The 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has finalized its full program, confirming more than 130 feature films across competition, retrospectives, genre sections, and special showcases.
Alongside previously announced titles in the Crystal Globe Competition, Proxima, and Special Screenings strands, this year’s lineup expands with strong selections from Cannes, Berlinale, Venice, and Sundance, plus a notable presence of Czech and Central European productions.
The Horizons section once again forms the festival’s core showcase of recent world cinema, bringing together award-winning titles and new films from established auteurs. Alongside it, the Imagina section highlights experimental storytelling, while the newly expanded Afterhours strand continues KVIFF’s tradition of genre-focused midnight programming.
Below are 10 standout films from this year’s program:
Fjord
One of the most anticipated titles in this year’s Horizons section is Fjord (pictured at top), the latest film from Romanian director Cristian Mungiu.
The film, which won the Palme d’Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, follows a Romanian-Norwegian family attempting to integrate into life in rural Norway, where tensions escalate after allegations of violence against their children. Starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, the drama examines cultural identity, parenting norms, and the fragile boundaries between personal belief systems and state authority.
Fatherland
Also screening in Horizons is Fatherland, the latest film from Oscar-winning director Paweł Pawlikowski (Cold War), which arrives in Karlovy Vary fresh from winning Best Director at Cannes.
The film follows writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika as they travel through post-war Germany in 1949, receiving honors in both American-occupied Frankfurt and Soviet-controlled Weimar. Starring Sandra Hüller and Hanns Zischler, the film continues Pawlikowski’s exploration of European history through intimate, emotionally restrained storytelling.
The Graduate
In the Tributes section, Karlovy Vary will screen Mike Nichols’ landmark 1967 film The Graduate, which will be introduced in person by honored guest Dustin Hoffman.
The film remains one of the defining works of the New Hollywood era, following a disillusioned college graduate navigating alienation, desire, and generational conflict in suburban America. It earned Nichols an Academy Award for Best Director and established Hoffman as one of cinema’s defining actors.
Bitter Christmas
Pedro Almodóvar returns to KVIFF with Bitter Christmas, a Cannes-premiered tragicomedy that blends personal drama with a metafictional reflection on filmmaking itself. The film will open the festival at a special screening in Mariánské Lázně on July 1.
The story follows screenwriter Raúl and Elsa, the protagonist of his latest script, as their lives become increasingly intertwined through grief, work, and creative dependence. As Elsa struggles with the death of her mother and emotional exhaustion, Raúl draws inspiration from those closest to him, raising ethical questions about artistic exploitation.
All of a Sudden
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden marks another major Cannes entry in this year’s KVIFF, following the director’s Oscar-winning success with Drive My Car.
The film, for which Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto shared the Cannes Best Actress award, tells the story of two women whose lives intersect through work in healthcare and theatre, forming an unexpected emotional bond while confronting illness, aging, and social inequality. A multilingual European co-production, the film reflects Hamaguchi’s continued evolution toward intimate, dialogue-driven narratives focused on human connection and philosophical reflection.
Rehearsals for a Revolution
Among the most significant documentary entries in this year’s program is Rehearsals for a Revolution, a Czech co-production directed by Pegah Ahangarani.
The film, which won the L’Œil d’or documentary prize at Cannes, reconstructs modern Iranian history through five intimate personal portraits, blending archival material, family memory, and political testimony. It spans from the Iranian Revolution to recent unrest, including the Women, Life, Freedom movement.
Family Movie
From the Afterhours section comes Family Movie, a horror-comedy that blurs the line between fiction and reality, directed by Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick.
The film, which premiered at SXSW, features the entire Bacon family on screen, including Sosie Bacon and Travis Bacon, with Travis also contributing to the score. The story follows a family of low-budget horror filmmakers whose latest production takes a dark turn when reality intrudes on set. The Bacon family will personally introduce the movie at this year’s KVIFF.
The Friend’s House Is Here
A standout from Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic Competition arrives in Special Screenings with The Friend’s House Is Here, a drama set in Tehran’s underground art scene.
The film follows two women navigating artistic expression and political repression as their creative circle is threatened. The Sundance-selected title brings a contemporary perspective on freedom of expression and cultural resistance in Iran.
Captain Thunderbolt
A major archival discovery appears in the Out of the Past section with Captain Thunderbolt, a 1952 Australian Western by Cecil Holmes that screened at one of the earliest editions of the Karlovy Vary film festival.
Long considered lost, the film was recently rediscovered in the Czech National Film Archive in Prague. It tells the story of an outlaw figure often compared to Robin Hood, reflecting the festival’s focus on politically and historically significant cinema from its own archival past.
Only Beautiful Things to Look At
Representing the Czech and Slovak region in the Crystal Globe Competition is Only Beautiful Things to Look At, directed by Ivan Ostrochovský.
Set in 1980s Czechoslovakia, the film follows a doctor involved in state-controlled reproductive policies whose personal and professional life becomes complicated after encountering a young Romani orderly. The film addresses historical issues of state power, bodily autonomy, and systemic discrimination. Starring Aňa Geislerová, the film stands out as one of the most prominent Czech-linked entries in this year’s competition.
