Published: October 07, 2020| 12:22 PM

The special Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 54½ will take place 18–21 November 2020 in Karlovy Vary.

The Karlovy Vary festival is traditionally one of the most important cultural events in the Czech Republic. Every year, it provides a special venue for film professionals, audiences, and representatives from the field of culture to come together. We are convinced that at this time when people in the Czech Republic and around the world must come to terms with different living conditions, we must maintain the continuity of important events that reinforce our awareness of cultural values at home and within the international context.

In view of this year’s coronavirus epidemic, we were unable to hold the regular 55th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (3–11 July 2020). In response, we decided to hold Karlovy Vary IFF 54½ from November 18 – 21, 2020. With this non-competition survey of films, we offer our guests and audiences in Czech premiere an exclusive selection of the most distinctive films to have aroused positive responses at their premieres at Sundance, Berlin, or Venice, or that bear the Cannes Label. 

While respecting all applicable hygienic measures, we aim to provide our guests and audiences a unique chance to experience the festival’s atmosphere during the untraditional autumn season, at a smaller scale but with high-quality programming and the unique opportunity to stay in places that, during regular festivals, are normally closed to the public.

It is our ambition to find a way of, even under today’s circumstances, to hold a large-scale cultural event effectively and above all safely. We believe that, if we observe the rules and ensure sophisticated prevention and protection, there is no need to resign on cultural life even today.

The program of the Karlovy Vary IFF 54½ will feature roughly 30 films, each of which will be shown two or three times. The program will be organized in such a way that audiences can see each film either in the first or in the second half of the four-day festival.

Screenings will be held at the Grand and Small Halls of the Thermal Hotel, at the Karlovy Vary Theatre, and the Čas Cinema.

A complete program of the festival will be available on the official festival website, www.kviff.com, starting 19 October 2020.