60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Film festival in Czech Republic
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The 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival opened on 3 July 2026, in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic with an Argentinian sports documentary film The Match, written and directed by Juan Cabral and Santiago Franco, the film reconstructs the historic match Argentina vs England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.
Official poster | |
| Opening film | The Match |
|---|---|
| Closing film | The Only Living Pickpocket in New York |
| Location | Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Awards | Crystal Globe: Fruit Gathering |
| Artistic director | Karel Och |
| No. of films | 179 |
| Festival date | Opening: 3 July 2026 Closing: 11 July 2026 |
| Website | www |
In the opening ceremony, the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema was presented to Dustin Hoffman whereas Festival President's Award to the American actress and filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal for her outstanding contribution to the cinema.[1]
The festival, which commemorated two milestones: 80 years since the first festival, and the festival’s 60th edition, concluded on 11 July with screening of closing film The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, 2026 American crime thriller film written and directed by Noah Segan and the presentation of awards in both non-statutory and main competition categories. Fruit Gathering, a Myanmar, Czech Republic and France co-production, directed by Aung Phyoe, received the Crystal Globe, while Lover, Not a Fighter, a co-production of Slovak Republic–Czech Republic directed by Martina Buchelová, was awarded the PROXIMA Grand Prix. It wrapped up after showcasing 179 films across 472 screenings. The lineup featured 119 fiction features, 21 documentaries, and 39 short films. Out of these, 43 had their world premiere, and 7 had their first screening in Europe.[2]
Opening and closing ceremony
The festival closed by midnight screenings of the following films:
Opening ceremony
The festival's opening ceremony was held on 3 July in the Grand Hall of the Thermal Hotel. It was streamed live on KVIFF.TV. The 70-minute ceremony opened with a band playing Happy Birthday and sparklers shooting into the auditorium, followed by Czech versions of pop and rock classics celebrating the festival’s 60th edition and its 80‑year history. In addition to Dustin Hoffman and Maggie Gyllenhaal the awards recipients, Jesse Eisenberg, Harvey Keitel, and Gyllenhaal’s husband Peter Sarsgaard attended the ceremony.[3]
Closing ceremony
The festival closing ceremony hosted by Marek Eben was attended by Klára Issová, Denisa Barešová, Alžběta Malá, Bolek Polívka, singer Bára Basiková, and director Helena Třeštíková. Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema was awarded to the French actress Juliette Binoche and President's Award to former Czechoslovak actress Magda Vášáryová, and American actor Jeffrey Wright.[4]
Juries
The jury for Crystal Globe Competition and Proxima Competition was announced on 2 June 2026.[5]
Crystal Globe Competition
- Justin Chang, American film critic and columnist currently working at The New Yorker
- Amanda Nell Eu, Malaysian film director and screenwriter
- Pavel Rejholec, Czech sound designer, producer, composer, and educator
- Nadia Turincev, producer Rouge International, Easy Riders Films, Sento Films
- Eskil Vogt, Norwegian film director and screenwriter
Proxima Competition Jury
- Estrella Araiza, the General Director of the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG) and Cineteca UDG
- Dirk Decker, German producer
- Jakub Felcman, Czech screenwriter, festival organizer, film critic, creative producer, and director
- Devika Girish, New York City-based film critic and curator
- Marija Kavtaradzė, Lithuanian film director and screenwriter
Official selection
On 23 June 2026, the full line up, opening and closing film along with the names of the awards recipients were revealed.[6]
The festival has following sections:
Crystal Globe
On 2 June, the festival revealed 12 films selected for its main Crystal Globe Competition, all world premiere titles from Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia.[7][8]
- Highlighted title and double-dagger (‡) indicates Crystal Globe winner.
- Highlighted title and double-dagger (‡) indicates Special Jury Prize winner.
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Weeks After | 3 nedelje posle | Miroslav Terzić | Serbia, Bulgaria, Italy, Croatia, Luxembourg |
| Behind the Rain | Valeria Sarmiento | Chile | |
| Black Money for White Nights | Черни пари за бели нощи | Petar Valchanov, and Kristina Grozeva | Bulgaria, Greece |
| Chica Checa | Šimon Holý | Czech Republic, France, Slovakia | |
| Five Years, Four Months | Esteban Hoyos García, Juan Miguel Gelacio Ramírez | Colombia, USA | |
| Fruit Gathering‡ | Thit-thee Khu | Aung Phyoe | Myanmar, Czech Republic, France |
| The Guest‡ | Gæsten | Mads Mengel | Denmark |
| A Happy Family | Jan-Eric Mack | Switzerland | |
| Hijamat | Nader Saeivar | Germany | |
| The Lion at My Back | Tonia Mishiali | Cyprus, Luxembourg, Greece | |
| Only Beautiful Things to Look At | Prameň | Ivan Ostrochovský | Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary |
| Pipes | Karim Kassem | Lebanon | |
Proxima Competition
- Highlighted title and double-dagger (‡) indicates Proxima Competition winner.
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33 Steps | 33 kroků | Anna Domček, Šimon Domček | Slovak Republic, Czech Republic |
| Against Nature | Contra la Naturaleza | Axel Bertha | Mexico |
| Lover, Not a Fighter | Milovník, nie bojovník | Martina Buchelová | Slovakia, Czech Republic |
| Truck Driver | Camionero | Francisco Marise | Spain, Argentina |
| A Whole Person Almost | Enas olokliros anthropos schedon | Efthimis Kosemund-Sanidis | Greece, Bulgaria, Germany, Cyprus, Romania |
| Homo Sive Natura | Giovanni C. Lorusso | Italy | |
| The Ink-Stained Hand and the Missing Thumb | Yashasvi Juyal | India | |
| My Friend the Porn Star | Mein Freund der Pornostar | Rosa Friedrich | Austria |
| Paris Paris | Isabelle Tollenaere | Belgium | |
| Rain Catcher | Michele Fiascaris | Italy, United Kingdom | |
| Incinerator | Shokyakuro | Shuntaro Uchida | Japan |
| Petty Thieves | Sitni lopovi | Mate Ugrin | Croatia, Germany, France |
Special Screenings
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bára – Diary of a Rockstar | Bára Basiková | Helena Třeštíková | Czech Republic |
| City of Fathers | Město otců | Zdeněk Tyc | Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Poland |
| The Cursed Warrior | Bojovník | Vojtěch Frič, Tomáš Dianiška | Czech Republic, Slovak Republic |
| Filter | David Semler | Czech Republic | |
| A Pint of Ink | Dvě deci tuše | Ester Geislerová | Czech Republic, Slovak Republic |
| If Pigeons Turned to Gold | Kdyby se holubi proměnili ve zlato | Pepa Lubojacki | Czech Republic, Slovak Republic |
| The Friend’s House Is Here | Khaneh doost injast | Maryam Ataei, Hossein Keshavarz | Iran, United States |
| Learning to Breathe Underwater | Rebekah Fortune | United Kingdom, Netherlands, Ireland | |
| Everything As It Should Be | Mistryně | Bohdan Karásek | Czech Republic |
| Morten | Ivan Pavljutskov | Estonia, Lithuania | |
| Robert Richardson: The White Devil | Jana Hojdová | Czech Republic, United States | |
| The Story of Documentary Film – 1980s | Mark Cousins | United Kingdom | |
| To Die to Live | Yuliia Hontaruk | Ukraine, Latvia, Slovak Republic | |
| Gregorius, the Chosen One | Vyvolený | Tomasz Mielnik | Czech Republic, Poland, Romania |
| A Report for Minerva 2 | Zpráva pro Minervu 2 | Miroslav Krobot, Lubomír Smékal | Czech Republic |
Horizons
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of a Sudden | Soudain / 急に具合が悪くなる | Ryusuke Hamaguchi | France, Japan, Germany, Belgium |
| Animol | Ashley Walters | United Kingdom | |
| A Man of His Time | Notre Salut | Emmanuel Marre | Belgium, France |
| The Beloved | El ser querido | Rodrigo Sorogoyen | Spain, France |
| Ben'Imana | Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo | Rwanda, Gabon, France, Norway, Ivory Coast | |
| Bitter Christmas | Amarga Navidad | Pedro Almodóvar | Spain |
| Cantona | David Tryhorn and Ben Nicholas | United Kingdom | |
| Coward | Lukas Dhont | Belgium, France, Netherlands | |
| Dao | Alain Gomis | France, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal | |
| The Dreamed Adventure | Das Geträumte Abenteuer | Valeska Grisebach | Germany, France, Austria, Bulgaria |
| Elephants in the Fog | तिनीहरू | Abinash Bikram Shah | Nepal, France, Germany, Brazil, Norway |
| Everybody Digs Bill Evans | Grant Gee | Ireland, United Kingdom | |
| Everytime | Sandra Wollner | Austria, Germany | |
| Fatherland | Vaterland | Paweł Pawlikowski | Poland, France, Italy, Germany |
| Filipiñana | Rafael Manuel | Singapore, United Kingdom, Philippines, France, Netherlands | |
| Fjord | Cristian Mungiu | Romania, Norway, Denmark, Finland, France, Sweden | |
| Flies | Moscas | Fernando Eimbcke | Mexico |
| Forest High | Forêt Ivre | Manon Coubia | Belgium, France |
| Forever Your Maternal Animal | Siempre soy tu animal materno | Valentina Maurel | Belgium, France, Mexico |
| Gentle Monster | Marie Kreutzer | Austria, France, Germany | |
| The History of Concrete | John Wilson | United States | |
| Hold onto Me | Κράτα Με | Myrsini Aristidou | Cyprus, Denmark, Greece |
| The Holy Boy | La Valle dei Sorrisi | Paolo Strippoli | Italy, Slovenia |
| How to Divorce During the War | Skyrybos karo metu | Andrius Blaževičius | Lithuania, Luxembourg, Ireland, Czech Republic |
| La Gradiva | Marine Atlan | France, Italy | |
| La Perra | Dominga Sotomayor | Chile, Brazil | |
| The Last First: Winter K2 | Amir Bar-Lev | United Kingdom, United States | |
| Light Pillar | 寒夜灯柱 | Zao Xu | China |
| The Man I Love | Ira Sachs | United States, France | |
| The Match (Opening film) | El partido | Juan Cabral and Santiago Franco | Argentina |
| The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (Closing film) | Noah Segan | United States | |
| Papaya | Priscilla Kellen | Brazil | |
| Paper Tiger | James Gray | United States, Brazil | |
| Queen at Sea | Lance Hammer | United Kingdom, United States | |
| Rehearsals for a Revolution | خاطرات ایران | Pegah Ahangarani | Iran, Czech Republic, Spain |
| Rose | Markus Schleinzer | Austria, Germany | |
| A Sad and Beautiful World | نجوم الأمل و الألم | Cyril Aris | Lebanon, United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar |
| Shame and Money | Visar Morina | Germany, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia, Belgium | |
| Silent Friend | Stille Freundin | Ildikó Enyedi | Germany, France, Hungary |
| The Souffleur | Gastón Solnicki | Austria, Argentina | |
| The Station | المحطّة | Sara Ishaq | Yemen, Jordan, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Qatar |
| Strange River | Estrany riu | Jaume Claret Muxart | Spain, Germany |
| Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest | 东山飘雨西山晴 | Viv Li | Germany, Netherlands |
| The Unknown | L'Inconnue | Arthur Harari | France, Italy |
| Viva Carmen | Carmen, l'Oiseau Rebel | Sebastien Laundenbach | France, Finland, Spain |
| A Woman's Life | La Vie d'une Femme | Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet | France, Belgium |
| Yellow Letters | Gelbe Briefe | İlker Çatak | Germany, France, Turkey |
| Yesterday the Eye Didn't Sleep | البارح العين ما نامت | Rakan Mayasi | Belgium, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia |
Imagina
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Seas | Erin Weisgerber | Canada | |
| Diorama of Venice | Venezia Diorama | Nicolas Piret | Belgium |
| Disappearance | Sohrab Hura | India, Nepal | |
| Two Pids | John Smith | United Kingdom | |
| Double Freedom | La libertad doble | Lisandro Alonso | Chile, Argentina, Luxembourg, Germany, United Kingdom |
| Stallion and a Crystal Ball | Stallion y la Bola de Cristal | Christian Avilés | Spain |
| El León | Diana Bustamante | Colombia | |
| Tycoon | Charlotte Zhang | Canada, USA | |
| My Wife Cries | Meine Frau weint | Angela Schanelec | Germany, France |
| Last night I stayed within myself and this morning I decided to live here | Vannacht logeerde ik in mijzelf en vanochtend besloot ik er te blijven wonen | Fé Baan | Netherlands |
| Exvotos | Alejandro Aguilar Escamilla | Mexico, Poland | |
| The Recce | Daniel Mann | United Kingdom, Germany | |
| Olivia | Sofía Petersen | Argentina, United Kingdom, Spain | |
| Because I Have To | Podoby milostného vztahu ke světu | Jakub Kučera | Czech Republic |
| Rojo Žalia Blau | Viktoria Schmid | Austria | |
| Levers | Rhayne Vermette | Canada | |
| Roses of Nevada | Mark Jenkin | United Kingdom | |
| With a Kind Regard | Pavel Mozhar | Germany | |
| Volklore | Viktorie Štěpánová | Czech Republic | |
Out of the Past – KVIFF 60/80
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birds, Orphans and Fools (1969) | Vtáčkovia, siroty a blázni | Juraj Jakubisko | Czechoslovakia |
| Blood on the Land (1966) | Το χώμα βάφτηκε κόκκινο | Vasilis Georgiadis | Greece |
| Captain Thunderbolt (1952) | Cecil Holmes | Australia | |
| A Matter of Life and Death (1946) | Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger | United Kingdom | |
Tributes
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basquiat (1996) | Julian Schnabel | United States | |
| The Bride! (2026) | Maggie Gyllenhaal | United States, France | |
| Certified Copy (2010) | Copie conforme | Abbas Kiarostami | France, Italy, Belgium |
| The Double (2013) | Richard Ayoade | United Kingdom | |
| The Graduate (1967) | Mike Nichols | United States | |
| Mean Streets (1973) | Martin Scorsese | United States | |
| The Order | Justin Kurzel | Canada, United States | |
| Three Colours: Blue (1993) | Krzysztof Kieślowski | France, Poland, Switzerland | |
Awards
Crystal Globe Competition
Following awards were announced at the closing ceremony of the festival:[9]
- Grand Prix – Crystal Globe: Fruit Gathering – Aung Phyoe
- Special Jury Prize: The Guest – Mads Mengel
- Best Director Award:
- Mads Mengel – The Guest
- Best Actress Award: Anna Schinz – A Happy Family
- Best Actor Award: Ghassan Saad – Pipes
Awards for films in the Proxima Competition
The following awards were presented:[10]
- PROXIMA Grand Prix: Lover, Not a Fighter – Martina Buchelová
- PROXIMA Special Jury Mention: Incinerator – Shuntaro Uchida
- Special Mention: 33 Steps – Anna Domček, Šimon Domček
- Proxima Best Director Award: Efthimis Kosemund-Sanidis for A Whole Person Almost
- Právo Audience Award: Bára – Diary of a Rockstar – Helena Třeštíková
Non-statutory awards
Non-statutory awards were announced in the evening of 11 July.[11]
- Prize of the Ecumenical Jury: The Lion at My Back – Tonia Mishiali
- Europa Cinemas Label Award: 3 Weeks After (3 nedelje posle) – Miroslav Terzić[12]
- FIPRESCI Award for Crystal Globe Competition: Only Beautiful Things to Look At (Prameň) – Ivan Ostrochovský
- FIPRESCI Award for PROXIMA Competition: Petty Thieves (Zlodějíčci) – Mate Ugrin
Other awards
The award was awarded to Dustin Hoffman, Juliette Binoche, and Robert Richardson.[13]
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- Juliette Binoche, French actress
- Robert Richardson, American cinematographer
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- Festival President's Award:
The Award was awarded to Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeffrey Wright, Jesse Eisenberg, and Magda Vášáryová.
- Maggie Gyllenhaal, American actress and filmmaker
- Jeffrey Wright, American actor
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- Jesse Eisenberg, American actor, playwright, and filmmaker
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- Magda Vášáryová, former Slovak actress and diplomat
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