As a gaming enthusiast, I’m excited to share that the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) is extending its Industry Days program by an additional day this year! They’re revamping the focus and introducing some fresh features, such as a series incubator. Can’t wait to see what these changes bring!
From Sunday, July 6th through Wednesday, July 9th, the Eastern Promises industry section and market will have a more targeted emphasis on Central European co-production possibilities, presented in a revised showcase style. Additionally, the expanded program will introduce fresh presentations and events that concentrate on small screen content and series development.
Or:
During the period of Sunday, July 6th to Wednesday, July 9th, the Eastern Promises industry section and market will be highlighting Central European co-production prospects in a renewed showcase manner. Furthermore, the enlarged program will offer new exhibits and events specifically tailored for small screen content and series production.
One notable transformation is that the festival is introducing a fresh format focused on highlighting films still in production. Previously held Works in Progress pitches will now be supplanted by a KVIFF Central Stage showcase, thanks to a collaboration with eight national film institutes from Central Europe: Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. This event, scheduled for July 8, will present 13 fiction films, yet to be disclosed, by established directors from these countries who are in the final stages of development, production, or post-production. Rather than traditional pitches, the projects will be presented through interactive discussions, with a focus on the filmmakers and co-production landscape within each participating country, as stated by KVIFF.
Hugo Rosák, leader of the KVIFF Industry Office, stated that they opted for this fresh format as it fills a genuine void in the Central European movie scene. While there’s plenty of backing for budding filmmakers in Eastern Europe, mid-career directors often struggle to find the limelight and financing they need, despite their projects being just as captivating.
Projects that meet the criteria will receive post-production advantages, thanks to a supportive collaboration with studios UPP and Soundsquare. This partnership will extend discounts to projects that qualify for the Czech Audiovisual Fund’s 35% digital production incentive. The most promising films in development will also have the opportunity to be considered for the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, selected by an international jury.
Additionally, through a collaboration with Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. (CME), the festival is set to launch a Pop-Up Series Incubator, showcasing five unique European series. The goal is to make Karlovy Vary a focal point for joint productions and creative alliances across various storytelling mediums. This partnership aims to convert Karlovy Vary into a comprehensive platform for the development of television and streaming series.
Under the banner of “Small Screen, Big Ambitions”, KVIFF has planned an array of showcases, discussions, workshops, and talks involving industry professionals from the small screen sector for July 8th and 9th.
Daniel Grunt, CEO of Nova Group, our local branch of CME, stated that the television and streaming industry in our region is experiencing a significant overhaul – not just improving content but also broadening creative aspirations. Aligning with KVIFF seems like a logical choice for us,” said Daniel Grunt. “We feel that bridging the gap between film and TV could provide vital impetus to the entire Central and Eastern European region.
The Pop Up Series Incubator, spearheaded by Tatino Films, is a joint venture funded by the European Union, and it’s being facilitated by La Région Grand Est, the city of Reims, and KVIFF. This eight-month program will feature a pitching session in Karlovy Vary, where creative teams can showcase their television series ideas to industry experts and key decision makers. Subsequently, there will be carefully arranged networking sessions with professionals who are interested in financing or producing these series.
Matthieu Darras, CEO of Tatino Films, stated that a majority of forthcoming shows on streaming platforms are based on pre-existing intellectual properties (IPs), like books, movies, or true events. The rationale behind this is clear: creating an audience from scratch for original content is perceived as too risky and unfeasible due to the significant costs involved in producing drama series. However, Pop Up Series aims to provide a platform for audiovisual creators who aren’t part of media giants like Banijay, Fremantle, or Mediawan, to adapt their unique ideas into captivating TV series projects.
Five intriguing film projects will be displayed at Karlovy Vary:
1. “Angelmaker” (Romania), inspired by the real-life events of The Angel Makers of Nagyrév, a group under scrutiny for suspected poisonings in Hungary.
2. “Erotic Lives of the Superheroes” (France), adapted from Italian novel “La Vita Erotica Dei Superuomini” by Marco Mancassola.
3. “The Night of the Beguines” (France), based on the French novel “La Nuit des Béguines” by Aline Kiner.
4. “The Three Burials of Irma” (Greece), derived from the Greek novel “Alfatride” (O iatrodikastis) by Vassilis Vassilikos.
5. “Therapies” (Lithuania), stemming from a play by Birutė Kapustinskaitė.
Once again, a highlight of this year’s KVIFF (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival) is the international script development program, Works in Development, run by the Midpoint Institute. This program presents nine feature-length projects that are currently being developed, with more information available here. Additionally, five projects will be showcased from Midpoint’s Focus Queer program, a platform supporting filmmakers who are crafting stories centered around queer narratives. Further details about these projects can be found here.
The Works in Development international script development program, run by the Midpoint Institute, is back at KVIFF this year. This program will feature nine projects that are currently being developed, with additional information available here. Furthermore, five projects from Midpoint’s Focus Queer program, which supports filmmakers working on queer narratives, will also be presented. More details about these projects can be found here.
Once more, KVIFF Talents, a yearlong initiative that nurtures promising Czech and Slovak filmmakers and their groundbreaking projects, is making its comeback for the third time. The Creative Pool, which focuses on unearthing innovative concepts across all genres and formats – including short films, series, podcasts, or game ideas, has chosen Mould, an animated series for both children and adults, as well as anime series Lost Boys and live-action musical series Remake as its selected projects this year. The Feature Pool, designed to aid the advancement of original feature-length fiction films driven by auteurs, now includes Nameless, a debut featuring both live-action and stop-motion animation, thriller film Spirit Moose, and Burnout, a debut based on Petr Šesták’s novel.
According to Kryštof Mucha, the executive director of KVIFF, we see a distinct chance to solidify our status as the premier industry event for Central Europe, which encompasses artistic powerhouses like Poland, Germany, and Austria. This region warrants specific international focus due to its significance. Our goal is to function as a central meeting point for producers, filmmakers, broadcasters, and platforms from Central Europe, in addition to global industry professionals seeking close interaction with this dynamic region. In light of the increasing interplay of storytelling across different formats, our enhanced Industry Days are equipped and visionary enough to fully accommodate this shift.
Read More
2025-06-10 15:25