The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has unveiled another wave of high-profile guests for its 60th anniversary edition, with Kevin Bacon (and family), Jeffrey Wright, Harvey Keitel and acclaimed cinematographer Robert Richardson among the latest names headed to the Czech festival.
The announcements come alongside confirmation that Dustin Hoffman and Juliette Binoche will receive Crystal Globes for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema, alongside previously announced President’s Award recipients Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jesse Eisenberg.
The latest additions further strengthen what is shaping up to be one of Karlovy Vary’s most star-studded editions in recent memory. Together, the guests represent multiple generations of international filmmaking, from Oscar-winning actors and cinematographers to contemporary filmmakers presenting new work.
While Wright will receive the festival’s President’s Award and Richardson will be honored with a Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema, Keitel returns to Karlovy Vary as one of the festival’s past Crystal Globe recipients. Bacon, meanwhile, will attend with wife Kyra Sedgwick and their children Sosie Bacon and Travis Bacon to present a new feature that marks a rare on-screen collaboration.
Jeffrey Wright and Harvey Keitel return to Karlovy Vary
Jeffrey Wright will receive the President’s Award, recognizing a career that has comfortably spanned independent cinema, blockbuster franchises, television, theater, and even video games.
The Oscar-nominated actor first appeared at Karlovy Vary nearly three decades ago, introducing Basquiat during the festival’s 32nd edition. This year, festival audiences will have another opportunity to see Julian Schnabel’s acclaimed 1996 biographical drama, in which Wright portrays pioneering artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in one of his earliest leading roles.
Since then, Wright has become one of Hollywood’s most respected character actors, working with filmmakers including Wes Anderson, Jim Jarmusch, Ang Lee, Oliver Stone, Spike Lee and Steven Soderbergh. Mainstream audiences know him as CIA operative Felix Leiter in the James Bond series, while more recent work includes HBO’s Westworld, American Fiction, which earned him an Academy Award nomination, and the Paramount+ spy series The Agency.
Earlier this year, Wright also received a British Academy Games Award for his voice performance in the narrative video game Dispatch, reflecting the breadth of a career that continues to cross artistic boundaries.
Harvey Keitel, meanwhile, returns to Karlovy Vary for the third time. The actor received the festival’s Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema in 2004 and returned in 2015 to present Paolo Sorrentino‘s Youth, which won the festival’s Audience Award.
This year’s visit centers on Martin Scorsese‘s Mean Streets, widely regarded as one of the defining films of 1970s American cinema. Keitel will attend the screening in person, revisiting the film that helped launch his long-running collaboration with Scorsese and Robert De Niro.
Throughout a career spanning more than five decades, Keitel has become one of American cinema’s most recognizable character actors, working repeatedly with Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, Jane Campion and Abel Ferrara. His performances in Bugsy, Bad Lieutenant, Smoke, The Piano, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction established him as one of the defining screen presences of modern American filmmaking.
Festival audiences may also recognize Keitel from one of Karlovy Vary’s own traditions. He is among the past Crystal Globe recipients who have appeared in the festival’s original promotional trailers, a distinction shared with several previous international honorees.
Kevin Bacon family brings new film as Robert Richardson is honored
Kevin Bacon will arrive in Karlovy Vary with wife Kyra Sedgwick and their children Sosie Bacon and Travis Bacon to present Family Movie, a horror-comedy that became one of the breakout titles at this year’s SXSW Film Festival.
The project represents a genuine family collaboration. Kevin Bacon and Sedgwick co-directed the film, while Sosie and Travis star in leading roles. Travis also contributes to the film’s music, reflecting his growing work as both a composer and filmmaker.
The appearance marks a rare public presentation involving the entire Bacon-Sedgwick family, whose careers collectively span film, television, music and directing.
Kevin Bacon remains one of Hollywood’s most versatile performers, balancing leading and supporting roles across films including Footloose, A Few Good Men, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman and MaXXXine. Beyond acting, he continues to perform with The Bacon Brothers while leading the charitable initiative SixDegrees.org.
Sedgwick has likewise built an accomplished career as an actress, producer and director, winning both Emmy and Golden Globe awards before expanding into directing feature films and television. Their daughter Sosie Bacon gained international attention through 13 Reasons Why and the horror hit Smile, while Travis Bacon has developed a parallel career composing film scores and producing independent genre projects.
The festival has also announced that legendary cinematographer Robert Richardson will receive a Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema.
Few cinematographers have shaped the visual language of contemporary American cinema as profoundly as Richardson. A three-time Academy Award winner, he first rose to prominence through his collaborations with Oliver Stone on films including Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July and JFK, before embarking on long creative partnerships with Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino.
His distinctive cinematography has become synonymous with films including Casino, The Aviator, Hugo, Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. His work has earned three Academy Awards and seven additional Oscar nominations over four decades behind the camera.
During the festival, Richardson will present the documentary Robert Richardson: The White Devil, directed by Jana Hojdová, which explores his career and artistic approach to cinematography.
Together, the latest guest announcements continue to build anticipation for Karlovy Vary’s milestone anniversary edition. With Crystal Globe recipients Dustin Hoffman, Juliette Binoche and Robert Richardson joined by President’s Award honorees Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jesse Eisenberg and Jeffrey Wright, alongside appearances from Harvey Keitel, Kevin Bacon and his family, this year’s festival is assembling one of its strongest international lineups in recent years.
The 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival takes place July 3-11, with many of the guests introducing screenings connected to their careers and participating in festival events throughout the nine-day celebration.
Lead photos: Kevin Bacon, Jeffrey Wright, and Harvey Keitel courtesy DepositPhotos.com
