Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2022: A Shift in Perspective

Abstract

Many festivals and their programming choices in 2022 were overshadowed by the war against Ukraine – in several cases leading to a radical change in outlook when it comes to accepting or boycotting productions funded by the Russian state, which went hand in hand with a heightened interest in films from Ukraine. Policies have been changing, as well as strategies for submitting films to Festivals. The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) was also affected by this circumstance, as it coincided with the decision to remove the ‘East of the West’ perspective of its internationally most followed ‘second’ competition. Truth be told, this proposition had already been made at the end of 2021. As it transpired, this was happening at a moment when the festival’s historical expertise as well as the traditionally strong Czech pragmatism and political grasp of the rapidly changing situation in the East of the West would have been badly needed. Despite the programmers’ in-depth knowledge and experience, namely Lenka Tyrpáková and the festival’s CEE networks dating back to the 1940s, and regardless of the interest of international professionals and cinephiles, the distinctive presentation of moving images from Eastern Europe and the Post-Soviet countries, which was both analytical and historically informed, had to leave centre stage. This decision was perceived by many professional visitors as casting away one’s old identity before defining a new one, and it appeared to have some effect on the reformed 56th edition and its coverage by English-speaking media which seemed less thorough in 2022. Could it be that KVIFF, which is the biggest cultural event in the Czech Republic, during the pandemic has become more inward-looking? Partially this was reflected in the prizes. Even though the Crystal Globe for Best Film in 2022 went to Sadaf Foroughi’s CanadianIranian drama, Summer with Hope, ‘the latest crop of Czech films by the young generation stole the limelight’, as Martin Kudláč (2022) remarked. Adéla Komrzý – the discovery of last year’s festival edition – in 2022, together with Tomáš Bojar won with the observational documentary Art Talent Show the Proxima award for Best Film. Aware of its value as a strong Czech brand (both locally and internationally), KVIFF appeared well recovered from the Covid-19 pause and the delayed date in 2021, returning to its slate at the beginning of July. KVIFF in 2022 presented itself confidently, with plans of the newly formed KVIFF Group with several arms, grouped around the body of the festival. They are called KVIFF Events (such as ‘Variace’, with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Shorts, the COVID-19 created ‘Tady Vary’, a traveling programme in regional cinemas), KVIFF Distribution, and KVIFF TV. The ambitious media group in 2021 has purchased a majority stake in Ivo Andrle’s Czech art-house distribution company Aerofilms which runs its own internet VOD platform, Aerovod, merging the Aerofilms catalogue with the KVIFF.TV online platform. In addition,