The 2019 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival kicked off what will be a string of announcements about the annual Cannes-follow up fest this morning highlighted by the news a restored version of the classic Czech film “The Cremator” will be part of the program.
Juraj Herz’s 1969 drama is a seminal work of the Czech New Wave and drew the ire of the communist government of that era. So much so that it was mostly kept from the general public’s eyes until a re-release in 1990. Adapted from Ladislav Fuks‘s gothic novel, Herz collaborated with cinematographer Stanislav Milota to tell the tale of an ordinary man who becomes a killer after being influenced by Nazi propaganda. Herz died in 2018 while Milota passed away earlier this year. The digital restoration will then hit select Czech cinemas following the festival.
Karlovy Vary also revealed that the KVIFF Presidents Award will go to cinematographer Vladimír Smutný who shot the Oscar-winning “Kolya” (1996) and that noted Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine (1926-2008) will have a retrospective of his work at this year’s festival.
Additionally, the festival revealed its latest original trailer (bumpers that play before each film at the festival). These are a source of pride for fans of Karlovy Vary and past iterations have starred Casey Affleck, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Jude Law, Andy Garcia, Mel Gibson and Milos Forman. This year’s creation stars legendary Czech actress Jiřina Bohdalová, still going strong at 87 years young.
This year’s trippy official poster is also worth your time.
The 2019 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival runs from June 28-July 6.