The 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, running from July 4 to 12, is set to host a slate of internationally acclaimed filmmakers and actors presenting new works. Organizers announced a lineup that includes world and international premieres from Cannes and Berlinale alumni, Oscar and César winners, and past KVIFF favorites returning to the spa town with their latest projects.
The filmmakers join an impressive slate of special guests at this years festival including Michael Douglas, who will present a new restoration of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest for its 50th anniversary; Stellan Skarsgård, who will be honored with a Crystal Globe, and Dakota Johnson, Vicky Krieps, and Peter Sarsgaard, who will each pick up a KVIFF President’s Award.
Several of the festival’s official selections will be introduced by the directors and stars themselves, in keeping with KVIFF’s tradition of strong filmmaker presence. From hard-hitting documentaries to lyrical dramas and dark comedies, the 2025 edition brings together creative voices from across Europe, the Americas, and beyond.
Stars and directors presenting films in competition
This year’s Crystal Globe Competition will feature a number of world and international premieres introduced by their creators. French actress Camille Cottin, known from Call My Agent!, Allied, and House of Gucci, will present the world premiere of Out of Love, in which she plays the lead role.
Hungarian auteur Bence Fliegauf, a Berlinale Silver Bear winner, will debut his latest work, Jimmy Jaguar, while American director Max Walker-Silverman returns to Karlovy Vary to present Rebuilding, his follow-up to A Love Song, which screened in the Horizons section in 2022.
From Iceland, director Hlynur Pálmason will accompany his Cannes-premiered drama The Love That Remains, a melancholic story of a dissolving marriage. Michel Franco brings Dreams, a provocative cross-cultural romance starring Jessica Chastain, fresh from its Berlinale debut.
Ukrainian war correspondent and filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov, whose 20 Days in Mariupol won both a Pulitzer and an Oscar, comes to Karlovy Vary with 2000 Metres to Andriivka, continuing his stark documentation of the Russian invasion.
Cannes Competition title Two Prosecutors, a historical drama by Sergei Loznitsa, will also be introduced by the director in person. Meanwhile, American multi-hyphenate Jay Duplass is set to appear with The Baltimorons, a bittersweet buddy comedy that became a festival favorite at SXSW.
Several acclaimed international actors will also take part. Argentinian actor Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, who previously won Best Actor at KVIFF and later a César for 120 BPM, returns with Kill the Jockey. Italian actor-director Valerio Mastandrea brings Feeling Better, which he both helmed and starred in.
Among the other directors confirmed are Paolo Genovese with his new romantic comedy Madly, Georgian filmmaker Dea Kulumbegashvili with her Venice-lauded drama April, and Mark Jenkin with his experimental short I Saw the Face of God in the Jet Wash, screening in the Imagina section.
Opening concert to feature Grammy-winning La Roux
This year’s opening night will also blend music with cinema in a high-profile way. British synthpop act La Roux will perform a free public concert on July 4 at 10:45 p.m. in front of Hotel Thermal, the festival’s central venue. The concert, which is expected to draw large crowds, will be followed by a fireworks show.
La Roux, originally formed by Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid, rose to fame with their 2009 self-titled debut album, which won a Grammy and featured the hit single “Bulletproof.” Since 2012, Jackson has carried on the project solo, releasing Trouble in Paradise in 2014 and Supervision in 2020. Her live performances feature a full backing band and are known for their energetic reinterpretations of the group’s electronic sound.
The concert is supported by ORLEN, one of the festival’s main partners, and marks a festive beginning to the nine-day celebration of global cinema in Karlovy Vary.
With a diverse lineup of premieres, international guests, and signature cultural events, the 59th KVIFF continues to strengthen its standing as Central Europe’s leading film festival.
Lead photo: Michel Franco at the 2024 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival courtesy KVIFF
