This July, the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival transformed the Czech spa town into a thriving nexus of independent and auteur cinema. For nine days, theaters, cafés, and the iconic Thermal Hotel became vibrant convocation points for filmmakers and cinephiles alike, bringing together 175 films—including 36 world premieres and a daring fusion of formats.

The festival opened with a heartfelt tribute to its late long-standing president, Jiří Bartoška, featuring the documentary We’ve Got to Frame It! and a striking outdoor photo exhibit chronicling his legacy. As always, the program was daringly diverse, from restored classics like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest introduced by Michael Douglas to genre delights tucked into the Afterhours section.

But the heart of KVIFF 2025 lay in the competition and discovery segments. Emerging as a standout, the Czech-Slovak documentary Better Go Mad in the Wild by Miro Remo won the prestigious Crystal Globe, a poetic study of twin brothers living off-grid that the jury praised as “a gulp of fresh, woody air” . In the Proxima section, spotlighting boundary-pushing debut features, Bangladesh’s Sand City took the Grand Prix, while Colombia’s Forensics received the Special Jury Prize.

Other notable awards included:

• Best Director (ex-aequo): Vytautas Katkus (The Visitor) and Nathan Ambrosioni (Out of Love)
• Best Actress: Pia Tjelta, Don’t Call Me Mama
• Best Actor: Àlex Brendemühl, When a River Becomes the Sea
• Special Jury Mention: Kateřina Falbrová, Broken Voices
• Audience Award: We’ve Got to Frame It!

KVIFF 2025 also put Central European industry vitality in the spotlight. The Central Stage initiative elevated mid-career filmmakers with curated development support and a €20,000 Eurimages award for co-productions. Additionally, the festival expanded its small-screen offerings, adding a Series Incubator to bridge traditional cinema with television storytelling.

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2025 Festival Highlights at a Glance

• Crystal Globe (Grand Prix): Better Go Mad in the Wild (Czech-Slovak doc)
• Proxima Grand Prix: Sand City (Bangladesh)
• Special Jury Prize (Proxima): Forensics (Colombia)
• Best Director (ex-aequo): The Visitor (Vytautas Katkus), Out of Love (Nathan Ambrosioni)
• Best Actress: Pia Tjelta – Don’t Call Me Mama (Norway)
• Best Actor: Àlex Brendemühl – When a River Becomes the Sea (Spain)
• Special Jury Mention: Kateřina Falbrová – Broken Voices (Czech-Slovakian)
• Audience Award: We’ve Got to Frame It! (Documentary tribute)

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Karlovy Vary 2025 reaffirmed its role as a programmer’s festival, where major premieres mingle with regional breakthroughs and experimental storytelling meets established auteurs. It wasn’t just about awards—it was about retaining the magnetism of cinema in a small European town, and the way film can still surprise us beyond the biggest screens.

Check the official website for further information.