Twelve films are competing for the coveted prize, the winner of which will be announced at the closing ceremony on Saturday.
ADVERTISEMENTThe 58th International Film Festival is underway in the usually tranquil spa town of Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic.
Two of the festival’s top guests, Viggo Mortensen and Geoffrey Rush, arrived on Thursday evening. They were welcomed by the festival’s president Jiří Bartoška in front of the Pupp Hotel.
Mortenson, known for his role as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings series, was warmly welcomed by fans on the red carpet at the festival’s opening ceremony before winning the Festival President’s Award.
In his acceptance speech, he said the festival ‘holds a special place’ in his heart and described Karlovy Vary as a ‘very important celebration of cinema’.
A nod to Ukraine
The Karlovy Vary festival also prides itself on its recognition of current political events.
This year there was a special screening of the Ukrainian war documentary ‘Real’ in which filmmaker Oleh Sentsov captured footage from his time in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Sentsov said he filmed much of the footage accidentally, after switching on his helmet camera while he was in the trenches.
« I have a tremendous number of memories and experiences and once we win and if I stay alive, I would love to make a feature film about it, » Sentsov told Euronews.
The Ukrainian director was praised by the Czech President, Petr Pavel, who is also a retired army general and former Chairman of the NATO Military Committee.
« This footage is incredibly current and, because of its raw authenticity, it powerfully conveys to viewers the intense experiences and emotions that the soldiers are enduring, » said President Pavel.
Some of the soldiers shown in the documentary have since been killed in the war between Russia and Ukraine. The screening’s audience paid a special tribute to their memory.
