Karlovy Vary Film Festival premieres Slovak‑Czech drama ‘Pramen’ and screens ‘Špinavá ulice’

The 60th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival opened with the world premiere of the Slovak‑Czech‑Hungarian co‑production drama Pramen, directed by Ivan Ostrochovský. The film follows doctor Ingrid (Aňa Geislerová), who works in a provincial Czechoslovak hospital in the 1980s and becomes involved in the forced sterilisation of Romani women. Ostrochovský said the story “is not only about the communist regime; it also happened in the United States, Canada and other democracies, showing that what is legal is not always moral.”

The festival also featured a screening of the 1973 crime thriller Špinavá ulice, introduced by guest of honour American actor Harvey Keitel. Keitel presented the film, which was originally directed by Martin Scorsese and depicts a gangster’s struggle between faith and violence.

Other co‑productions, including the comedies Chica Checa and Padlé ovoce, were also shown in the main competition.