The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival may be half a year away, but a special two-day event will bring three of the biggest hits from this year’s festival circuit to the Czech spa town later this month. Karlovy Vary will host the fourth edition of Variations on Nov. 22-23, a unique cultural event blending classical music with celebrated films from the international festival circuit.
This year’s event, curated by the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival team, will showcase three distinguished films by directors Pedro Almodóvar, Jesse Eisenberg, and Andrea Arnold. Each film was highly lauded at major festivals in 2023.
The screenings will take place in the historic and newly-renovated Imperial Baths, providing a fittingly grand atmosphere for the films. Variations will open on Saturday morning with Bird, a poignant coming-of-age drama from British director Arnold.
Set in North Kent, the film captures the rough yet poetic essence of street life, underscored by a distinctive soundtrack featuring an evocative use of Coldplay’s Yellow. Bird stars Franz Rogowski (Passages) and Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin) in lead roles, with both both performances drawing widespread acclaim and awards-season buzz.
Later on Saturday, the program continues with The Room Next Door, debut English-language feature from Spanish auteur Almodóvar. Starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, the poignant drama explores the complexities of rekindled friendship between a writer and a war correspondent facing a terminal illness.
The Room Next Door won the top prize Golden Lion at the recent Venice Film Festival. If you can’t make it to the screening in Karlovy Vary during Variations, the film will also open wide across Czech cinemas from Nov. 21 courtesy distributor Vertical Entertainment.
The final film on Saturday evening is A Real Pain, a comedic road movie by American actor-director Jesse Eisenberg. An audience favorite at Sundance, the film features Eisenberg himself alongside Kieran Culkin as two cousins visiting their grandmother’s Polish homeland, only to encounter revelations about family history and identity.
Classical music masterpieces by the Czech Philharmonic
Complementing the film program, Variations will feature a stellar musical lineup led by the Czech Philharmonic, showcasing a repertoire exclusively crafted for the orchestra’s upcoming performance at Carnegie Hall. Under the baton of chief conductor Semyon Bychkov, the orchestra will perform compositions by Czech masters such as Leoš Janáček, Bedřich Smetana, and Antonín Dvořák.
The main musical highlight, a gala concert at the Hotel Thermal on Saturday, has already sold out, but tickets are still available for the Friday night concert at the same venue, promising an equally remarkable performance.
In addition to these ticketed events, Variations offers free concerts for the public. Held at the former Municipal Savings Bank and the Thermal Spring Colonnade, these concerts will feature works by Mozart, Mysliveček, and Dvořák, providing accessible options for music lovers to enjoy selections from the classical canon in Karlovy Vary’s atmospheric settings.
For the full program and additional details, check out the official Variations website.
