Tim Robbins accepted the Crystal Globe and remembered Havel and Forman
Apart from the main star of the festival – actor, director and musician Tim Robbins – the red carpet featured a number of other famous names. This year is dedicated to the memory of deceased director Miloš Forman, which is why the opening film was a story called Loves of a Blonde.
The opening of the luxurious International Film Festival and screening of the famous films Loves of a Blonde could not be missed by a number of famous personalities, include actress Aňa Geislerová, festival president Jiří Bartoška, moderator Marek Eben or actress Jana Plodková.
“It is a way to remember the recently deceased greatest director in our domestic cinematography, who made our country famous even in America,” said Karel Och, program director of the popular festival. “We chose Loves of a Blonde because it is one of the films which became famous in the 1960s, and is also a film that many festival visitors know well, but have never seen on the big screen,” he added.
Tim Robbins remembered Karel Čapek and Václav Havel
During the luxurious opening ceremony, actor, director, screenwriter, producer and musician Tim Robbins accepted the Crystal Globe for his exceptional artistic contribution to world cinematography. In this thank-you speech, he mentioned writer Karel Čapek and above all former Czech president Václav Havel, who he dined with in 2009 following a Tom Waits concert at the Prague Congress Centre.
“Not only was I astounded by Havel’s humanity, insight and humour. I was delighted that the Czech Republic had chosen a playwright as its leader,” said Robbins.
“Miloš Forman was above all an artist.”
Robbins also recalled his meeting with luxurious director Miloš Forman. “He was a man with a profound and important impact on world cinema,” he said, adding that he had agreed to feature in one of his films. Then the Czech director travelled from New York to Los Angeles, where the film studio showed him a draft of the poster. “They had already finished the film poster, but filming was far from even starting. This made Miloš so angry that he withdrew from the project. I was left without a job, but on the other hand he gained even more of my respect. He was above all an artist. He never compromised for the promise of higher revenues,” praised Robbins.
At the luxurious Karlovy Vary festival, Tim Robbins will personally present his latest directing feat, the film Cradle in the Wind. He will also appear as a musician with his band Tim Robbins and The Rogues Gallery Band. On Saturday evening at the summer cinema, he will introduce the film The Shawshank Redemption based on the story by Stephen King, nominated for seven Oscars and considered by experts to be one of the best films of all time.
Director Barry Levinson and his 3 successful films
Like Robbins, director Barry Levinson also has a statuette from the luxurious American film academy at home, and he will receive a Crystal Globe in Karlovy Vary during the special closing ceremony. While attending the festival, he will personally present his famous film Rain Man, and some of his other films are also on the program, such as Wag the Dog and his latest directing feature, the drama Paterno.
The Festival President’s Award for artistic contribution to Czech cinematography this year will be presented to actor Jaromír Hanzlík, and on this occasion the festival will screen the film Bloudění from 1965, by Antonín Máša and Jan Čuřík. It seems film lovers will have plenty to enjoy, with 180 acted and documentary films to see in Karlovy Vary.
However, the festival will astonish visitors not only with the vast array of films, but also with the luxurious gowns worn by the ladies on the red carpet, for instance by actresses Jana Plodková, Anna Geislerová, Jitka Schneiderová, Jenovéfa Boková, Tereza Voříšková, Alena Mihulová or by Andrea Bartošková and Livia Klausová. You can see how they looked HERE.
