The 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is set to honor British actor Clive Owen, who will receive the KVIFF President’s Award at the closing ceremony on July 6. Owen joins Viggo Mortensen, who will open the festival with his latest film The Dead Don’t Hurt, and Daniel Brühl, who will present his directorial debut, Next Door, as special guests at this year’s festival.
Owen, meanwhile, will bring his classic 2004 romantic drama Closer on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. Directed by Mike Nichols from the original play by Patrick Marber, Closer co-starred Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, and Jude Law.
Owen’s performance in Closer, where he reprised his role from the original Royal National Theatre stage production, remains one of his most critically acclaimed works. He earned a Golden Globe, a BAFTA award, and an Oscar nomination for his performance.
The actor first gained significant attention in the 1990 crime series Chancer, where he played the suave and cunning Stephen Crane. His breakthrough role came with Mike Hodges’ 1998 film Croupier, a part that solidified his status as a leading actor.
Owen’s extensive filmography includes roles in major films such as the Prague-shot The Bourne Identity, the historic epic King Arthur, and Alfonso Cuarón’s sci-fi thriller Children of Men.
More recent roles include his portrayal of Ernest Hemingway in Hemingway & Gellhorn, which earned him a second Golden Globe nomination, and the historical dramas Last Knights and Ophelia, which were both filmed on location in the Czech Republic.
In addition to his film and stage work, Owen has been active on television, portraying Bill Clinton in the series Impeachment: American Crime Story and starring in the noir miniseries Monsieur Spade, inspired by the novels of Dashiell Hammett.
Owen also starred in the lead role of the medical drama The Knick, a series created by Steven Soderbergh, who will also attend this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
With the festival just 10 days away, fans can expect at least one more major guest to be announced. Owen, Mortensen, and Brühl will all receive a KVIFF President’s Award at the festival, but a potential recipient of the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema has yet to be revealed.
Recent Crystal Globe recipients include Michael Caine in 2021, Geoffrey Rush in 2022, and Russell Crowe last year. Rush will return to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival this year as a member of the Crystal Globe jury.
Lead photo: Clive Owen in Closer (2004)
One Response
Met Clive at Kino Svetozor in after the Karlovy Vary fest. Nice chap and a seemed a fan of classic Czech movie posters 😉