Karlovy Vary Film Festival Marks 60th Edition With Dustin Hoffman Tribute

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival opened its 60th edition in the Czech spa town, honoring actor Dustin Hoffman for his contributions to cinema. The festival, the largest cultural event in the Czech Republic, will run until July 11. It features 12 films in the main competition, 12 in the Proxima competition, 12 in special screenings, and dozens of additional feature and documentary films.

Actors Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jesse Eisenberg, Juliette Binoche, Jeffrey Wright, Harvey Keitel, Kyra Sedgwick, Kevin Bacon, cinematographer Robert Richardson, and others are scheduled to attend.

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is the second-oldest film festival after Venice. Founded in 1946, it marks its 80th year this year but only its 60th edition because it alternated annually with Moscow from 1959 to 1993 as the sole Category A festival for the Eastern Bloc.

The event survived restrictions during the communist period of the 1950s, the 1968 occupation, and the normalization era of the 1970s and 1980s. After the Velvet Revolution in the 1990s, it faced competition from a Prague-based festival that lasted only two years before closing.

A triumvirate of Executive Director, Artistic Director, and Production Director now leads the festival after the death of its former president before the 2024 edition. The annual budget is about €10 million, with roughly 20 percent from the government, 10 percent from the city and region, and 70 percent from private sponsors.

Last year the festival drew nearly 10,000 accredited visitors, 411 filmmakers, 1,055 professionals, and 557 journalists. It held 465 screenings, sold more than 128,000 tickets, and presented 175 films. One ticket costs less than €3, allowing any member of the public to attend without industry credentials. Thousands of young attendees camp in tents each year, filling theaters for the screenings.