The 55th Karlovy Vary IFF unveils its official selection and the opening film

The official selection of the 55th KVIFF, which takes place from 20 to 28 August, 2021, features 32 premieres. The films will make their bow in the fest’s two competitions and Special Screenings section. Karlovy Vary will also celebrate the work of The Film Foundation via an extensive tribute.

In 2019, the festival adjusted the structure of its official selection by axing the documentary competition. The 2021 edition will formally see the updated version of the fest come into reality after the cancellation of last year’s edition. Feature-length documentaries are now, for the first time, incorporated into the two existing competitions – the Crystal Globe Competition and East of the West Competition – both previously restricted to fiction features only.

Exclusive premieres and sneak previews of foreign and Czech films will continue to be presented in the Special Screenings section. The programming team has chosen eight diverse titles to spotlight. Heading the Special Screenings selection is the festival’s opening film, ZÁTOPEK, David Ondříček’s highly anticipated drama about four-time Olympic gold medalist, the runner Emil Zátopek, who is widely regarded as the most popular athlete in Czech Republic’s history. The film will premiere on August 20, 2021 in the Hotel Thermal Grand Hall on the opening night gala.

This year’s sole retrospective is a tribute to the celebrated work of The Film Foundation. Established in 1990 by Martin Scorsese, the non-profit organization is dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history, restoring to date over 900 classic works of cinema as well as less-known masterpieces from around the world. Ten carefully selected films produced between 1932 and 1991 and traversing the U.S., Côte d’Ivoire, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Taiwan, and Morocco comprise what is the central program of the 2021 edition.

KVIFF’s non-competitive programs, an assortment of some of the most notable films shown in 2020 and 2021 as chosen by the programming team, will be announced two weeks prior to 55th Karlovy Vary IFF’s starting date.

KVIFF Eastern Promises Industry Days unveils 29 selected film projects showcased in the platform’s various strands: Works in Progress, Works in Development - Feature Launch, and First Cut+ Works. The event will take place entirely online between July 28 and August 12. This year’s winners will receive awards of a total value of 115.000 EUR.

• More about the Crystal Globe Competition here.
• More about the East of the West Competition here.
• More about Special Screenings section here.
• More about The Film Foundation Tribute here.
• More about KVIFF Eastern Promises here.