The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) has announced that actor-director Maggie Gyllenhaal and actor-writer-director Jesse Eisenberg will receive the President’s Award during the festival’s upcoming 60th edition.
The two American filmmakers join a growing lineup of international guests expected to attend this year’s festival, which runs July 3-11. Both will present films connected to their recent work while being recognized for careers that have expanded beyond acting into directing, screenwriting, and producing.
Their selection continues a long-standing Karlovy Vary tradition of honoring major figures from world cinema. While both performers first gained prominence through acclaimed acting careers, each has increasingly established themselves behind the camera, earning recognition as filmmakers in their own right.
Maggie Gyllenhaal returns with new directing effort
Gyllenhaal will receive the President’s Award during the festival’s opening ceremony and present The Bride!, the latest feature she wrote, directed, and produced.
The film reimagines the Frankenstein story, drawing inspiration from both Mary Shelley’s original novel and James Whale’s classic Bride of Frankenstein. The Warner Bros. production features an ensemble cast that includes Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Annette Bening, Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Her appearance in Karlovy Vary marks a return to a festival where she previously received major recognition. In 2006, Gyllenhaal won the Best Actress award for her performance in Sherrybaby, directed by Laurie Collyer. The drama also won the Crystal Globe for Best Film that year.
Gyllenhaal first gained widespread attention with Steven Shainberg’s Secretary in 2002, earning Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award nominations. Subsequent performances in films including Mona Lisa Smile, Stranger Than Fiction, The Dark Knight, Crazy Heart, Frank, and The Kindergarten Teacher established her as one of the most respected performers of her generation.
Her role opposite Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 2010.
Beyond film, Gyllenhaal won a Golden Globe for her lead performance in HBO and BBC’s The Honourable Woman and earned additional acclaim for her starring role in HBO’s The Deuce, where she also served as a producer.
In recent years, however, her directing work has attracted equal attention. Her feature directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, adapted from Elena Ferrante’s novel, premiered to critical acclaim and received three Academy Award nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay for Gyllenhaal. The film also earned major honors from the Venice Film Festival, the Directors Guild of America, Independent Spirit Awards, Gotham Awards, and numerous critics’ groups.
Jesse Eisenberg recognized for achievements on both sides of the camera
Eisenberg will also receive the President’s Award during this year’s festival, where KVIFF will screen Richard Ayoade‘s The Double in his honor.
The actor first gained attention in films such as Roger Dodger and Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale before achieving international fame through his portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in David Fincher‘s The Social Network. The performance earned him Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations.
His filmography has since ranged from studio productions including Zombieland, Now You See Me, and their sequels to more independent projects such as The Double, in which he played dual roles inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novella.
Like Gyllenhaal, Eisenberg has increasingly focused on writing and directing. His directorial debut, When You Finish Saving the World, premiered at both Sundance and Cannes and starred Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard.
His follow-up feature, A Real Pain, became one of the most acclaimed films of 2024. The film, which follows two cousins traveling through Poland to explore their family history, earned Eisenberg Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his screenplay. He ultimately won a BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay, while co-star Kieran Culkin received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Eisenberg’s next project behind the camera, The Debut, is scheduled for release later this year through A24. The film stars Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti, with Eisenberg also contributing music and lyrics for the production’s musical sequences.
Outside filmmaking, Eisenberg has maintained a parallel career as a playwright and author. Several of his plays have been staged in New York and London’s West End, while his collection Bream Gives Me Hiccups and audiobook When You Finish Saving the World further expanded his literary work.
The announcement of Gyllenhaal and Eisenberg as President’s Award recipients adds two high-profile names to the festival’s milestone 60th edition. Their appearances reflect KVIFF’s continued focus on honoring artists whose careers span multiple disciplines, from acting and directing to writing and producing, while bringing some of contemporary cinema’s most influential creative voices to Karlovy Vary this summer.
