The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. A total of twelve titles will represent Slovak cinema in the official program, with four of them vying for festival awards across two competitive sections. Juraj Jakubisko’s film Birds, Orphans and Fools (1969), drawn from the Slovak Film Institute (SFÚ) collections, will be screened, and the festival will also host the premiere of the SFÚ co-produced documentary Igor and Then (2026)—directed by Ivan Ostrochovský—which focuses on cinematographer Igor Luther. The 60th edition of the Karlovy Vary IFF will take place from July 3 to July 11.
Two new films will be presented in the Karlovy Vary Festival’s Main Competition. One of them is Ivan Ostrochovský’s long-awaited film *Prameň* (2026), which addresses the sterilization of Romani women in the 1980s, thereby opening an unresolved chapter of Czechoslovak history—a time when the state decided on the possibility of having children. *Prameň* is the first of Ostrochovský’s films to make it into the festival’s Main Competition; artistic director Karel Och describes it as a spellbinding drama. “The film was inspired long ago by a conversation with my mother about the workings of abortion committees during the Normalization era. While researching the committees’ activities with screenwriter Marek Leščák, we stumbled upon the topic of the sterilization of Romani women,” says Ostrochovský. Aňa Geislerová plays the lead role of an ambitious doctor. Competing for the Crystal Globe in the same section is the Slovak minority co-production *Chica Checa* (2026) by director Šimon Holý; the film tells the story of a lonely woman in her fifties who, in an effort to fulfill her ailing mother’s final wish, grows closer to her son and uncovers a secret of his.
The Proxima competition section, which showcases contemporary filmmaking from around the globe, will feature *Lover, Not a Fighter* (2026)—a Slovak film about fragile young love in today’s chaotic world—by debut director Martina Buchelová. The protagonist is Andrej, a young man who appears cheerful but is secretly struggling as he searches for meaning in life. Beyond the theme of love, the film also addresses issues such as alcoholism. “Andrej is coming of age and gradually realizing that he wants stable relationships and a home, and that he doesn’t want to drink. He wants to deal with his inner burden, or else he’ll lose his mind. Although he might seem like the privileged son of well-off parents, he has to sort out the important things himself—just like anyone else. It’s awful when others hurt you, but it’s even stranger when you hurt yourself. And that is what Andrej grapples with throughout the film,” the director explains. The festival describes the picture as a cry for cinematic freedom, brimming with humor and inventive ideas regarding both form and screenplay.
The second film in the Proxima competition section is the thriller *33 Steps* (2026) by the debut directing duo Anna and Šimon Domček, a work based on the protagonist’s true story. It follows Milan, a Romani man who was brutally attacked by neo-Nazis at the age of eighteen. Milan fell into a coma and, although he survived clinical death, he has lived with the lasting consequences ever since. His trauma resurfaces when he learns that his former attacker is returning from prison. According to the Karlovy Vary festival, the film—which straddles the line between documentary and fiction—addresses the issue of racial intolerance in an unconventional way. The lead role is played by Milan Daniel, who portrays himself. “Milan plays a character whose story is inspired by his own life experience,” the Domčeks say. “In Milan, we found someone who truly inhabits the circumstances his character faces in the film. For us, he embodies the definition of a good actor. Once we explained a scene to him—who his scene partner was and what the situation entailed—Milan fully believed in it. Sometimes we had a different idea of how it should be played, but he surpassed our expectations.”
In addition to the feature film *The Spring* (*Prameň*), director and producer Ivan Ostrochovský will present his new documentary, *Igor and Then* (*Igor a potom*), at Karlovy Vary. Originally titled *Self-Portrait* (*Autoportrét*), the film was initially being prepared by cinematographer Igor Luther; Ostrochovský took over the project following Luther’s death in 2020. The film chronicles the final years of Luther’s life—a man described by Ostrochovský as “arguably the most successful Slovak filmmaker,” having collaborated with the likes of Andrzej Wajda, Michael Haneke, and Volker Schlöndorff. “My task was made easier in some respects because Martin Šulík had already created a profile of Igor’s work as part of a series on the Czechoslovak New Wave, allowing me to focus more on Igor’s idiosyncrasies. I knew from the start that Igor wouldn’t shoot the film himself, given that over two years of production, he had filmed only a single shot—the one that concludes the movie. In that sense, Igor and I were alike. It took me another six years to finish the film,” says Ostrochovský, who also drew upon the documentary series *The Golden Sixties* (*Zlaté šesťdesiate*), co-produced by the Slovak Film Institute (SFÚ), during the creative process. The film will be screened in the Special Screenings – Classics section; Karel Och describes Ostrochovský’s perspective as extraordinary, dynamic, and meditative.
Audiences at the Karlovy Vary festival will have the opportunity to see Igor Luther’s cinematography in Juraj Jakubisko’s classic film *Birds, Orphans and Fools* (*Vtáčkovia, siroty a blázni*), which is being screened as part of the “Return to the Sources – KVIFF 60/80” section. The screening coincides with the presentation of the Festival President’s Award to actress Magda Vášáryová, who plays one of the lead roles in the film. According to the organizers, “by honoring one of Slovakia’s most distinguished actresses, the Karlovy Vary festival aims not only to show respect for Magda Vášáryová’s acting work but also to highlight the unique artistic bond between Czech and Slovak filmmakers who shaped a shared cinematic history.”…
The film *Birds, Orphans and Fools* is a mosaic-like, playful parable set in an undefined time and place—a mad world devoid of ideals, a world of violence, cynicism, and hopelessness. Its protagonists—three abandoned eccentrics living in this insane, ugly world—survive solely through their madness, embracing the spirit of play and a philosophy of joy. “Neither the situations nor their outcomes are predictable—a quality heightened by dynamic cinematography, editing, and expressive music,” notes the Karlovy Vary festival. “The trio’s merry escapades increasingly resemble a dance over an abyss into which they, too, will inevitably plunge.” The idea to make a film about the absurdity of the world and the hopelessness of life came to Jakubisko in the wake of August 1968. The screenplay was written in just two weeks, and production began as early as October 1968, amidst the stifling atmosphere following the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. The film premiered at the Czechoslovak Film Showcase in Sorrento in 1969. Subsequently, following a negative assessment by a special commission under the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Socialist Republic—which evaluated films based on cultural-political criteria—it was shelved for twenty years. It was not screened until 1990, after the Velvet Revolution, when it appeared in the main competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and won the FIPRESCI Prize.
Five other Slovak minority co-productions will also receive special screenings at the Karlovy Vary festival. These include the documentary *Dying for Life* (2026) by director Yuliia Hontaruk, which follows veterans who attempted to reintegrate into civilian life after returning from the war in eastern Ukraine in 2014, only to have war re-enter their lives in 2022. Also featured is the biographical documentary *Two Deciliters of Ink* (2026), in which director Ester Geislerová traces the life of her father—Japanologist and calligrapher Peter Geisler, a fragile and complex figure—piecing together a multi-layered, deeply human portrait from archival materials and the recollections of loved ones. The lineup continues with the contemporary drama *City of Fathers* (2026) by Zdeněk Tyc, about a young man who sets out to discover his roots following his mother’s death—a journey marked by peculiar encounters and moments of unexpected awakening—as well as the sports film *The Fighter* (2026) by directing duo Vojtěch Frič and Tomáš Dianiška, starring Milan Ondrík as a retired boxer. Finally, the acclaimed creative documentary *If Pigeons Turned to Gold* (2026) by Pepa Lubojacki will be screened; in this unconventional film, the director seeks to understand why her beloved older brother and two cousins are experiencing homelessness and addiction. The film won the Best Documentary Award at this year’s Berlinale.
The festival section “Future Frames: Generation NEXT of European Cinema”—organized in collaboration with European Film Promotion—traditionally showcases ten emerging European directors. This year’s selection includes the Slovak co-production *Orla* (2026) by director Maria Lukáčová. Described as an eco-feminist rap fairy tale, the film premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and offers an unconventional take on a traditional genre.
Last year, the KVIFF Central Stage initiative was launched as part of the Karlovy Vary Festival’s industry program for film professionals. This platform was created to provide a showcase for established Central European filmmakers, present upcoming projects in advanced stages of financing, and foster co-production partnerships within the region. The program is organized in collaboration with Central European film institutes, including the Slovak Film Institute (SFÚ). Following the debut participation last year of the Slovak project *Love* (*Láska*) by director Marko Škop, this year’s program will feature director Michal Blaško’s project *Cowgirl*—currently in post-production—and director Tomáš Hodan’s film *Stones Rolling to Prague* (*Kamene sa valia do Prahy*). As part of the “Book-to-Screen” industry initiative, Slovak writer and dramaturg Daniel Majling will present his book *Zone* (*Zóna*), published by BRaK. The KVIFF Industry Days 2026 program will take place from July 5 to 8. Slovakia will also be represented on the Europa Cinemas Label jury by Nataša Jurčová Findrová from Kino Lumière. The jury will select a winning film from among the entries in the festival’s two competitive sections.
