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The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival opened at the weekend with a star-studded audience at Friday’s gala event. Among those present were the French director Patrice Chéreau and his compatriot, actress Isabelle Huppert, who received the festival’s first award. Particularly poignant though was the presence of Czech born director Miloš Forman, as it marked the return of a famous son to his native home and native language. Christian Falvey reports on the opening days of the 44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

French actress Isabelle Huppert received a standing ovation at the 44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival where she was presented with the Crystal Globe award for her contribution to world cinematography on Sunday night. The award ceremony took place shortly before the screening of her 2009 movie Villa Amalia, attended among others by the French ambassador to Prague Charles Fries. The film festival, now in its third day, has attracted close to 8,000 film fans and over a hundred filmmakers. Among the VIP guests this year are US actor John Malkovich and Spanish actor Antonio Banderas who are expected to arrive mid-week.

Oscar-winning director Miloš Forman was welcomed back to his native Czech Republic as a star on Friday at the opening ceremony of the 44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The filmmaker was applauded as he arrived at the festival’s opening ceremony, which was also attended by Czech President Václav Klaus and Prime Minister Jan Fischer. During the festival, the director will present his new film ‘A Walk Worthwhile’ ahead of its general release on July 9. The 44th annual film festival in the west Bohemian town will also see Crystal Globes handed out to French actress Isabelle Huppert and US actor John Malkovich. The President’s Prize at this year’s festival is to be handed to Spanish actor Antonio Banderas.

Every July, the Czech Republic sees the return of the famous Karlovy Vary International Film Festival - eight days of world-class cinematography and seven nights of world-class parties. Our reporter Christian Falvey begins a week of stories on both.

In a week and a half’s time the red carpet will be rolled out at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. There are no Czech pictures in the main competition this year, though visitors can look forward to a whopping 65 world, international and European premieres. But many will be just as interested in who they can see on that red carpet. So, who are the big stars this year? That’s a question I put to Karel Och of Karlovy Vary’s programming department.

One of the highlights of the Czech cultural calendar, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, gets underway in the west Bohemian spa town on July 3. While the list of special guests this year has not been completed, some names were revealed – along with the programme highlights – at a news conference in Prague on Tuesday morning. I spoke there to KVIFF’s programme director Julietta Sichel.

The trailer for the 2007 Karlovy Vary Film Festival is a highly kinetic and graphic introduction told through various typefaces. It was also the first – and so far the last – break with the festival’s traditional practice of using directed pieces with actors. The ad is exemplified by several things at once: immaculate decorum, for one – it is about film and nothing but film. Hyper-minimalism for another: the entire video uses exactly five words: “Karlovy”, “Vary”, “International”, “Film”, “Festival”. And last, symbolism and sound effects that convey

The 43rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival closed on Saturday in traditional fashion with the handing out of Crystal Globe awards. It was a Danish film, ‘Terribly Happy’, which scooped the out-and-out top prize, though the Czechs were represented in other categories – with the Crystal Globes for best actor and best actress this year remaining firmly on Czech soil.

My guest for this edition of One on One is Ivan Passer, who this week received a Crystal Globe in Karlovy Vary for his lifelong contribution to world cinema. The president of this year’s festival jury fled communist Czechoslovakia in 1968, after directing what has been voted one of the best Czech films ever made – ‘Intimate Lighting’ is a black-and-white new wave classic telling the story of two friends reunited. In more recent years, Passer has worked in Hollywood, producing movies such as ‘Cutter’s Way’ and ‘Stalin’ to much critical acclaim.

The 43rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival closed on Saturday with a gala award-giving ceremony. The festival’s main prize went to the Danish film Terribly Happy directed by Henrik Ruben Genz, that tells the story of a young police officer from Copenhagen who is banished to a small town for professional misconduct. The Best Director award went to Russian Alexei Uchitel for his film Captive while the Special Jury Award went to The Photograph by Indonesian director Nan Triveni Achnas. The Best Actress and Best Actor awards went to Czech actress Martha Issová and actor Jiří Mádl for their roles in the Czech film Night Owls. Czech-born film director Ivan Passer, 75, who chaired the grand jury, was presented with the Crystal Globe Award for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema.