Czech Films Shine in Line-Up for 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Karlovy Vary, The Gulf Observer: With just a month to go before its grand opening, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) has unveiled the official line-up for its 59th edition—highlighting a strong presence of Czech cinema across its main and Proxima competitions.
Two Czech productions—Broken Voices (Sbormistr) and Better to Go Mad in the Wilderness—will compete in the festival’s main competition, marking a notable year for domestic filmmaking. A third title, On the Other Side of Summer, will feature in the festival’s Proxima section.
Directed by Ondřej Provazník, Broken Voices stars Slovak actor Juraj Loj as a troubled choirmaster in a story loosely inspired by the controversial case of Bohumil Kulínský, the former conductor of the famed Bambini di Praga choir. Kulínský was convicted in 2009 for the sexual abuse of underage girls. While the real-life case provides the backdrop, Provazník is careful to stress the film’s broader scope:
“That clearly inspires it to some degree, but it also draws from other cases of a similar nature,” he said in a past interview with Czech Radio. “I conducted many interviews—with women who had been through Bambini di Praga and with people who had experience with other choirs.”
The second Czech contender, Better to Go Mad in the Wilderness, is a gripping documentary by Miro Remo, based on the book by Aleš Palán and Jan Šibík. It chronicles the lives of reclusive individuals who have retreated into the rugged isolation of the Šumava mountains, exploring themes of solitude and personal freedom.
In the Proxima competition, Czechia is represented by Vojtěch Strakatý’s lyrical new film, On the Other Side of Summer. Following the international debut of his first feature, Afterparty, in Venice last year, Strakatý returns with a quiet yet powerful portrait of adolescence, set against the evocative backdrop of the Bohemian countryside.
This year’s festival will also pay tribute to beloved Czech actor and long-time KVIFF president Jiří Bartoška, whose recent passing has left a deep imprint on the national cultural scene.
“Despite the sadness we’ve all been feeling over the past weeks, it won’t be a sombre tribute,” said artistic director Karel Och. “Mr. Bartoška would have wanted a celebration, not an act of mourning.”
Among the most highly anticipated events is the Czech premiere of Zuzana Kirchnerová’s Caravan, fresh from its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. The poignant drama, centered on a mother and her disabled son’s journey to Italy, is the first Czech film in over three decades to be screened at Cannes.
Also featured is Summer School, 2001, a light-hearted coming-of-age tale from Czech-Vietnamese director Dužan Duong, which offers a humorous take on generational tension.
Rounding out the program is a special project titled “What Makes a Czech Film Czech?”, a cinematic collage of reflections from over thirty filmmakers, responding to questions posed at last year’s festival. Their insights will now be shared with audiences in a thought-provoking on-screen presentation.
The 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will take place from June 28 to July 6, 2025, continuing its legacy as one of Central Europe’s premier showcases for global and domestic cinema.
