The 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) will pay tribute to its late president Jiří Bartoška with the opening film We’ve Got to Frame It! (A Conversation With Jiří Bartoška in July 2021), directed by and Jakub Jurásek, screenings of Radek Bajgar’s film Tiger Theory, which stars the legendary Czech actor and festival president, and the exhibition “Jiří Bartoška – KVIFF President.”
Organizers also unveiled on Wednesday that Grammy-winning British synthpop band La Roux will perform the opening concert.
Bartoška, a major star of pre-Velvet Revolution Czech theater, TV and film who helped save the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival before serving as its president and public face for decades, died in early May at the age of 78.
We’ve Got to Frame It! is an “affable, informal exchange with producer Milan Kuchynka, in which [Bartoška] touches upon myriad themes, from his grammar school days and the Velvet Revolution, to his encounters with stars ,” according to the festival.
As another part of the Bartoška tribute, the fest will show Tiger Theory. “This tragicomedy examining human relationships and gender roles provided a great opportunity for actor Jiří Bartoška,” the fest highlighted.
About the exhibition, organizers said that 30 large-scale panels will be placed in the outdoor area between two iconic festival venues – the Thermal and Pupp hotels, allowing visitors of the picturesque Czech spa town to explore 60 black-and-white photographs “capturing, through the eyes of festival photographers, the most important festival moments as well as unique portraits of the remarkable personality who led the Karlovy Vary Festival for three decades.”
La Roux
Courtesy of KVIFF
Meanwhile, La Roux will perform the free opening concert in front of the Hotel Thermal on July 4. As is tradition, a fireworks display will follow the concert.
La Roux’s self-titled debut album in 2009 was a critical and commercial success and won numerous awards. It produced such hits as “In for the Kill,” Bulletproof,” and “I’m Not Your Toy.”
KVIFF 2025 runs July 4-12.