No controversy, no political messages. This year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is going to be "a feast of world or European film premieres celebrating cinema" according to the event’s organizers who announced the official competition program in Prague.

Artistic director Eva Zaoralova confirmed that the 41st edition of the festival (June 30-July 8) will present 230 feature and documentary films. Fifteen of those will have their world premiere, including six of the films in main competition – local director Jan Hrebejk’s Beauty In Trouble (Kráska v nesnázích), Ivan Cherkelov and Vassil Zhivkov’s Christmas Tree Upside Down (Obarnata elha), Joachim Trier’s Reprise, Aku Louhimies’ Frozen City (Valkoinen Kaupunki), Miguel Pereira’s Destiny (El destino) and Winter Journey (Winterreise) by Hans Steinbichler.
The remaining nine competition films will have their international or European premiere in Karlovy Vary, as is the case with 30 other works in different sections, including Luc Besson’s Angel-A [trailer], which will pre-premiere in the Czech festival while Jasmila Zbanic’s Berlin winner Grbavica [trailer, film focus] is also expected to draw audiences.

"This is about offering to people quality cinema more than anything else", commented the festival’s president Jiri Bartoska, referring to previous thoughts by Czech filmmakers on boycotting the event because of the rejection of a new film law by the country’s parliament. He said that he plans to organise a round table between Czech film industry representatives and political movers and shakers as soon as the festivals kicks off.

Acclaimed Serbian director Goran Paskaljevic will head the jury, which also includes Czech actor Karel Roden, Polish director/producer Juliusz Machulski, Norwegian director Bent Hamer, US screenwriter Coleman Hough, the Museum of Modern Art film curator Laurence Kardish and Iranian actress Leila Hatami.

The main competition films:

Beauty in Trouble (Kráska v nesnázích) - Jan Hrebejk
Czech Republic, 2006, WP (World premiere)

Destiny (El destino) - Miguel Pereira
Argentina, Spain, 2005, WP

Frozen City (Valkoinen Kaupunki) - Aku Louhimies
Finland, 2006, WP

Winter Journey (Winterreise) - Hans Steinbichler
Germany, 2006, WP

Reprise - Joachim Trier
Norway, 2006, WP

Christmas Tree Upside Down (Obarnata elha) - Ivan Cherkelov, Vassil Zhivkov
Bulgaria, Germany, 2006, WP

Goodbye Life (Shab Bekheir Farmandeh) - Ensieh Shah-Hosseini
Iran, 2006, IP (International premiere)

Love Talk - Lee Yoon-ki
Korea, 2005, IP

Mezcal - Ignacio Ortíz
Mexico, 2005, IP

Mouth to Mouth (Mun mot mun) - Björn Runge
Sweden, Denmark, 2005, IP

My Quick Way Out (Volando voy) - Miguel Albaladejo
Spain, 2006, IP

Several People, Little Time (Pare osób, maly czas) - Andrzej Barański
Poland, 2005, IP

Sherrybaby - Laurie Collyer
USA, 2005, IP

This Girl Is Mine (L'enfant d'une autre) - Virginie Wagon
France, 2005, IP

Transit (Peregon) - Alexander Rogozhkin
Russia, 2006, IP