Wednesday, June 27, 2012

2012 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival - Preview


The 47th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Central and Eastern Europe's largest and longest running film festival, begins this Friday June 29th and runs until July 7th.

Located in a small spa city in the scenic Western Bohemia region of the Czech Republic, the KVIFF has due to its highly-regarded programming, quality facilities, and unique atmosphere, become one of the most prestigious festivals in the world, where every year dozens of filmmakers arrive to present their new films and compete for the Grand Prize known as the Crystal Globe.

The Official Selection - Competition section of the KVIFF, is open to feature-length world, international, or European premieres. This year there are twelve titles in the competition, with eight world premieres and four international premieres.

Read on for a preview of the films that will be screened in the official competition program at the 2012 KVIFF:

Opening Film - Out of Competition
Good Vibrations
directed by Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn
UK UK
The festival's opening film is the second feature from Irish directorial team Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn. A biopic, set in 1970's Belfast that follows the story of record store and recording label owner Terri Hooley, known as the Godfather of the Belfast punk scene.

Official Selection Competition
The Almost Man (Mer eller mindre mann)
directed by Martin Lund
Norway Norway
The first feature film from Norwegian writer director Martin Lund, is a dramatic comedy starring Henrik Rafaelsen (Happy, Happy), as a 30-something who still acts like an adolescent, despite the approaching birth of his first child.
Official Selection - Competition
Boy Eating the Bird's Food (To agori troi to fagito tou pouliou)
directed by Ektoras Lygizos
Greece Greece
The intriguing debut from Greek writer director Ektoras Lygizos is an allegorical exploration of the current crisis in Greece. It follows three days in the life of an Athens boy without a job, girlfriend, or anything to eat. All he has left is his pet canary.
Official Selection - Competition
Camion
directed by Rafaël Ouellet
Canada Canada
The fourth feature from Canadian director Rafaël Ouellet, who began his career shooting music concerts. The film follows an experienced truck driver played by veteran Quebec actor Julien Poulin, who gets involved in a traffic accident that leaves one woman dead. Despite it not being his fault, he falls into a deep depression which prompts his oldest son to try and lift him out of his misery.
Official Selection - Competition
Hay Road (Estrada de Palha)
directed by Rodriga Areias
Portugal Portugal, Finland Finland
The second feature from Portuguese writer director Rodrigo Areias, is a joint Finnish-Portuguese production set in 1908 and follows a man who returns after ten years of living in isolation, in order to avenge his brother's death.
Official Selection - Competition
Kamihate Store (Kamihate shoten)
directed by Tatsuya Yamamoto
Japan Japan
The feature debut from Japanese writer director Tatsuya Yamamoto, is a drama about a woman who runs a baked goods store in a village by the sea that has become a destination for those seeking to end their lives over the nearby cliffs.
Official Selection - Competition
Lapidation of Saint Etienne (La lapidation de Saint Etienne)
directed by Pere Vilá i Barceló
Spain Spain, France France
The second feature from Spanish director Pere Vilá i Barceló, is a Spanish-French film that follows Étienne (Colombian born actor Lou Castel), a sick old man who lives alone in a cramped apartment which he refuses to leave because he is convinced that the spirits of his wife and daughter still live there.
Official Selection - Competition
The Last Step (Peleh akhar)
directed by Ali Mosaffa
Iran Iran
The second feature from Iranian actor director Ali Mosaffa. It stars his wife, renowned actress Leila Hatami (A Separation) in a delicately ironic story about a complicated yet loving marital relationship.
Official Selection - Competition
Nos Vemos Papa (Nos Vemos, Papá)
directed by Lucía Carreras
Mexico Mexico
The feature debut from Mexican writer director Lucía Carreras. Tells the story of a woman who loses her father, the one thing in life that mattered to her, and causes her to withdraw into her own inner world.
Official Selection - Competition
Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy (Romanzo di una strage)
directed by Marco Tullio Giordana
Italy Italy
Italian director Marco Tullio Giordana's latest was nominated this year for 16 David di Donatello awards winning 3 of them. The film is based on a novel by Paolo Cucchiarelli, and chronicles the 1969 bombing of a major national bank in Milan, and the strange and mysterious circumstances that followed its investigation.
Official Selection - Competition
Polski Film
directed by Marek Najbrt
Czech Republic Czech Republic, Poland Poland
The latest from Czech director Marek Najbrt, tells the story of four old friends, all well-known Czech actors playing themselves, who decide to make a movie together. A film which explores friendship, the absurdities of acting, as well as the boundaries of reality and fiction.
Official Selection - Competition
To Kill a Beaver (Zabic bobra)
directed by Jan Jakub Kolski
Poland Poland
Master Polish director Jan Jakub Kolski, the originator of the trend known as magical realism, offers a dramatic tale that explores the fine line of humanity, with a tale of a man in his 40's who arrives at an abandoned farm where he confronts old memories, enters an unexpected relationship, and prepares for an unexplained act of revenge.
Official Selection - Competition
Your Beauty is Worth Nothing... (Deine Schönheit ist nichts wert...)
directed by Hüseyin Tabak
Austria Austria
The debut feature from German born writer director Hüseyin Tabak, is centered on a 12-year-old Turkish immigrant who lives in Vienna with his family, and falls in love for the first time with a classmate..
Closing Film - Out of Competition
To Rome With Love
directed by Woody Allen
USA USA, Italy Italy, Spain Spain
Woody Allen's latest European love letter closes the festival. It features a kaleidoscope of human lives presented with his signature mix of comedy and romance. Starring Ellen Page, Jesse Eisenberg, Penélope Cruz, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, and the director himself.

What do you think of the lineup? Which of these titles will take home the Crystal Globe? and how about that ultra minimalistic poster?

15 comments:

Michaël Parent said...

Great selection of films! Good Vibrations will be on my list for sure as the new Allen. Great coverage as usual BT!

Mettel Ray said...

Oh, how I want to go to a movie festival again.. I went to the PÖFF (Black Night's Movie Festival in Tallinn, Estonia) last year basically as a journalist and I loved it! All the movies I wanted to see, I watched and even more.

Sadly, getting to this one is probably not possible.. I love the festival's poster as well!

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah those two are likely the only ones that will get released over here, but some of the others might end up in the running for Best Foreign FIlm.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I love festivals, I'm no journalist, but hopefully I'll get to do that one day.

Did you have the opportunity to attend the European Film Awards when it was held in Estonia a couple years back?

Lisa Thatcher said...

Oh wow - this is a fantastic collection of films. I want to go to this festival!
I love the poster - very very chic. I'll see the Allen for Judy Davis alone - they work brilliantly together. Polski Film looks amazing as well. So many brilliant films. God bless the net - we'll probably be able to see them some sneaky way.

d_4 said...

I like how.. I guess exclusive, it is. It seems easy to follow. A few of the titles seem pretty interesting to me, but I really wouldn't have a clue who has a better chance than another.

I also seriously dig the poster. It grabs the attention nicely. It's imperfect.

d_4 said...

Woah. I think I'm mod. Uh, just.. showed a comment. Sorry? Uh!

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah this one is now on my shortlist of festivals to visit. Would be a dream to watch a Czech New Wave film there. They are showing The Firemens Ball this year.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

What happened?

Lisa Thatcher said...

Do you get to many festivals? I've only ever been to Sydney which is easy because I live here. I'd LOVE to go to this one. My god - dream fortnight!

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Nope. Same as you, just the local ones: Vancouver, Whistler, and Seattle once a few years back.

d_4 said...

When I signed on I appeared with the green MOD detail next to my name. I saw a yellow banner and clicked it, accidentally approving something.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Ah, no worries. Probably just a bug in the system, that mod label is new, and I think they are still ironing out stuff with this new interface. Besides, I actually disabled moderation a few days ago, so there was nothing to accidentally approve/deny.

Mettel Ray said...

Sadly no! The opportunity to go there as a "journalist" came almost accidentally. Usually the festivals and the award things are pretty pricey for my wallet. I would love to go to Cannes though.. I'm not sure how tough.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yep Cannes would be the ultimate experience. One day :)

Post a Comment