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In its 46th year, the Karlovy Vary Film Festival will honor important contributions to Czech cinema. Festival director Jiří Bartoška announced on Wednesday that several well-known figures in Czech film will be honored with special screenings. The classic musical comedy Světáci will be shown in honor of actresses Jiřina Bohdalová, Jiřina Jírásková and Iva Janžurová, all of whom are celebrating round birthdays this year and will be in attendance. Another screening will celebrate the memory of director and screenwriter Ladislav Smoljak, who died last year. The musical comedy Trhák, based on a screenplay he co-wrote with Zděnek Svěrák, will be screened at the festival on June 7.

Eva Zaoralová is stepping down as artistic director of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Dr Zaoralová, who recently turned 78, is a renowned film critic and expert on Italian and French cinema, and played a large role in turning around the then flagging festival after her appointment in the mid 1990s. She is being replaced by Karel Och, who has up to now been Karlovy Vary’s programme director.

The Czech Republic’s premier film showcase, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, came to an end on Saturday night. In its 45th year, Central Europe‘s biggest film event drew some 127,000 viewers with its selection of over 200 films, about a quarter of which were premieres. So who took home the Crystal Globes this year?

Over the last twenty years, Ron Yerxa has produced a number of films hits. Together with his business partner Albert Berger, he has put out audience favorites such as the drama Cold Mountain or the massively successful road movie comedy Little Miss Sunshine, which won two Oscars. This year, Ron Yerxa was invited to preside over the Grand Jury at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Just after the halfway point of the Czech Republic’s biggest film event, I asked him about his taste in movies, the festival as such and what the experience

This year’s Karlovy Vary festival attracted fewer visitors and fewer films were screened than in 2009. The total number of visitors was just under 127,000, that is a drop of around 5,000 compared with a year ago. The number of films screened was 207. This compares with the 232 full length films and documentaries screened in 2009. Organisers said the drop in the number of new films screened had allowed them to repeat some favourites.

Spanish director Agusti Vila's film "The Mosquito Net" won the main prize at the 45th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on Saturday night. A jury led by US producer Ron Yerxa picked Vila's film featuring Geraldine Chaplin in a silent role as the Grand Prix-Crystal Globe winner out of the 12 movies in the competition. The film recounts the story of members of a rich family, plagued by guilt, who have problems communicating with each other.

“Kooky” by Oscar-winning Czech director Jan Svěrák earned the Special Jury Prize. A German, French, Swiss and Romanian co-production 'Aurora' by Romanian director Cristi Puiu won the East of the West section, Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov and Slovak director Juraj Herz were presented with Crystal Globes for their outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema.

The 45th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will culminate on the evening of July 10 with the award of the main prizes. The top Grand Prix with the award of the festival Crystal Globe will be made for the best feature film. Juries will also announce the best documentary films and the East of the West award for films made in Eastern Europe. The audience’s selection of best film will also be announced. The festival in the West Bohemian spa town ran from July 2.

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival kicked off in the west Bohemian spa town for the 45th time on July 1st. And while the event itself is reaching middle age it is still displaying its power to pull in a remarkably young audience as the turnout in the crowded Hotel Thermal, the heart of the festival where most of the films are shown, testifies. Sarah Borufka was among the guests and reports on the festival’s special role.

The Czech Republic’s biggest film festival, is now in full swing. Reporter Sarah Borufka talked to Daniela Lazarová about which actors and films have so far made an impact at the 45th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The first question was: “What was the biggest highlight so far?”

One of the sections of the official competition at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is East of the West – a showcase for films from Eastern and Central Europe. This year, it features ten different films from countries like Armenia, Slovenia and Azerbaijan. Sarah Borufka talked to Lenka Tyrpáková, who works for the festival’s program department, about what East of the West is all about and what we can expect from it this year.