12/06/2007

Fourteen films from every corner of the world will vie for this year’s Crystal Globe at the 42nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic (June 29-July 7), the event’s organizers announced Monday.

Czech cinema is represented by Jan Sverák’s box office hit Empties [+see also:
trailer
film profile] while some of the festival’s previous winners return to official competition, including Turkish-born Ferzan Ospetek (Facing Window [+see also:
trailer
interview: Ferzan Ozpetek
film profile], 2003) with Saturno Contro and Poland’s Krzysztof Krauze (My Nikifor [+see also:
film review
film profile], 2005) with Savior's Square [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

The selection also includes Icelandic cinema’s biggest ever box office success, Jar City [+see also:
trailer
film profile], by Baltasar Kormákur. Almost all 14 films in competition will have their international or world premiere in Karlovy Vary, along with a quarter of the 220 total films on offer this year.

According to industry experts this is the event’s most representative selection of the last ten years and one that includes no clear favorites. The festival’s competition director Eva Zaoralova told journalists that “there was universal agreement” over the competition selection by all parties involved.

Peter Bart, editor-in-chief of Variety, heads this year’s main jury. One of the festival’s principle venues, the Cas theatre, was renovated for the first time ever for this year’s event. The festival’s president, actor Jiri Bartoska, admitted that the improvement was “long overdue” and will only raise the profile of the festival.

The films of the official competition:

The Art of Negative Thinking [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Bård Breien, Norway

Conversations with My Gardener [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Jean Becker, France

Dolina by Zoltán Kamondi, Hungary/Romania

Empties by Jan Sverák, Czech Republic/UK/Denmark

The Good Night by Jake Paltrow, USA/UK

Jar City by Baltasar Kormákur, Iceland/Germany

Karger by Elke Hauck, Germany

Lucky Miles, by Michael James Rowland, Australia

Pruning the Grapevine (Podo-namulul be-a-ra) by Min Boung-hun, South Korea

Pudor [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Tristán Ulloa and David Ulloa, Spain

Saturno Contro by Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy/France/Turkey

Savior's Square by Krzysztof Krauze and Joanna Kos-Krauze, Poland,

Simple Things (Prostyje vesci) by Alexei Popogrebsky, Russia

When She Jumped (Cuando ella saltó) by Sabrina Farji, Argentina