The 51st Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, a non-specialized festival with three competitive categories, took place from July 1st to July 9th this year. It was organized by Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary, a.s., with Jiří Bartoška as president of the festival and Karel Och as an artistic director. The 52nd Karlovy Vary IFF will be held from June 30th to 8th July 2017.
On July 9th 2016, the festival’s juries presented awards for the best films at the closing ceremony of the 51st Karlovy Vary IFF.
OFFICIAL SELECTION – COMPETITION
GRAND JURY
Maurizio Braucci, Italy | Eve Gabereau, United Kingdom | Martha Issová, Czech Republic | George Ovashvili, Georgia | Jay Van Hoy, USA
GRAND PRIX – CRYSTAL GLOBE (25 000 USD)
The financial award is shared equally by the director and producer of the award-winning film.
It’s Not the Time of My Life / Ernelláék Farkaséknál
Directed by: Szabolcs Hajdu
Hungary, 2016
About the movie:
The renowned Hungarian filmmaker (White Palms, Bibliothèque Pascal) has come out with an intimate study of two families thrown together by circumstance to temporarily share an unusual apartment. This independent movie – outstanding for its inventive production, precisely limned characters, and performances that get under the skin – draws faithfully on the work of Cassavetes and Bergman.
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (15 000 USD)
The financial award is shared equally by the director and producer of the award-winning film.
Zoology / Zoologiya
Directed by: Ivan I. Tverdovskiy
Russia, France, Germany, 2016
About the movie:
Natasha is a lonely, middle-aged admin employee at the zoo who still lives at home with her mother. One day her life is turned upside down when she discovers she has grown a tail… A realistically structured story into which the director deftly inserts a fantastic motif in a film that speaks of loneliness, otherness, fear, and also of the courage to be different.
BEST DIRECTOR AWARD
Damjan Kozole for the film Nightlife / Nočno življenje
Slovenia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2016
BEST ACTRESS AWARD
Zuzana Mauréry for her role in the film The Teacher / Učiteľka
Directed by: Jan Hřebejk
Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, 2016
BEST ACTOR AWARD
Szabolcs Hajdu for his role in the film It’s Not the Time of My Life / Ernelláék Farkaséknál
Directed by: Szabolcs Hajdu
Hungary, 2016
SPECIAL JURY MENTION
By the Rails / Dincolo de calea ferata
Directed by: Cătălin Mitulescu
Romania, Sweden, 2015
SPECIAL JURY MENTION
The Wolf from Royal Vineyard Street / Vlk z Královských Vinohrad
Directed by: Jan Němec
Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, France, 2016
EAST OF THE WEST – COMPETITION
EAST OF THE WEST JURY
Carmen Gray, United Kingdom | Tolga Karaçelik, Turkey | Mikuláš Novotný, Czech Republic | Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Poland | Yoshi Yatabe, Japan
EAST OF THE WEST GRAND PRIX (15 000 USD)
The financial award is shared equally by the director and producer of the award-winning film.
House of Others / Skhvisi sakhli
Directed by: Rusudan Glurjidze
Georgia, Russia, Spain, Croatia, 2016
About the movie:
They managed to survive the war and, as winners, they are assigned houses that were swiftly abandoned by others. In their fresh environment filled with old memories and unfamiliar objects they’re about to start a new, contented life. But it soon becomes clear that the hardest battle is yet to be won. A quasi-autobiographical debut from an extraordinarily talented Georgian director.
East of the West Special Jury Prize (10 000 USD)
The financial award is shared equally by the director and producer of the award-winning film.
The Days That Confused / Päevad, mis ajasid segadusse
Directed by: Triin Ruumet
Estonia, 2016
About the movie:
Allar, 27, and his friends spend their lives in their Estonian small town goofing off, getting drunk, and driving as if there’s no tomorrow. When one of their outings ends in an accident, Allar begins to reflect on his life. The quest to find meaning, however, is full of twists and turns… With the help of bold music and visuals, the debuting Estonian director takes the viewer on a dynamic ride through the wild nineties, while also following the struggles of a searching mind.
DOCUMENTARY FILMS – COMPETITION
DOCUMENTARY FILMS JURY
Sigrid Jonsson Dyekjær, Denmark | Hana Kulhánková, Czech Republic |Laurent Bécue-Renard, France
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM (5 000 USD)
The financial award goes to the director of the award-winning film.
LoveTrue
Directed by: Alma Har’el
USA, 2016
About the movie:
The highly anticipated sophomore effort from an Israeli director who has returned five years after her successful debut Bombay Beach, this time to uncover the essence of something as universal as the emotion of love. A documentary essay interweaving three true life stories and exposing naïve notions of the existence of “true” love that is free of pain.
SPECIAL JURY MENTION
Ama-San
Directed by: Cláudia Varejão
Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, 2016
Právo AUDIENCE AWARD
Captain Fantastic
Directed by: Matt Ross
USA, 2016
Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema
Willem Dafoe, USA
Festival President’s Award
Jean Reno, France
Festival President’s Award
Charlie Kaufman, USA
Festival President’s Award for Contribution to Czech Cinematography
Jiřina Bohdalová, Czech Republic
STATISTICS OF THE 51st KARLOVY VARY IFF 2016
The 51st Karlovy Vary IFF 2016 was attended by 13 224 accredited visitors. Of that number 11 177 had Festival Passes, 415 were filmmakers, 1 064 film professionals, and 588 journalists.
There were a total of 507 film screenings for 135 105 viewers. A total of 138 341 tickets were sold. A total of 200 films were shown: 166 feature films (146 full-length and 20 short) and 34 documentary films (30 full-length and 4 short). 21 films received their world premiere, while 25 had their international premiere and 9 their European premiere. 159 screenings were personally presented by delegations of filmmakers. 100 Press & Industry screenings were held.
FILM INDUSTRY AT THE 51st KARLOVY VARY IFF 2016
1066 film buyers, sellers, distributors, film festival programmers, representatives of film institutions, and other industry professionals were accredited for the 51st Karlovy Vary IFF. 473 accredited film professionals came to the festival from abroad. 198 film buyers and distributors and 171 festival programmers chose from the new films and Works in Progress.
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