KVIFF cancels 2020 edition and moves Eastern Promises industry strand online

The 55th edition of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), originally planned to be held July 3 – 11, has just been cancelled. 

“We strongly believe that seeing a movie with other people in a theatre is a powerful and irreplaceable experience,” stated Jiří Bartoška, president of the KVIFF, adding: “And because the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is one of the most important cultural events in the Czech Republic and in Europe, we have decided that holding an alternative version would go against the festival’s main mission: to bring together audiences, filmmakers, and people from different walks of life in order to collectively enjoy works of cinema.”

The desition came partially due to the desition of the Czech government to keep the country’s strict lockdown until June 8 and according to festival organizers cinemas from that point on, will be allowed to screen movies to a maximum of 50 viewers.

KVIFF still plans to screen a selection of films that were due to play at the festival at venues around the Czech Republic, from July 3-11. Eastern Promises, KVIFF industry strand, will run from July 6-8 online, and it will include presentations of selected projects from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North Africa.

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is one of the A-rank film festivals that joined forces to create We Are One: A Global Film Festival, a 10-day digital event on YouTube.com/WeAreOne that will be held from May 29th to June 7th.