The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (MFF Karlovy Vary, KVIFF) is an annual film showcase in Karlovy Vary. According to the festival's website, it is the largest film showcase in the country and an event regarded in Central and Eastern Europe as the most important among filmmakers, buyers, distributors, sellers and journalists.[1]
Category and programme
The festival is among the oldest film showcases in the world. The international federation FIAPF places it in category A, that is, among non-specialised festivals with a competition of feature films. The festival also places the events in Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Locarno, San Sebastián, Montréal, Shanghai and Tokyo in the same category.[1]
Each edition presents roughly two hundred films from various countries, and guests are often well-known filmmakers. The programme is intended for both professionals and the general public, to whom the festival offers facilities and a range of services.[1]
History
The first venue, in 1946, was Mariánské Lázně, with some screenings also held in Karlovy Vary. The festival has been held exclusively in Karlovy Vary since 1950. The Crystal Globe award was first presented in the competition section in 1948, and in 1956 FIAPF placed the festival in category A.[1]
For four decades the festival operated in Czechoslovakia under political pressure. In 1994 its organisation was taken over by a new team led by the actor Jiří Bartoška and the film journalist Eva Zaoralová. According to the festival, they transformed the showcase, which was then stagnating, into an internationally significant film forum and restored its prestige within a few years.[1]
Festival leadership
Jiří Bartoška was approached in 1993 with an offer to lead the festival as president, and Eva Zaoralová was offered the post of artistic director. The pair had not known each other personally before. Zaoralová handed over the artistic leadership to Karel Och in 2011 and contributed to the programme as artistic adviser.[1]
Bartoška held the office of festival president until 2025. Afterwards the festival's management decided not to fill the post of president, and Bartoška is listed as president in memoriam. The festival is run by Kryštof Mucha, executive director since 2004.[1]