Nearly a hundred cinemas in Czech Republic ready to host 'special version' of Karlovy Vary Int'l Film Festival

Ahram Online , Tuesday 23 Jun 2020

Egyptian film 'Luxor' is in the line-up of the festival which will take place between 3 and 11 July 2020

Karlovy Vary Int
Karlovy Vary Int'l Film Festival, 2018 (Photo: AFP)

In its special edition, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will screen 16 films at 96 movie theatres across the Czech Republic between 3 and 11 July.

Trying to bring a sense of one of European oldest film festivals to its viewers while taking precautions related to pandemic, this year the organisers will showcase two films  (at 5pm and at 8pm) in each cinema.

"Before the opening film, Babyteeth (Friday, 3 July at 8pm) the festival’s president Jiří Bartoška and master of ceremonies Marek Eben will host a special “opening ceremony” broadcast to all cinema audiences thanks to a live feed from the Grand Hall at Karlovy Vary’s Hotel Thermal," the organisers revealed.

The Egyptian film Luxor, written and directed by Zeina Durra, is among the selected repertoire. 

"Members of the festival team will also travel to forty cinemas, large and small, from Karlovy Vary in the west to Moravia-Silesia in the east, in order to introduce the films just like at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Some screenings will feature live presentations, for others the introductions will be streamed to all cinemas."

With this organisational move, the Czech Republic's Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is the first such event which found its way of holding its edition as planned in public cinemas yet with a mdified format.

According to Worldometers info on coronavirus infections, the central European country of 10.8 million has 10,561 and 337 fatalities until date.

At the beginning of May, Reuters has reported that the Czech government allowed cultural and sport events with up to 100 people to go ahead from 11 May. 

"This will include cinema screenings, theatres performances and religious services, and comes sooner than the government had originally planned after it said the spread of the virus was now contained," Reuters wrote.

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is the largest film festival in the Czech Republic. Every year, the festival presents some 200 films from around the world, and regularly hosts famous and important filmmakers.

The festival was launched in 1946 in Mariánské Lázně before moving to Karlovy Vary in 1947 and becoming a competitive festival with the main award being the Crystal Globe. In 1956, the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) officially designated Karlovy Vary a ‘category A’ festival.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

Short link: