Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2023: Crystal Globe for Russell Crowe

The star of the 57th Karlovy Vary IFF will be actor Russell Crowe. The concert launching the most prestigious film festival in Central and Eastern Europe will feature not only the star of the movie Gladiator and his band, but also Morcheeba.

The new trailer for the festival starring Johnny Depp will also be showcased.

Actor and director Russell Crowe will be presented with the Crystal Globe for his outstanding artistic contribution to world cinematography at the opening of this year’s Karlovy Vary Festival. He and his new Indoor Garden Party project will then appear at the opening concert, to be held free of charge for the general public in front of the Hotel Thermal, from 10.45 p.m. on 30 June.

And before that you can enjoy another amazing attraction at this year’s KVIFF – a gig by British band Morcheeba! They’ll be playing from 7:00 p.m.

To mark the award presented to Russell Crowe, the festival will be screening the period adventure epic Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, made 20 years ago.

Another treat for all fans of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, which ranks alongside other such festivals in Cannes, Berlin and Venice in the A category, is the première of the new trailer. It was shot by Johnny Depp. He was a guest at the 55th annual Karlovy Vary Festival in 2021.

The trailer for the Karlovy Vary IFF is a global phenomenon. A number of outstanding world-class directors and movie stars have worked on it since 1993. Check a few of them out! Who do you like most? Mel Gibson, Jude Law, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Danny DeVito, Andy Garcia, Harvey Keitel or Casey Affleck?

Two hundred films from all over the world

Every year the KVIFF screens around two hundred films from all over the world. Amongst other things, the 57th KVIFF will feature a collection of Iranian movies from the last four years, mostly shot by young filmmakers, documenting their explosive creativity in the face of difficult living and artistic conditions. The festival will also show eleven films to commemorate the distinctive style of Japanese director Yasuzo Masumura, acclaimed for his confidence in breaking down the boundaries between art and commerce.

Ban on Chinese and Russian films

This year’s main competition at the Karlovy Vary Festival will feature just eleven films instead of the usual twelve. The twelfth, confirmed as a movie from China, has been withdrawn at the direct order of the Chinese government. This means that no Chinese films can be included in the festival programme. No Russian movies will be shown, either.