Jiří Bartoška, one of the most distinguished figures in Czech film and theatre and the long-serving president of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), has died at the age of 78. The news was confirmed by festival spokesperson Uljana Donátová on Thursday. Bartoška had been battling cancer.
Born on March 24, 1947, Bartoška’s career spanned decades and disciplines, from acclaimed stage roles to television and film performances that made him a household name across Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic. In recent years, however, he became best known internationally for his leadership at KVIFF, which he helped transform from a struggling regional event into one of the most respected film festivals in Europe.
A career in Czech film, TV, and theater
Bartoška began his acting career in the 1970s after studying at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno. He briefly worked at Brno’s Divadlo na provázku before joining the Činoherní studio in Ústí nad Labem in 1973. There, he made a name for himself in productions like Jakub a jeho pán, and soon moved into film and television, where he became a prominent figure throughout the 1980s.
Known for his commanding presence and deep voice, Bartoška frequently portrayed romantic leads, intellectuals, and morally complex characters. Throughout the 1980s, he appeared in some of Czechoslovakia’s most beloved television titles, including Sanitka, Cirkus Humberto, and My všichni školou povinní.
On the big screen, Bartoška’s performance as a Jewish violinist fleeing Nazi persecution in Matej Mináč’s 1999 drama All My Loved Ones (Všichni moji blízcí) earned him a Czech Lion award for Best Actor. One of Bartoška’s more memorable later performances was in the touching 2016 comedy-drama The Tiger Theory, in which he played a retiree who vowed to live his final years of his own accord.
In addition to acting, he also worked as a producer, contributing to projects like the gentle comedy Autumn Spring (Babí léto). He also lent his voice to dubbing international films and remained a constant presence in Czech cultural life.
But it was Bartoška’s role at the helm of KVIFF—beginning in 1994 alongside artistic director Eva Zaoralová, who passed away in 2022—that would come to define the second half of his career.
Transforming Karlovy Vary into a global institution
When Bartoška took over leadership of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the 1990s, the event was in decline, struggling to remain relevant in the post-communist era. Under his leadership, and in close partnership with Zaoralová and later the festival’s executive director Kryštof Mucha and artistic director Karel Och, KVIFF reemerged as a vital showcase for independent film from Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.
Bartoška’s vision brought glamour back to Karlovy Vary. With his charisma and personal contacts, he helped attract major international stars and filmmakers to the spa town, among them Michael Douglas, Robert Redford, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Scarlett Johansson. The festival developed a reputation not only for its eclectic programming but also for its uniquely laid-back and convivial atmosphere.
“Jiří Bartoška was an outstanding actor but also an unforgettable president of the Karlovy Vary Festival,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala wrote on X. “He was a wonderful companion and a good person. I am very sorry for his passing.”
Minister of Culture Martin Baxa praised him as a “charismatic actor” who made the Karlovy Vary festival “world-class.” Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský added that Bartoška had “succeeded in bringing world film stars to the Czech Republic and making the country known abroad.”
International voices also recognized his contributions. British Ambassador to the Czech Republic Matt Field called it “a very sad day,” writing: “Film lovers around the world have lost an extraordinary figure. Jiří Bartoška leaves behind a tremendous legacy.”
In 2017, both Bartoška and Zaoralová received honorary Czech Lion awards for their extraordinary contribution to Czech cinema for their work with KVIFF.
Just days before his passing, Bartoška signed a new three-year funding agreement between the festival and the Ministry of Culture, securing an unprecedented CZK 47 million annually in public support—up from CZK 35 million in previous years. The deal provides financial stability for the festival as it enters its 59th edition this July.
In one of his final public statements, Bartoška commented on the importance of this support: “Signing the new agreement provides us, as organizers, with the certainty not only for this year’s festival but also the stability needed for the years to come.”
The 2025 edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will open on July 4 and run through July 12. It is expected to honor Bartoška’s memory in a major way. Planned highlights include screenings of restored Czech classics and a tribute to American actor John Garfield, whose work in 1940s Hollywood will be showcased in a special retrospective.
The festival will also present the President’s Award for contributions to Czech cinema—an award typically handed out by Bartoška himself. This year, it will go to veteran editor Jiří Brožek.
Though he will no longer be there to oversee it, the event he helped rebuild will continue. As Czech Interior Minister Vít Rakušan said, “He will be missed, even though the mark he left is indelible.”
Lead photo: Jiří Bartoška at the 2022 KVIFF. Photo: Facebook / Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
