The jubilee 50th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival was officially declared open. The host of the evening gala ceremony Marek Eben briefly summed up the history of the festival and introduced all the juries of the festival.
After that, the president of KVIFF Jiří Bartoška took the floor and said: “22 years ago, we were handed over the relay baton, we started running and we don't know how long we will stick with it, but we still enjoy it and it gives us energy.” He also thanked partners, sponsors, the audience, all juries and film delegations. After that he awarded the Crystal Globe to the American actor Richard Gere for an outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema.
In his speech, Richard Gere said: “It is an incredible honor and I mean it, I am always nervous at these events. I started acting when I was 19 and I couldn't imagine where I will be with 65. And here I am at this incredible festival, with all these amazing people and I think we can enjoy how amazing we all are right now. We are sharing a story right now, we are part of an interconnected universe. And we can make any story we want. So let's make a story that is peaceful, generous, loving, joyous, sexy, fun.” He also mentioned Václav Havel and Dalai Lama.
The 50th edition of KVIFF opened with the American drama Time Out of Mind where Richard Gere plays a homeless man. He introduced the film together with his colleagues co-authors including director Oren Moverman and actress Jena Malone.
