Ewan McGregor, Alicia Vikander to Be Honored at Karlovy Vary Film Festival

Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, who says still enjoys spikes in sales of his 1993 novel whenever the film 1996 film adaption is aired on TV in the UK, has shared details of the musical he is bringing to stage – a show he says will be even darker than the novel or film. 

Will Tizard Contributor Alicia Vikander, the Swedish actor who won an Oscar for her role in “The Danish Girl” in 2015, has taken on a remarkable range of characters in recent years – but is still stretching her boundaries, she says. Speaking at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, where she presented the historical drama “Firebrand” on opening night, Vikander says she’s now prepping for films that offer distinctly different challenges than her turn as Catherine Parr, the only one of Henry VIII’s six wives to outlive the marriage. One character she admits she’s still deciphering is the central figure in the upcoming sci-fi feature “The Assessment,” a feature project with Paris-based writer/director Fleur Fortuné.

The raucous period drama “Firebrand” was the official opening-night film at the 57th annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on Friday night in the spa resort town outside Prague, but there was a lot more going on in and around the Grand Hall at the Hotel Thermal than just the on-screen battle between Alicia Vikander’s Catherine Parr and Jude Law’s King Henry VIII. It also included the presentation of awards to Vikander and Russell Crowe, the usual complement of opening-night speeches, an extended dance number that appeared to be performed on ice skates (though it wasn’t on ice but on an artificial surface that mimicked ice but could be walked on safely) and, during breaks and after the movie, complete concerts by the British band Morcheeba and by Crowe’s nine-piece band, Indoor Garden Party.

Alicia Vikander got the support of her husband Michael Fassbender while being honored at the 2023 Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

Will Tizard Contributor From indoor ice skating feats to Russell Crowe rocking the crowd, the 57th edition of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival has launched with all its unconventional charisma intact. Audiences who had to weather a downpour clearly showed no signs of dampened spirits as they cheered the fest’s opening gala dancers on ice skates, then rose to their feet to applaud guests Crowe and Alicia Vikander, both of whom accepted honors for their robust range of film work. Vikander, in accepting the award of fest president Jiri Bartoska, said she was moved to be celebrated in the Czech Republic, where her international career first took off with the 2012 shoot of “A Royal Affair.”

Self-seriousness is a common trait in the world of European cinema, but the opening night of the 57thKarlovy Vary International Film Festival was a wholly playful affair, starting with the most unexpected sight of a troupe of acrobatic ice-skating showgirls spinning and whirling through fake snow and dry ice. MC Marek Eben followed in a similarly feelgood vein, with a dryly witty monologue that touched on current affairs in the Czech Republic and the wider world without getting too heavily into the politics. A “surprise” appearance by festival stalwart Jiří Bartoška, whose attendance was initially in doubt, occasioned the first standing ovation of the night.

As tensions rise in Hollywood over an imminent update on SAG-AFTRA’s negotiations with the studios, thousands of miles east, the Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary is gearing up for its annual influx of industry insiders, curious film fans, and stars.

Will Tizard Contributor Spa town Karlovy Vary is known for more than healing waters to emerging filmmakers and producers from Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Those on track to reach global audiences are well acquainted with the festival’s industry section, headlined by the Eastern Promises collection of development and marketing workshops and mentorship programs. Aside from packed panels and talks by international veterans, such as the masterclass by indie mogul Christine Vachon of Killer Films, one of the industry program’s most buzzworthy events is the regionally focused Midpoint Institute Feature Launch. This year-round training platform took off more than a decade ago to support emerging talents by helping them to integrate their projects into the marketplace. It provides them with international collaboration and networking opportunities which, as Sona Morgenthalova, Feature Launch program coordinator for Midpoint, says, have proven highly effective.

Marta Balaga The Karlovy Vary Film Festival, which takes place in an elegant spa resort in the Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, is set to get political during its 57th edition, but in a subtle way. “I am not sure if you can even use the word ‘subtle’ when talking about politics, but it doesn’t always have to be in your face. You can be political by showing the existential struggles of an elderly lady who gets framed by some crooks,” says artistic director Karel Och, mentioning Stephan Komandarev’s “Blaga’s Lessons,” which will vie for the Crystal Globe. While the main competition features many stories about people trying to return home or simply find their place in the world, he adds, the festival will also celebrate Iran with a separate section “Another Birth. Iranian Cinema Here and Now.” “Before our consultant Lorenzo Esposito came up with this name, we thought about ‘Iranian Underground,’ but you can be political also by being poetic. We are not telling our audience how to react. We want them to be our partners,” notes Och. Observing that satire is also making a comeback.

Mia Wasikowska To Head Sarajevo JuryActress and director Mia Wasikowska (Bergman Island) will head the Competition jury at this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival. Wasikowska will be joined by actor Zlatko Burić, actress Danica Ćurčić, director and actor Juraj Lerotić, and Josh Siegel, curator of MoMA’s Department of Film. “I’m thrilled to serve as Jury president for the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival alongside such wonderful members of the international arts community,” Wasikowska said. “It seems a particularly poignant time to reflect on the origins of the festival, and to celebrate the importance of coming together to promote a diverse range of cultures, perspectives, and experiences through art.”

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Two-time Oscar-winning editor Pietro Scalia will be honored by the Locarno Film Festival with its Vision Award honoring technical achievements and advancements in film. Scalia, who was born in Sicily but grew up in Switzerland and studied film at UCLA, has won Oscars for “JFK” and “Black Hawk Down.” Over the past two decades he’s collaborated closely with top directors such as Ridley Scott, Oliver Stone, Bernardo Bertolucci, Gus Van Sant, Rob Marshall, Sam Raimi and Michael Mann. His recent work includes Mann’s upcoming “Ferrari.” Scalia will receive the Locarno award on Aug. 3 during a ceremony on the Swiss fest’s 8,000-seat Piazza Grande, followed on Aug. 4 by an onstage conversation and screenings of two standout titles from his career: “Good Will Hunting” (1997) and “Black Hawk Down” (2001).

Packed full of feel-good vibes, Christmas favourite The Holiday In Concert will be taking to the stage in November for a one-off festive experience at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall.

Sophia Scorziello editor Yara Shahidi, the “Black-ish” star who recently starred as Tinker Bell in Disney’s live-action film “Peter Pan & Wendy,” will be honored with the Shining Star award at the 2023 Maui Film Festival. The festival has revealed its full honoree and film slate for this year’s event, which is set to take place from June 28 to July 2 in Kahului. Shahidi is known for starring as Zoey in ABC’s beloved “Black-ish” and is now the executive producer of Freeform’s spinoff series, “Grown-ish.” She soon will star in Amazon’s upcoming rom-com “Sitting in Bars With Cake,” for which she will also serve as EP, along with the upcoming action thriller “Ballerina Overdrive.”

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang, the arthouse darling known for works including Venice Golden Lion winner “Vive L’Amour” and “The River,” which scored the Berlin Silver Bear, will be celebrated by the Locarno Film Festival with its Honorary Leopard achievement award.  The iconoclastic auteur, who is a key figure in Taiwan’s so-called Second New Wave, will receive the prize from the Swiss fest dedicated to indie cinema during an Aug. 6 ceremony held on its 8,000-seat outdoor Piazza Grande venue. The tribute to Tsai Ming-liang will also involve an onstage conversation with the director on the future of cinema and a screening of the helmer’s 2020 film “Days” (Rizi), as well as an art gallery exhibition of his experimental works.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor U.S. actor Robin Wright will be awarded the President’s Award at the 57th Karlovy Vary Film Festival’s closing ceremony. In honor of Wright, it will screen “The Princess Bride.” Wright is best known for her performance in Netflix series “House of Cards.” She earned three Golden Globe nominations and a win in 2014. She earned five Screen Actors Guild award nominations for the show, and received five consecutive Emmy nominations. In 2017, Wright played Lieutenant Joshi in “Blade Runner 2049,” and Amazon warrior General Antiope in “Justice League” and Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman.” The following year, she reprised her role as Antiope in “Wonder Woman 1984.” She will be seen this Fall starring opposite Millie Bobby Brown in the fantasy film “Damsel,” and co-starring with Tom Hanks in “HERE,” directed by Robert Zemeckis.

No, Alicia Vikander, run for your life! You have so much Michael Fassbender to live for!

EXCLUSIVE: Lauren Staerck (Trust) and Natasha Henstridge (Species) are underway in England on Cinderella’s Revenge, a film that Andy Edwards (Zombie Spring Breakers) is directing for Mark Amin’s Sobini Films, that will give the classic fairy tale a horror twist.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival’s Eastern Promises industry platform has unveiled 27 film projects that will be showcased during its Works in Progress, Works in Development – Feature Launch and First Cut+ Works in Progress presentations. The most promising projects, selected by international juries, will receive awards with a total value of 115,000 EUR.  The showcasing of projects to industry professionals will take place in Karlovy Vary, during this year’s KVIFF Industry Days on July 3 (Works in Progress and Works in Development – Feature Launch) and July 4 (First Cut+ Works in Progress). For Works in Progress, 11 fiction and documentary feature films in the late stage of production or post-production from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North Africa have been selected.

Ewan McGregor and Alicia Vikander will receive the President’s Award at the 57th annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic, KVIFF organizers announced on Tuesday.Both performers will attend the opening weekend of the festival, which begins on June 30 and runs through July 8 in the spa town west of Prague.Previously, the festival announced that Russell Crowe would receive the Crystal Globe Award and perform with his band on opening night, giving KVIFF an unusual three honorees on its opening weekend (with others to potentially be announced later).McGregor will be in Karlovy Vary for a screening of “You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder,” a drama from director Emma Westenberg in which he plays a former addict who drives his estranged daughter to rehab after she has an overdose. The actor co-stars with his real-life daughter, Clara McGregor, who also served as one of the producers on the film.Vikander will be there with “Firebrand,” a Karim Ainouz film which premiered in Cannes.

Ewan McGregor and Alicia Vikander will be the featured guests during the first weekend of this year’s Karlovy Vary Film Festival, where they will both receive the fest’s honorary President’s Award.