Fireworks on July 4 are nothing special in the U.S. But the Friday night fireworks over the Czech spa town Karlovy Vary brought an upbeat end to the opening night of the 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), which proved to be an emotional rollercoaster.
It included stars Peter Sarsgaard and Vicky Krieps, who were both honored during the opening ceremony, sharing political thoughts about a divided U.S. and world, laughs and rare behind-the-scenes insights thanks to the opening film, We’ve Got to Frame It! (A Conversation With Jiřà Bartoška in July 2021), and words of thanks in heartfelt tributes to the long-time festival president and legendary Czech actor Bartoška, who died in May at the age of 78.
Big names in attendance for the opening night included members of the jury for the fest’s main Crystal Globe Competition, which includes Roma producer Nicolás Celis, Fremont director Babak Jalali, Czech actor, writer, and director Jiřà Mádl (Waves), Berlin Film Festival selector and film critic Jessica Kiang, and Swedish actress Tuva Novotny.
The opening ceremony, as is tradition, included a stage show that was choreographed by Michal and Simon Cabani. It featured their trademark on-stage energy as dancers moved in and out of and around beams of light and at times reflected the light with mirrors or used color filters to change the light’s appearance. The music moved between the dramatic and energetic and included Hans Zimmer’s Interstellar theme.
Jiřà Bartoška photo panels on the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2025 opening day
Courtesy of Georg Szalai
A little bit later, no festival staff eye stayed dry in the jam-packed Congress Hall of the Brutalist Thermal Hotel in Karlovy Vary when host Marek Eben, a popular Czech actor and TV presenter, lauded BartoÅ¡ka and his legacy. “People say nobody is irreplaceable. But…
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