Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Latest reviews

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  Tempestad

  Review preview for Tempestad

  The use of abstract visuals, however, not only forces us to focus more intently on what is being said in the section about Miriam but also encourages us to become attuned to the 'everyday' life we are seeing.

  A road trip reveals the stories of two women facing up to the methods used by powerful cartels to control individuals, while state authorities turn a blind eye.
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  The Wolf From Royal Vineyard Street

  Review preview for The Wolf From Royal Vineyard Street

  Its facts and its fictions come together so seamlessly that it’s almost impossible to separate the man from the myth.

  A comedic reinvention of the director's own own quasi-autobiographical short stories.
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  Kills On Wheels

  Review preview for Kills On Wheels

  Kills On Wheels is a brutal and brutally funny thriller.

  Two disabled lads get together with an ex-fireman and form a gang of hired assassins.
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  The Handmaiden

  Review preview for The Handmaiden

  One of the film’s leading forces is its stunning visual composition.

  A handmaiden sets out to swindle an heiress but things don't go to plan.
• 
  Slack Bay

  Review preview for Slack Bay

  The absurd exaggerations and the wild parishes of humor are completely original, never cruel, and attached to a physicality that is pure cinema.

  Period comedy, set in 1910, about the investigation into disappearances from beaches in France.
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  Lost And Beautiful

  Review preview for Lost And Beautiful

  Lost And Beautiful is filmed on expired 16mm film stock, in keeping with its themes, and the result is a delicate, watery palette which gives it a unique beauty.

  Documentary and fiction blend in a tale of ancient palaces, devoted shepherds and a young calf contemplating his fate.
• 
  Zoology

  Review preview for Zoology

  This modern fairytale has its dark side, but it’s not as grim as something the Brothers Grimm would have concocted.

  A quiet, middle-aged zoo employee wakes up to discover that she has grown a tail.
• 
  The Student

  Review preview for The Student

  Kirill Serebrennikov takes a fearless approach to filmmaking, unafraid of blending intellectual ideas with realistic settings.

  A teenager becomes a religious zealot and mounts a campaign against his biology teacher.
• 
  Divines

  Review preview for Divines

  If this gang of ideas doesn’t quite hang together as it should, Benyamina still makes her mark with some brilliant moments.

  Story of an Arabic drug dealer in a Parisian ghetto.
• 
  Mimosas

  Review preview for Mimosas

  Mauro Herce's cinematography is stunning and merges perfectly with the soundscape created by Emilio García Rivas.

  Faust meets Arabic myth in the Moroccan desert.

A–Z of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2016 reviews →

Features

• Looking for trouble
  Oliver Laxe on making life difficult for himself when filming Mimosas.
• The view from the mountain
  Cristian Mungiu talks about honesty, guilt and Graduation.
• Soaring ambition
  Otto Bell on shooting The Eagle Huntress and the remarkable star of his documentary.
• Tales of resistance
  Cillian Murphy and Anna Geislerová discuss what Anthropoid means to them.
• Ordinary heroes
  Jamie Dornan and Charlotte Le Bon on working with Sean Ellis and the real story behind Anthropoid.
• A postcard from Karlovy Vary
  We report from the Czech festival.
• Almodóvar enters his golden age
  Julieta director on regrets for his youth, maturity and the Panama Papers.
• Woody and the secret of eternal youth
  Cannes veteran on being a romantic, fame and infidelity.
• Noting the difference
  Composers Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans talk about Christine, Frank & Lola and The Fits.
• No holds barred
  Felix van Groeningen on music, hedonism and real-life inspiration in Belgica.
• Beefing up reality
  Gabriel Mascaro on the mixture of the surreal and the actual in Neon Bull.
• Moving on up
  Anna Rose Holmer on adolescence, gender identity and self-determination in The Fits.
• In fashion with Pasolini
  Abel Ferrara and Willem Dafoe on clothes, movies and murder.

News

• Szabolcs Hajdu has time of his life at KVIFF
  Director takes Crystal Globe and acting prize in Karlovy Vary.
• Double joy for Original Bliss
  German film takes two awards in Karlovy Vary
• Willem Dafoe receives Crystal Globe
  Actor honoured for his lifetime contribution.
• A Syrian Love Story vies for Lux Prize
  British film one of 10 in running for European Parliament Award.