Karlovy varies International Film Festival announced its winners on July 12 during its closing ceremony. More than 128,000 tickets were sold for 465 views of 108 features, 23 documentaries and 44 shorts. The festival is the key in this year’s film circle, embedded between Cannes and Venice.
The 59th excursionwhich was held from July 4-12, released its highest honor, Grand Prix-Crystal Globe, to director Miro Remo’s “Better Go Mad in the Wild” from the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. The filmmakers – the producers included – received $ 25,000.
“A Funny Valentine to the Fading Art of Being True to Yourself, Miro’s Delightly Inventive Documentary is a Portrait of Bickering Twin Brothers Who May Live A Weird, Off-Grid Life On Their Dilapidated Farm, Acts, In A World Earth, “The Crystal Globe Jury, which Consisted of Nicolas Celis, Babak Jalali, Jessica Kiang, Jiří Mádl and Tuva Novotny wrote in a statement that the film. In the lifestyle, it depicts but also in filmmaking risks that it takes and the foamy loving brotherhood admire it, “better get angry in the wild” feels like a yellow of healthy, woody air or a quick dip in an outdoor dust, or a moment of contemplation like a cow chew on your beard. In short, it feels like being free. ”
A special jury award, which came with a prize of $ 15,000, was awarded Iran’s “bid”, directed by Soheil Beiraghi. “Mirroring the courage required to make such a movie in Iran, author-director Soheil Beiraghis” bid “is as brave in its ever-unexpected story, when it cares through different genres as energetic as it rolls through the various suburbs in Tehrunan,” wrote that jury. “Transforming from social-unanimous thriller to the family’s melodrama into a triumph-over-wide arc, it is most striking as a gonzo-lovers-run-run romance, shot with punken energy and spiky personality that ends in an ambivalent but optimistic remark-where it is so much life.
The best director Awards Went to Vytauta’s Katkus for the “visitor” from Lithuania, Norway and Sweden and Nathan Ambrosioni for “Out of Love” from France. Pia Tjelta won the best actress for Norway’s “Don’t Call Me Mama”, directed by Nina Knag, while àlex Brendemühl won the best actor for Spain’s “When a River becomes the sea”, directed by Pere Vilà Barceló. Kateřina Falbrova’s role in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic’s film “Broken Voices” received a special jury.
The Law Public Award was given to “We have to frame it!
For Karlovy Vary’s Proxima competition, the jury consisted of Yulia Evina Bhara, Noaz Deshe, Nelson Carlos de Los Santos Arias and Marissa Frobes. Proxima Grand Prix, worth $ 15,000, was given to “Sand City” from Bangladesh, directed by Mahde Hasan. Wrote the jury, “An unknown kingdom, where architecture breathes and silence screams. The time drops laterally in this cracked hourglass and color emissions as memory. In ‘Sand City’, cinema becomes a shocking map of the strange, abandoned and intimate at the edge of reason. ‘
They also awarded a special jury award worth $ 10,000 to Colombia’s “forensic technician.” “For several years, streaming giants have commodified Latin American stories about violence and have turned them into consumables,” wrote their assessment. “Colombia and Mexico have become epicenters in a cynical economy based on pain, death and disappearance. That is why we honor the cinema that resists – small, imperfect, but brave. Movies that decolonize the eyes and propose new paradigms. That the old motivates a return.
The judges gave a special menton to “Before / after”, directed by Manoël Dupont from Belgium, wrote, “Sometimes a movie comes with that surprises you – not with spectacle, but with honesty.” Before / after “is one of the rare stories: simple, odd and deeply human. What begins the dream of a hair transplant in Turkey becomes a tender path and a fleeting love without a lab. It makes us laugh and feel.”
Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contributions were given to StORIED Swedish Star Stellan Skarsgård. Jiří Brožek won the Festival President’s Award for contributions to Czech film. Vicky Krieps, Dakota JohnsonAnd Peter Sarsgaard was honored with Festival President’s Award.
“This looks like Disneyland. It’s crazy here. It’s so beautiful,” Johnson told reporters last week. “And I just couldn’t feel more grateful.”
The ecumenical jury’s award went to “reconstruction”, USA, directed by Max Walker Silverman, and the jury’s praise went to “Bio Jazireh”, Turkey, Iran, Bulgaria and Romania, directed by Gözde Kural. Europa Cinema’s Label Award Jury chose for its prices “Broken Voices”, from the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, directed by Ondřej Tyzník.
The FPRIPERCI Awards, which chose the best films in both the Crystal Globe and the Proxima competitions, were decided by Helen Barlow, Ela Bittencourt, Bitopan Borborah, Patrick Fey, Lukáš Jirsa and Christos Skylllakos. This year they chose “of love”, directed by Nathan Ambrosioni from France, and “Before/After”, from Belgium, directed by Manoël Dupont.
Other awards included Kviff Eastern Promise’s winner, which awarded a midpoint award to David Gašos “History of Illness” from Croatia. Eurimage’s co-production development prices went to “Battalion record” from Romania and director ștefan Bîtu-Tudoran and “In Vacuo”, from Ukraine/Germany and Director Yelizaveta Smith.
Connecting Cottbus Award went to Poland’s “Radiomator”, directed by Tomasz Habowski. The Rotterdam Lab Award was given to “Restless” producer Ondřej Lukeš from the Czech Republic. Marché du Film Producers Network Award was given to “Soyboy” producer Michelle Brøndum Hauerbach from the UK and producer Genovéva Petrovits for Hungary, the Czech Republic and Germany’s “Democracy: Work is ongoing.”
Kviff also chose sex from a submitted 200 project – three film and three TV series concepts – for their works in development programs, which gives Czech creators to get their projects over professionals. The winners included director/animator Daria Kascheeva for “Nameless”, director Tomáš Klein for “Spirit Moose”, director Greta Stocklassa “Burnout”, director/animator Philippe Kastner for “Mold”, director Dužan Duong for “Lost Boys” and director Categör Cate. Kviff also honored director István Kovác’s “A Siege” from Hungary, a presentation to a guest project from a Hungarian counterpart.
The 60th Karlovy varies IFF is set to July 3-11 2026.
