended.

However, the film that I enjoyed the most so far was La Mosquitera (The Mosquito Net) by Agustí Vila, about a suburban family whose each member is disturbed and emotionally unstable, manifesting this in its own unique manner. This incredibly smart, visually perfect, provoking, insightful dark comedy featuring Geraldine Chaplin as a supportive actress was really an unforgettable experience, and not just because of the brave sexual scenes. Definitely a hot candidate for a Crystal Globe in several categories.

Another film I can recommend is Žena sa slomljenim nosem (A Woman With a Broken Nose), by Srdjan Koljević, competing in the East of the West section. This film portraying life of several lost souls in post-war Belgrade whose life connect because of one woman’s suicide attempt is a pleasant, clever mosaic full of hope for the region, symbolics, and love.

And what else’s been hot in the spa town apart from the weather this weekend? Thelma Schoonmaker was Saturday’s star as she talked passionately about her husband’s work, the restoration process of his films, and let us peek behind the closed doors of the editing room with Martin Scorsese. New screens appeared on the terrace and the bar of Hotel Thermal broadcasting football matches providing for a comfortable way how to satisfy both, the passion for film and sport. The unbearable heat has made the pace slower and mojito consumption soar, however, couldn’t stop the crowds at Poštovní dvůr enjoy their one-day festival, and rock the Captain Morgan tent until the early morning hours. Here I can’t help but thank the excellent job the cleaning services do every night to keep the “crime scene” in front of Thermal clean every day from cups, glasses, etc. Great job there.

There is much more to look forward to this week. The lens of cameras will focus on one of the most expected guests at the festival Jude Law today, who will walk the red carpet to receive the Festival President’s Award before midnight, and was all smiles when he arrived to Grandhotel Pupp last night.

With Juraj Herz and Nikita Mikhalkov arriving later this week, you can join Zdeněk Svěrák at the Mlýnská kolonáda on Tuesday for a 100 metre run and help raise money for those who cannot. You can also donate by buying a T-shirt or a nice cup at the Paraple stand in front of Thermal.

The festival has also thought of its smallest visitors this year. Aeroškola in Aeroport is having animated film workshops focused mainly (but not only) on children. As of Tuesday, film tricks and reportage tips will also be taught. Aeroport also turns into a dance club after dark in quite a unique space right on the Kolonáda promenade.

As for more film tips, there are several that I’m looking forward to, some of which I’ve mentioned before:

Official selection:

- Trois temps après la mort d’Anna (Mourning for Anna)

- Matka Teresa od kotów (Mother Teresa of Cats)

- Hitler à Hollywood (Hitler at Hollywood)

Official selection – Out of Competition:

- The Company Men

- Single Man

- L’ arnacoeur (Heartbreaker)

Open Eyes:

- Copie conforme (Certified Copy)

- O estranho caso de Angélica (Strange Case of Angelica)

- Des hommes et des dieux (Of Gods and Men)

- Un homme qui crie (A Screaming Man)

- Shi (Poetry)

Horizonts:

- Ondine

- The Illusionist

Variety Critics’ Choice:

- Friendship!

- Rewers (The Reverse)

- Snap

Also, for those of you who feel not just like watching the films but talking to the filmmakers as well, a Masterclass with Andrew and Kevin Macdonald, the creative grandsons of Emeric Pressburger, will take place on Tuesday, 6 July at 2pm at the Radio 1 Lounge of Hotel Thermal. For B-movie lovers and Ozploitation fans, the creative personality of Australia’s wave of pulp movies Brian Trenchard-Smith will be ready to answer your questions at the same time and place on Thursday, 8 July.

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2010

The Karlovy Vary film festival is indisputably the biggest film event of the year, not only for Czech movie buffs but also for filmmakers and festival fans from across Europe.

The festival is the country's only FIAPF-accredited competitive feature film festival and has come a long way since its foundation in 1946, through 40 years of censorship to its "resuscitation" by Jiří Bartoška and Eva Zaoralová in 1994.

Today, it boldly stands alongside such renowned European festivals as Cannes, Berlin or Venice, bringing the best of these festivals plus a wide range of new films to thousands of visitors every year.

From Friday, July 2, the box offices will open again and for the next 10 days, the festival will screen 204 films, including many premieres, and play host to industry guests, journalists, and, above all else, visitors, without whom Karlovy Vary wouldn't be known as "The Backpackers' Festival."

Vary, unlike the glitzy festivals mentioned above, is mainly a festival for people.

No other Category A festival in Europe offers so many accreditation-free visitors a chance to see the films of their choosing and even shake hands and sit down over coffee with filmmakers.

For many visitors, the only roof over their heads for the week of the festival will be a tent or the ceiling of a gymnasium shared with dozens of other guests.

Accommodation
If you don't mind sleeping on the floor of a gym, you can try your luck at the school building at Nábřeží Palacha 1, around 100 meters from the Hotel Thermal. The price per person per night is 99 CZK. Bring your own mat and sleeping bag.

If you prefer sleeping outside -- and the weather looks pretty favorable so far this year -- go to the campsite set up every year at the AC Start Karlovy Vary football stadium, where you'll pay 70 CZK per person/night. There's also a hall where you can sleep if you don't have a tent.

Since the festival attracts more and more people every year, it's always the best to book accommodation well in advance, but if you still haven't done so and would like to find a decent room for two or three, I recommend checking the official Karlovy Vary International Film Festival website's discussion forum for accommodation offers.

Tickets
Tickets will again be available again from the box offices in front of Hotel Thermal and the Grandhotel Pupp.

I'd recommend a buying a Festival Pass, however. These are available for one, three or five days or for the entire duration of the festival and entitle the holder to see three films per day free of charge. A Festival Pass also allows the holder to attend concerts and -- if there's room -- press conferences, and to swim in the Hotel Thermal pool at a reduced price.

Also through the Pass, you can reserve tickets via SMS text message from 7am every day. (Be punctual -- only a limited number of seats are available this way and are usually gone by 7:05am.)

Guests
And who is it that you should be looking for this year?

Jude Law will visit Karlovy Vary to receive the Festival President's Award, while Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov and Slovak director Juraj Herz are both expected to be honored with the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema.

The festival will also welcome iconic film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, whose long-term collaboration with Martin Scorsese has included work on such films as Raging Bull, Gangs of New York, Goodfellas and The Departed.

Schoonmaker will introduce a restored version of The Red Shoes, which, along with six other films, forms part of a tribute to the brilliant British filmmakers Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger. Karlovy Vary will also host Pressburger's grandsons, Andrew and Kevin Macdonald --respectively a successful producer and an Oscar-winning director.

And of course, the festival will welcome the creators of the films competing for the festival's main prize, the Crystal Globe, plus the members of the jury that select its winner.

Films
Two-hundred-and-four films are ready to be screened for thousands of visitors. But which ones to choose?

The festival will open with Crazy Heart, starring Jeff Bridges as country singer Otis "Bad" Blake, a performance which won him an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, and close with Heartbreaker, a light romantic comedy starring Vanessa Paradis and Romain Duris that pays tribute to Dirty Dancing.

In between, there are numerous sections to choose from. The main competition features 12 new films, several of which are directorial debuts, and two of which were produced in the Czech Republic: Jan Svěrák's new puppet film Kooky (Kuky se vrací) and the thriller 3 Seasons in Hell (3 sezóny v pekle), based on the early life of underground writer Egon Bondy.

Probably the most sought-after section among film buffs who couldn't make it to Cannes, Berlin or Venice is the Open Eyes section. Cannes-winners such as Certified Copy (Copie conforme), for which Juliette Binoche won the Best Actress Award; Grand Prix-winner Of Gods and Men (Des hommes et des dieux); Jury Prize-winner A Screaming Man (Un homme qui crie); and Poetry (Shi) (Best Screenplay) are just a few of the films to look forward to.

From the other sections, don't miss the Variety Critics' Choice selection entitled Europe Now!, showcasing new European talent.

For lovers of B-movies, the Midnight Screenings section includes a collection of some of the best Ozploitation movies. Films like Dead End Drive-In, Razorback and the documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! are definitely worth staying up late for!

Last but not least, try not to miss the screening in the Grand Hall of Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven, truly a masterpiece of the filmmaking art.

The 2010 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival runs from Friday, July 2 until Saturday, July 10.