FilmFestival Cottbus Program Director Bernd Buder reports from the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF):
“Harvey Keitel at the beginning, Juliette Binoche at the end – once again, the renowned A-list festival in Karlovy Vary was no stranger to international stars. In between, there was plenty of room for exciting new international cinema, classics, and current festival highlights. Keitel opened the 60th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, while Binoche received the Crystal Globe Award.
For me, the festival has lost some of its relevance as a place to discover new films from Central and Eastern Europe since the former East of the West competition was replaced by the Proxima section. Even so, it remains one of the industry's key meeting points. That is why FilmFestival Cottbus, together with connecting cottbus and Studio Beep, is once again delighted to host its traditional brunch reception as part of the festival's Industry Days.
Meanwhile, the cinemas offered a fascinating showcase of contemporary Czech and Slovak filmmaking – from the sharply observed coming-of-age slacker film Lover, Not a Fighter and the crowd-pleasing MMA drama The Fighter to the sensitive documentary Igor and After. The latter traces the life of the outstanding cinematographer Igor Luther (The Tin Drum, numerous films by Juraj Jakubisko and several by Andrzej Wajda), weaving together the turbulent history of the Cold War, remarkable creative achievements, and the uncertainty of a lifelong workaholic.
It was a highly engaging programme, and, as always, the festival also provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen valuable industry connections while searching for outstanding films for the upcoming edition of FilmFestival Cottbus.”