Latest news with #KVIFF
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
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‘Sand City' Is a Kaleidoscopic Tale of Sand Thieves and Harsh Life in a Metropolis (Karlovy Vary Trailer)
Watch out, sand thieves are coming to the Proxima Competition of the 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) next month. Yes, you read that right: sand thieves! Bangladeshi screenwriter and director Mahde Hasan, who has made shorts I Am Time (2013), Death of a Reader (2017), and A Boring Film (2020), is bringing his feature film debut, Sand City, to the picturesque Czech spa town. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Tehran Another View' Features Paintball, Carwalking, and a DJ Dressed up as the Joker (Karlovy Vary Trailer) APOS: Amazon Doubles Down on Dual Streaming Strategy in India with Prime Video and MX Player 'The Shining,' 'A Clockwork Orange,' 'Megalopolis' Costume Designer to Receive Locarno Vision Award The cinematic tale promises daring visuals, which are kaleidoscopic and often make the story, and life, feel like shattered glass. It also promises a thought-provoking dissection of life in a big city, in this case, Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, which has a reputation as one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The movie's logline can be understood in that context. 'Sand, an unstable element, reveals the life in a ruthless metropolis,' it reads. The protagonists of the two parallel stories told in the film are a woman from an ethnic minority, portrayed by Victoria Chakma in her screen debut, and a man who is a member of the majority population, played by Bangladeshi actor Mostafa Monwar. 'Emma and Hasan don't know each other, but they have much in common. Most importantly, they are both sand thieves,' reads a synopsis on the KVIFF website. 'Emma steals it for kitty litter, Hasan for making homemade glass. One day, their lives are disrupted by the discovery of a severed finger, and they learn that the human psyche can shatter as easily as glass.' In case you still expect a classic popcorn movie, the fest highlights the deeper and darker layers of human life that it explores. 'It is an oppressive portrait of a city full of sand, blended with a stylistically refined elegy about the flow of time, personal privacy, destruction, and the tear-filled valleys of our inner worlds,' it emphasizes. The cinematography of the film, for which Diversion is handling sales, comes from Mathieu Giombini, who has worked with such directors as Francois Ozon, Michel Piccoli, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, and Manoel de Oliveira. Director Hasan explains in a director's note that he wanted to 'explore the many facets of urban survival, fantasy, and sexuality,' while also 'exploring my own emotions' about the city and how it 'constantly occupies my thoughts and creations.' And he shares: 'I have been photographing this city and the lives within it for almost a decade now. At first, my gaze was romantic and celebratory till I decided to probe even deeper and look beyond the obvious. Then, I realized the inherent claustrophobia of living in the city; the lives of people as if they were all locked inside their own abyss.' Concludes Hasan: 'I witnessed how the passage of time suffocates our daily lives. We all seemed to be locked within a trap where there is a need to hide ourselves and never had the courage to come out as we are, to speak as we feel. There is almost a crisis of faith, wherein the people have stopped trusting and believing in better days.' He and Giombini opted for a look and feel inspired by some big names. 'Mahde and I have often mentioned the cinema of the Portuguese director Pedro Costa, for his particular treatment of shadows and directions of light, but also of the American director David Lynch, who manages so well to interfere with the irrational, even the fantastic, quite simply, without resorting to expensive special effects, which we couldn't afford anyway,' Giombini explains. The aesthetics fit with the 'fractured structure and form' that the director chose. 'Dhaka, the city where I dwell, is like a collage of broken glass,' filmmaker Hasan concludes. The trailer introduces the two people whose journey the movie follows and gives a first taste of the dreamy qualities of Sand City. 'There's no shortage of sand in this city,' protagonist Hasan is heard saying as he dreams of 'huge profits.' Watch the Sand City trailer below. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
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KVIFF Sets Jiri Bartoska Tribute With Opening Film, Exhibition, La Roux to Perform Opening Concert
The 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) will pay tribute to its late president Jiří Bartoška with the opening film We've Got to Frame It! (A Conversation With Jiří Bartoška in July 2021), directed by and Jakub Jurásek, screenings of Radek Bajgar's film Tiger Theory, which stars the legendary Czech actor and festival president, and the exhibition 'Jiří Bartoška – KVIFF President.' Organizers also unveiled on Wednesday that Grammy-winning British synthpop band La Roux will perform the opening concert. More from The Hollywood Reporter Iran Film, Dakota Johnson, Stellan Skarsgard, Peter Sarsgaard, Vicky Krieps Honors Set for Karlovy Vary APOS: 'Taxi Driver 3' Coming to Viu in 2025 as Streamer Expands Asian Originals Slate 'Sand City' Is a Kaleidoscopic Tale of Sand Thieves and Harsh Life in a Metropolis (Karlovy Vary Trailer) Bartoška, a major star of pre-Velvet Revolution Czech theater, TV and film who helped save the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival before serving as its president and public face for decades, died in early May at the age of 78. We've Got to Frame It! is an 'affable, informal exchange with producer Milan Kuchynka, in which [Bartoška] touches upon myriad themes, from his grammar school days and the Velvet Revolution, to his encounters with stars ,' according to the festival. As another part of the Bartoška tribute, the fest will show Tiger Theory. 'This tragicomedy examining human relationships and gender roles provided a great opportunity for actor Jiří Bartoška,' the fest highlighted. About the exhibition, organizers said that 30 large-scale panels will be placed in the outdoor area between two iconic festival venues – the Thermal and Pupp hotels, allowing visitors of the picturesque Czech spa town to explore 60 black-and-white photographs 'capturing, through the eyes of festival photographers, the most important festival moments as well as unique portraits of the remarkable personality who led the Karlovy Vary Festival for three decades.' Meanwhile, La Roux will perform the free opening concert in front of the Hotel Thermal on July 4. As is tradition, a fireworks display will follow the concert. La Roux's self-titled debut album in 2009 was a critical and commercial success and won numerous awards. It produced such hits as 'In for the Kill,' Bulletproof,' and 'I'm Not Your Toy.' KVIFF 2025 runs July 4-12. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Tehran Another View' Features Paintball, Carwalking, and a DJ Dressed up as the Joker (Karlovy Vary Trailer)
A mention of Iran's capital Tehran may make you think of politics, world affairs and other serious issues. But how about paintball, carwalking and a party of people dancing to music played by a DJ dressed up as the Joker? Welcome to the world of Tehran Another View, the new film from writer and director Ali Behrad (Tasavor), which will world premiere in the Special Screenings program of the 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) on July 5. 'The moment they greet each other at their friends' wedding, we know that Leili and Pasha were once a couple,' a synopsis on the KVIFF website reads. 'But something split them apart. We see their story in flashback.' More from The Hollywood Reporter APOS: Amazon Doubles Down on Dual Streaming Strategy in India with Prime Video and MX Player 'The Shining,' 'A Clockwork Orange,' 'Megalopolis' Costume Designer to Receive Locarno Vision Award Engagement, Monetization, Quality Content and the Impact of AI Take Center Stage at NATPE Budapest The festival promises 'a charming mix of genres' and highlights: 'Iranian director Ali Behrad's second feature film is a vibrant portrait of Tehran and its inhabitants.' The cast of the film includes Ali Shadman, Anahita Afshar, Ayda Mahiani, and Reza Kolavani. Sales are being handled by Persia Film Distribution. The trailer for the movie includes the mentioned paintball, DJ, people carwalking, and more, giving you a first sense for what to expect. The 2025 edition of KVIFF runs July 4-12. The star-studded festival will honor Dakota Johnson, Stellan Skarsgård, Peter Sarsgaard and Vicky Krieps, with Michael Douglas also traveling to the picturesque Czech spa town to present a screening of a newly restored version of Czech-American directing legend Milos Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, on which Douglas was a producer and which starred Jack Nicholson. Watch the trailer for Tehran Another View here. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
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‘Action Item' Treats Burnout as 'Collective Condition, Silenced Crisis' (Exclusive Karlovy Vary Trailer)
Last year, Berlin-based Slovakian writer-director and visual artist Paula Ďurinová screened her documentary debut, Lapilli, about rocks and the loss of loved ones, at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF). This year, she returns to its 59th edition with her sophomore doc Action Item, which the festival calls 'an entirely different, yet equally sensitive film.' Sensibility is key as the doc is about burnout syndrome, treating it, as press materials highlight, as 'a collective condition and a silenced crisis.' More from The Hollywood Reporter Bertelsmann's RTL Group to Buy Sky Deutschland from Comcast 'Squid Game' Finale Ends With Surprise Hollywood Star Cameo Lalo Schifrin, Acclaimed Composer of 'Mission: Impossible' and 'Mannix' Themes, Dies at 93 Ďurinová explores how exhaustion is not just lived but 'constructed, shaped by the pressures of constant performance and control,' they also emphasize. 'Through collective reflection and found footage, the film traces the shift from personal fatigue to a shared understanding of systemic conditions. It challenges the narratives of self-optimization, revealing burnout as more than an individual crisis. Between resistance and care, between memory and action, Action Item uncovers what has always been there – anxiety as a public secret.' A synopsis on the KVIFF website calls the doc an 'activist anatomy of burnout, set in Berlin, interweaves the observation of community sharing with a more experimental montage,' a synopsis on the KVIFF website explains. 'The work takes note of the myths associated with individualistic society, yet, at the same time, it conveys sincere moments of solidarity between individuals who aren't afraid to speak of their anxieties. This is both a personal and also very human film, which invites us to take a break in these hectic times, when burnout doesn't necessarily mean the end; on the contrary, it might be a new beginning, where individual pain is gradually transformed into the power of collective sharing.' THR can now reveal the first trailer for the film, which showcases how people featured in it discuss their struggles and gives experimental visual expressions to them. 'Today's public secret is that everyone is anxious,' one person says in it. And yes, there is also time for physical closeness. 'Action Item emerged from my personal experience with anxiety, depression, and a burnout episode several years ago,' Ďurinová explains. 'Needing to understand what had happened, I began reading various essays and self-published zines that critique the privatization of mental health and focus on its political dimensions.' Sales for the film, which debuts on July 6 in the Proxima Competition lineup at Karlovy Vary, in which Lapilli also screened, are being handled by Portuguese sales and festival distribution agency Kino Rebelde. The 2025 edition of KVIFF, star-studded as always, runs July 4-12. The new doc from Bratislava-based production company guča films is also part of the international competition at the 36th FidMarseille International Film Festival, running July 8-13. Action Item was produced by Matej Sotník for guča, with co-producers Claw films, Slovak Television and Radio, and Ďurinová as part of her studies at Universität der Künste Berlin. Lisboa-based Kino Rebelde holds international rights. 'The circular and repetitive aspects of depression, anxiety or burnout guide the film,' explains Ďurinová. 'Each new experience carries the memory of the previous one and, at the same time, anticipates the next. With this film, I wanted to create a certain suspension of time and space in which we can reflect on past crises and depart from them to look for a wider context.' Watch the trailer for Action Item below. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
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Karlovy Vary Film Fest Rejigs Industry Days With Launch of KVIFF Central Stage, Series Incubator
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) is expanding its Industry Days program by a day, refocusing and adding some new offerings this year, including a series incubator. Running Sunday, July 6-Wednesday, July 9, the Eastern Promises industry section and market will have 'a sharpened focus on Central European co-production opportunities in an updated showcase format.' The extended program also broadens its scope with new presentations and events dedicated to the small screen and series development. More from The Hollywood Reporter Canadian Industry Rebuffs Trump's DEI Rollback Sony Music Publishing Acquires Hipgnosis Songs Group Trump's Trade War Will Loom Large Over the Banff World Media Fest In one significant change, the fest is launching a new format dedicated to showcasing film projects in the making. As a result, the previous Works in Progress pitches will be replaced by a KVIFF Central Stage showcase, thanks to a cooperation with the national film institutes of eight Central European countries, namely Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. The showcase, taking place on July 8, will feature 13 fiction films, to be unveiled later, by established filmmakers from these countries that are in late stages of development, in production or post-production. 'Instead of traditional pitches, the projects will be introduced through interactive talks, focusing on the filmmakers and co-production landscape in each of the participating countries,' KVIFF. 'We chose this new format because it addresses a real gap in the Central European film landscape,' explained Hugo Rosák, the head of the KVIFF Industry Office. 'There is significant support for emerging filmmakers across Eastern Europe, but mid-career filmmakers often lack the necessary spotlight and resources to secure financing, even though their projects are equally compelling.' Participating projects will be eligible for post-production benefits, thanks to a generous partnership with studios UPP and Soundsquare, which will also offer discounts to productions qualifying for the Czech Audiovisual Fund's 35 percent incentive for digital production. 'The most promising films in development, selected by an international jury, will also be eligible' for the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award. Also, via a partnership with broadcaster and entertainment giant Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. (CME), the festival will introduce a Pop-Up Series Incubator featuring five original European series. 'The aim is to establish Karlovy Vary as a hub for co-productions and creative collaborations across diverse narrative forms,' organizers said. 'This collaboration aims at transforming Karlovy Vary into a comprehensive hub for television and streaming series development.' In line with this new 'Small Screen, Big Ambitions' push, KVIFF will feature showcases, panels, workshops, and talks by small-screen players and experts on July 8 and July 9. 'Television and streaming production in our region is undergoing a massive transformation – not only in content quality but also in creative ambitions. Partnering with KVIFF is a natural step for us,' said Daniel Grunt, CEO of CME's Czech unit Nova Group. 'We believe that the connection between the film and television worlds can bring crucial momentum to the entire Central and Eastern European region.' The Pop Up Series Incubator, presented and organized by Tatino Films, co-financed by the European Union and supported and hosted by La Région Grand Est, the city of Reims, and KVIFF, the eight-month-long program will in Karlovy Vary get a pitching session where the creative teams will present their series concepts to industry professionals and decision makers, followed by curated match-making sessions with professionals that look to finance or produce series. 'Most of the upcoming shows of streamers are adaptations of existing IPs – literary, audiovisual works or even true stories. The reason for that is simple: building an audience or generating attention from scratch is seen as way too risky and unlikely considering the financial implications of drama series production,' said Matthieu Darras, CEO of Tatino Films. 'This 'IP Adaptation Game' is mostly reserved to big players, but Pop Up Series wants to create opportunities for audiovisual talents that are not necessarily in the orbit of international behemoths, such as Banijay, Fremantle, or Mediawan, to adapt their own IPs into compelling series projects.' The five selected series projects that will be showcased in Karlovy Vary are Angelmaker (Romania), based on a true story of The Angel Makers of Nagyrév, a group of people in Hungary who were suspected of poisoning, Erotic Lives of the Superheroes (France), based on Italian novel La Vita Erotica Dei Superuomini by Marco Mancassola, The Night of the Beguines (France), based on French novel La Nuit des Béguines by Aline Kiner, The Three Burials of Irma (Greece), based on Greek novel Alfatride (O iatrodikastis) by Vassilis Vassilikos, and Therapies (Lithuania) vased on a play by Birutė Kapustinskaitė. Returning this year is a KVIFF Eastern Promises staple, the Midpoint Institute's Works in Development international script development program, which will showcase nine feature-length projects that are currently in development, as featured in more detail here, plus five projects, details for which are here, developed within Midpoint's Focus Queer, a program supporting filmmakers exploring queer narratives. Also returning, for its third edition, will be KVIFF Talents, a year-long program supporting talented Czech and Slovak filmmakers and their innovative projects. Its Creative Pool, focusing on identifying innovative ideas for audiovisual works of any genre or format — from short films and series to podcasts or game concepts, this year features as selected projects Mould, an animated series for children and adults, anime series Lost Boys, and live-action musical series Remake. The Feature Pool, dedicated to supporting the development of original auteur-driven feature-length fiction films, this year features Nameless, a feature debut combining live-action and stop-motion animation, thriller feature Spirit Moose, and Burnout, a feature debut based on a novel by Petr Šesták. 'We believe that we have a unique opportunity to strengthen our position as the leading industry event dedicated to Central Europe, a region that also includes creative powerhouses like Poland, Germany or Austria, and deserves focused international attention,' said Kryštof Mucha, the executive director of KVIFF. 'Our aim is to serve as a central hub for producers, filmmakers, broadcasters, and platforms from Central Europe, alongside global industry professionals who wish to engage closely with this vibrant region. Recognizing the growing crossover of storytelling across various mediums, our expanded Industry Days now have the capacity and vision to fully embrace this evolution.' 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