Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush is set to return to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival as a member of the festival jury for its 58th edition. Rush, who was honored with the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema at the festival in 2022, will now help judge the prestigious Crystal Globe competition in 2024.
Rush first achieved global recognition with his Academy Award-winning role in 1996’s Shine. He has since won an Emmy for The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) and a Tony Award for Exit the King. His latest film role is in James Ashcroft’s thriller The Rule of Jenny Pen. Rush’s previous recognition at KVIFF underscores a deep connection to the Czech festival.
Joining Rush on the Crystal Globe jury is an esteemed panel of industry professionals, including American producer Christine Vachon, Icelandic author and screenwriter Sjón, Czech actress Eliška Křenková, and Hungarian director Gábor Reisz.
One of the most influential figures in independent American cinema, Vachon has made over 100 films over the past three decades, earning her numerous Independent Spirit and Gotham Awards. Her credits include seminal American independent features like Kids, Boys Don’t Cry, and Carol. Recently, Vachon executive produced last year’s May December and Past Lives, the latter earning her an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Like Rush, Vachon also recently visited the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, presenting her feature Bleeding Love (then titled You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder) and hosting a masterclass at last year’s edition.
Icelandic author and screenwriter Sjón gained film industry acclaim with his script for Lamb, which was Iceland’s official submission to the Academy Awards in 2021. He co-wrote Robert Eggers‘ The Northman and is currently working on an adaptation of Hamlet. Sjón’s literary works, translated into over forty languages, include The Blue Fox and CoDex 1962: A Trilogy.
Czech actress Křenková transitioned from contemporary dance to acting and graduated from Prague’s DAMU Theatre Faculty. She has received multiple nominations and awards, including a Czech Lion award for 2018’s Winter Flies. Her films often screen at KVIFF, and she is known for her work in both film and alternative theatre productions.
Hungarian director, screenwriter, and composer Gábor Reisz first gained international attention with his 2014 debut feature For Some Inexplicable Reason, which premiered at KVIFF. His follow-up film Bad Poems won sixteen awards, and his latest feature, Explanation for Everything, has garnered accolades at the Venice and Chicago International Film Festivals.
The 58th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, one of the oldest and most prestigious in Central Europe, will take place from June 28 to July 6, 2024. Along with revealing the Crystal Globe jury, the festival also announced the films competing in its Main and Proxima Competitions on Tuesday morning.
Lead photo: Geoffrey Rush at the 2022 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival via Facebook / Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
