Karlovy Vary Film Festival Marks 60th Edition and 80th Anniversary with Expanded Programme

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival celebrates its 60th edition and the 80th anniversary of the event. Founded in 1946, the festival has endured interruptions during the 1950s, a forced two‑year pause for a Soviet‑run counterpart, and periods of political restriction before stabilising in the 1990s.

This year the festival introduces a minimalist red‑carpet design by Aleš Najbrt and Jonatan Kunya, inviting all attendees onto the carpet. A new exhibition of thirty large‑format panels along the promenade traces the festival’s eight‑decade history, while a special pre‑premiere will be held at the municipal theatre in nearby Mariánské Lázně. The opening concert, Vary Special Show, features Czech artists such as Dan Bárta and Lenka Dusilová, with visual production by Matyáš Vorda.

The programme also includes a photographic exhibition at the Thermal Hotel honoring former president Václav Havel’s support for the festival, underscoring its continued cultural significance in the Czech Republic.