15/06/2011

Europe dominates the program of the 46th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 1–9).

The Czech festival will open with Cary Fukunaga's Jane Eyre [+see also:
trailer
film profile], featuring Judi Dench, this year's recipient of the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema.

Eight European films are among the 12 titles contending in the main competition:

German director Christian Schwochow's Cracks In The Shell [+see also:
trailer
film profile], screening in world premiere, focuses on an introverted, novice actress who creates a seductive, dangerous new identity.

Veteran Spanish director Montxo Armendáriz's Don't Be Afraid [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Montxo Armendáriz
film profile] is a heartbreaking tale of child abuse: A six-year-old girl's childhood ends when she is left at the mercy of her loving father.

Martin Šulík's Czech-Slovak co-production Gypsy [+see also:
film review
film profile], screening in world premiere, tells the story of a Roma boy who tries to overcome social isolation and prejudice.

Polish director Andrzej Barański's Heritage focuses on a young man who returns to his backwater village after being expelled from law school.

Andrea Molaioli's Italian-French co-production The Jewel [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] is a reconstruction of a financial scandal involving a major food processing company, inspired by the actual case of the dairy giant Parmalat.

German director Ziska Riemann's Lollipop Monster [+see also:
interview: Jella Haase
film profile] tells the story of two women whose friendship threatened by betrayal.

From France, Pascal Rabaté's Not for Sale Not for Rent [+see also:
trailer
interview: Denis Delcampe
interview: Pascal Rabaté
film profile] is an original comedy describing how ordinary people spend their weekend.

Also a world premiere, Birgitte Stærmose's Danish-Croatian co-production Room 304 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] takes place over the course of three days in a Copenhagen hotel and revolves around a mysterious gunshot.

Karlovy Vary's East of the West competition selection features seven European films: Ahmed Imamović's Belvedere (Bosnia and Herzegovina); Wojtek Wawszczyk, Jakub Tarkowski and Tomasz Leśniak's George The Hedgehog (Poland); Željka Suková's Marija's Own (Croatia); Petr Marek's Nothing Against Nothing (Czech Republic); Vladimír Blaževski's Punk's Not Dead (Macedonia, Serbia); Ivan Vladimirov and Valery Yordanov's Sneakers (Bulgaria); Peter Krištúfek's Visible World (Slovakia).

The festival's Forum of Independents competition features four European titles — Sasha Matijević's He (Netherlands-Serbia), Mariken Halle's Maybe Tomorrow (Sweden), Andrew Haigh's Weekend (UK) and Jonathan Cenzual Burley's The Soul of Flies (Spain) — and three European co-productions: Man Without A Cell Phone (France-Palestine-Israel-Belgium-Qatar), The Pier (Ireland-US) and Stranger Things (US-UK).