Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Dispatch: West Meets East For The 49th Time

The Main Competition, Part 1

This year´s main competition boasts two domestic titles Fair Play and Nowhere in Moravia. Fair Play by Andrea Sedláčková follows in the footsteps of precedent successful Czech titles reflecting on the recent past, The Burning Bush and In the Shadow, through the idealization of people who did not succumb to the iron fist of the communist party, and were able to stand against the odds of the regime, often for a high price. Sedláčková's sports drama focuses on a government-driven doping scheme intended to boost the image of the country.

The directorial debut of Miroslav Krobot, seasoned actor (Tarr´s The Man from London among others) and theatre director, Nowhere in Moravia is a stab at deadpan redneck comedy situated in the Czech countryside with touches of dark humor. Its simple premise follows a local barmaid looking for a partner, and serves as a pretense for escapades by quirky locals (village idiot is a must).

Latvian-born illustrator, animator and writer, Signe Baumane, brought her debut, a funny film about depression, Rocks in My Pockets. To dissect a family medical history in a quest for healing, Baumane adapts a light and comedic style of surrealistic collages, reminiscent of some European graphic novels.

The Main Competition, Part 2

Pascal Rabaté, the winner of the Best Directing Award from KVIFF 2011 (Holidays by the Sea), a prominent French comics and film auteur, premiered his new film Patchwork Family in Karlovy Vary. An ironic morality tale (the French title refers to public punishment of tar and feathers) about a loser father trying to become a role-model for his daughter.

All Yours, the second feature by Belgian director David Lambert, follows young, penniless Argentinian escort Lucas, who meets Henry, a Belgian baker, on the internet. The latter decides to rescue Lucas from the world of prostitution in Buenos Aires. Lucas becomes Henry’s apprentice, but soon he starts feeling suffocated by all the baker’s attention.

The main competition hides a special jewel, the newest film from Hungary's highly original filmmaker, György Pálfi, whose 2006´s comedy-drama-horror Taxidermia After his mash-up of classics Final Cut and before historical epic Toldi, Pálfi did a signature burlesque oddity, Free Fall. The director welcomes viewers in his world via a darkly comic intro: an elderly lady tossing herself from the top of a building. She lands, picks her glasses up and mounts the stairs back home as the elevator is out of order. As she passes each floor, a different story in a different genre occurs, albeit permeated by the central question of what is normal.

The full line-up of the official competition here

East Of The West Competition

East of the West competition showcases recent projects from Central and Eastern Europe. "The concept of premiering first and second films from our territory is still at a rather early stage, and we have a strong (but healthy and very friendly) competition at festivals of a similar size, such as San Sebastian and Locarno,“ said Karel Och, the artistic director of KVIFF.

An alumni from the famous Lodz´s school, Grzegorz Jaroszuk, is presenting his feature debut, Kebab & Horoscope. States the director on behalf of his debut: "My characters’ clumsiness confronted with the absurd world makes my film a comedy. Comic aspect, though, is only to soften a tough story about loneliness, unfulfilled need of love and sadness. My actors have peculiar looks, on the visual level they build each other by contrast. Static camera, observing heroes more than participating. Cold shades, are underlining characters’ alienation. Narration will build an absurd and funny film about people, who discover, that there is no sense in trying to fight against loneliness."

Loosely based on a book, Correction Class, by 25-year old Russian director Ivan Tverdovsky focuses on the struggle of handicapped pupils proving their worthiness in an unfair educational system. The director openly admits the influence of von Trier´s Dancer in the Dark on his debut while explaining "this is not a sad and dark story. It is a story of love, hope, and new discoveries."

A dark comedy made it to the East of the West competition from Serbian-born director, Darko Lungulov, with enticing title, The Monument to Michael Jackson. "In a dying Serbian town an old communist-era monument is removed from the Square. In order to save his town and seduce his estranged wife again, daydreamer Marko comes up with the idea to replace it with a monument to Michael Jackson. His absurd idea attracts supporters and enemies alike. Moreover Marko even forges a letter from MJ that he is coming to unveil the monument to ensure sufficient support in the town."

East of the West full line-up here

The Industry Side of KVIFF – Works In Progress, Part 1

KVIFF creates a wide space for new projects from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Turkey and other countries. Works in development are being presented in Work in Progress and Pitch&Feedback platform. The latter was established in 2012 to help find foreign co-producers for Czech and Slovak projects in the development stage.

In Works in Progress, a variety of promising new films was presented. Silviu Stavila and Dana Bunescu, respectively the cinematographer and editor of The Death of Mr.Lazarescu are collaborating on the debut feature of Ana Lungu, under the working title The Adventures of a Dutiful Daughter, with Cristi Puiu´s wife producing. Official synopsis:

Cristiana is a 30-year-old woman, brought up in a "proper”, bourgeois middle-class family. She splits her time between writing her Thesis on Structural Engineering, conversations with Alex and Michelle, her two close friends and occasionally, eagerly awaited rendezvous with Dan, a married man with whom she is romantically involved. After her parents move out of the apartment into a new house, she decides to get a dog. It is something that she’s wanted ever since she was a child and now that she lives on her own she can finally fulfill this wish.

The Industry Side of KVIFF – Works In Progress, Part 2

Agnieszka Kurzydło, the producer of Szumowska´s In the Name of..., and co-producer of von Trier´s Antichrist, came to present Marcin Koszałka´s debut Red Spider that "deals with the potential mechanisms that occur, when a serial killer is being born. The film is set in 1960s Poland. It’s a story of a teenager who guided by curiosity follows murders.“

US2, a Czech film in the final stage of post-production, is the directorial debut of Slobodanka Radun, with a script penned by novelist Radka Denemarková. Labelled as a love story for the 21st century, the synopsis says:

Hoping for change, Ema runs away from her family. She hides at the apartment of her hairdresser Tony, where nobody would look for her. At the beginning they are merely two strangers, connected by their mutual desire of escaping from their families. They get closer and help each other to overcome the internal as well as external obstacles of their lives.

Goat, a Slovak project in development, won the top Works in Progress prize. The feature debut of Ivan Ostrochovský, who directed one third of the acclaimed documentary Velvet Terrorist, follows Roma boxer Peter Baláž nicknamed Goat who " experienced the peak of his career at the Olympic games in Atlanta in 1996. Now he lives in poverty with his girlfriend Miška in a settlement on the outskirts of town. Miška finds out that she is pregnant. While Goat wants a child of his own, she strictly refuses to have a child because they are heavily in debt with no relief in sight. She intends to have an abortion and leaves Goat, moving in with her parents. Goat decides to earn the money he needs in the ring…“

The Industry Side of KVIFF – Pitch&Feedback

Mira Fornay (the director of My Dog Killer introduced her third feature in preparation under the tempting title Cook, F**k, Kill (Frogs with No Tognues). Currently searching for funding, the film is slated for principal photography in spring 2015, and eventual release in Spring 2016. This absurd drama on domestic violence follows "Jaroslav K. (43) who works as a male hospital attendant. A handsome and seemingly good-natured man, husband and father of three kids, Jaroslav K. is in fact obsessed with sex and cooking."

Another acclaimed Slovak director, Juraj Lehotský (his latest feature being The Miracle), presented a new project, Erik, produced by Ivan Ostrochovský (Punkchart Films) and co-produced by Jiří Konečný (endorfilm).

Erik is an 8-year-old boy, a zealous swimmer, going through a difficult period in his life – his parents are divorcing. Father Milan is moving out, unable to talk to the mother of the boy Helena without a quarrel. Erik only watches these conflicts in silence. They break his playful child’s world and lead him into uncertainty. The tension cumulates when the boy becomes involved in a car crash, after which he stops communicating and dives into his own inner world.

Slovak director Martin Repka, whose debut feature The Return of Storks was a national entry for the 80th Academy Awards, moves onto his second feature The Tattooist slated for principal photography in Autumn 2015 wit estimated budget of 1M €. The protagonist is Maro the inker, "released from prison where he has spent several years of his life. He has long since lost faith in himself and the world into which he is now to return. Too much has changed too fast. Tattoos, which in Maro’s days symbolized nonconformity and rebellion, have become a mass phenomenon. Maro reopens his old tattoo parlour. Business is rather slow, at least until Maro is approached by his brash 17-year-old son, Rafo, looking to reconnect with his estranged father. Maro is offered a second chance to be a parent to his child. However, instead of seizing the opportunity, he embroils Rafo in his plan to execute revenge for past grievances.“

Corn Island And Free Fall On A winning Streak At KVIFF

The eagerly awaited, yet complicated in terms of co-production (Georgia, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan and Hungary), and the second feature of Georgian filmmaker George Ovashvili, Corn Island, won the Grand Prix and The Ecumenical Jury Award.

Györgi Pálfi did not leave Karlovy Vary empty-handed either, as his burlesque satire on hypocrisy Free Fall nabbed the Special Jury Prize, The Best Director Award and Europa Cinemas Label Award.

Corrections Class, by 25-year old Ivan I.Tverdovsky won the East Of The West Competition. Anywhere Else took the Independent Camera Award from Forum of the Independents competition

OFFICIAL SELECTION - COMPETITION

Grand Prix - Crystal Globe (25 000 USD) Corn Island / Simindis kundzuli Directed by: George Ovashvili Georgia, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, 2014

Special Jury Prize (15 000 USD) Free Fall / Szabadesés Directed by: György Pálfi Hungary, France, South Korea, 2014

Best Director Award György Pálfi

Best Actress Award Elle Fanning for her role in the film Low Down Directed by: Jeff Preiss USA, 2014

Best Actor Award Nahuel Pérez Biscayar for his role in the film All Yours / Je suis à toi Directed by: David Lambert Belgium, Canada, 2014

EAST OF THE WEST - FILMS IN COMPETITION East of the West Award (20 000 USD) Corrections Class / Klass korrektsii Directed by: Ivan I. Tverdovsky Russia, Germany, 2014

Special Mention Barbarians / Varvari Directed by: Ivan Ikić Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, 2014

DOCUMENTARY FILMS IN COMPETITION Best Documentary Film over 30 minutes long (5 000 USD) Waiting for August Directed by: Teodora Ana Mihai Belgium, 2014

Special Mention Steadiness / Sitzfleisch Directed by: Lisa Weber Austria, 2014

Best Documentary Film under 30 minutes long (5 000 USD) Autofocus Directed by: Boris Poljak Croatia, 2013

Special Mention The Queen / La reina Directed by: Manuel Abramovich Argentina, 2013

FORUM OF INDEPENDENTS Independent Camera Award Anywhere Else / Anderswo Directed by: Ester Amrami Germany, 2014

Audience Award The Magic Voice of a Rebel / Magický hlas rebelky Directed by: Olga Sommerová Czech Republic, 2014,

Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema William Friedkin USA

Mel Gibson USA

Zdeněk Svěrák Czech Republic

Award of International Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Rocks in My Pockets Directed by: Signe Baumane USA, Latvia, 2014

NON-STATUTORY AWARDS The Ecumenical Jury Award Corn Island / Simindis kundzuli Directed by: George Ovashvili Georgia, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, 2014

Special Mention Rocks in My Pockets Directed by: Signe Baumane USA, Latvia, 2014

FEDEORA Award Bota Directed by: Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci Albania, Italy, Kosovo, 2014

Europa Cinemas Label Award Free Fall / Szabadesés Directed by: György Pálfi Hungary, France, South Korea, 2014