The 60th anniversary edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival was held from 3 to 11 July 2026, organised by Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary, a.s., with Kryštof Mucha as the executive director, Karel Och as its artistic director and Petr Lintimer as the head of production.
The 61th Karlovy Vary IFF will be held from July 2 to 10 July 2027.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS:
CRYSTAL GLOBE COMPETITION:
Grand Prix – Crystal Globe:
Fruit Gathering / Thit-thee Khu (Myanmar, Czech Republic, France)
Directed by Aung Phyoe
Special Jury Prize:
The Guest / Gæsten (Denmark)
Directed by Mads Mengel
Best Director Award:
Mads Mengel for The Guest / Gæsten (Denmark)
Best Actress Award:
Anna Schinz in A Happy Family (Switzerland)
Directed by Jan-Eric Mack
Best Actor Award:
Ghassan Saad in Pipes (Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia)
Directed by Karim Kassem
Právo Audience Award:
Bára – Diary of a Rockstar / Bára Basiková (Czech Republic)
Directed by Helena Třeštíková
PROXIMA COMPETITION:
Proxima Grand Prix:
Lover, Not a Fighter / Milovník, nie bojovník (Slovakia, Czech Republic)
Directed by Martina Buchelová
Produced by NINJA film, Unit+Sofa
Coproduced by Radio and Television Slovakia
Supported by the Slovak Audiovisual Fund, the Czech Film Fund
Proxima Jury Prize:
Incinerator / Shokyakuro (Japan)
Directed by Shuntaro Uchida
Proxima Best Director Award:
Efthimis Kosemund-Sanidis for A Whole Person Almost / Enas olokliros anthropos schedon (Greece, Bulgaria, Germany, Cyprus, Romania)
Produced by Horsefly Films
Coproduced by Red Carpet Films, Wunderlust, Felony Film, Tangaj Production
Supported by the Greek Film Center, the Bulgarian National Film Center, Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Culture, EKOME, ERT, Phanta Rei, Onassis, ZDF/ARTE, SEE Cinema Network, Creative Europe MEDIA: mini-slate development
Special Mention:
33 Steps / 33 krokov (Slovakia, Czech Republic)
Directed by Anna Domček, Šimon Domček
CRYSTAL GLOBE FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD CINEMA:
Juliette Binoche (France)
Dustin Hoffman (USA)
Robert Richardson (USA)
FESTIVAL PRESIDENT’S AWARD:
Jesse Eisenberg (USA)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (USA)
Magda Vášáryová (Slovakia)
Jeffrey Wright (USA)
NON-STATUTORY AWARDS:
The Ecumenical Jury Award:
Grand Prize of the Ecumenical Jury:
The Lion at My Back (Cyprus, Luxembourg, Greece)
Directed by Tonia Mishiali
Produced by Bark Like A Cat Films
Coproduced by Iris Productions, Avaton Films
Supported by the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Culture, the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center S.A. – CREATIVE GREECE – Recovery and Resilience Facility Co-Production Window (Greece), Film Fund Luxembourg – Cineworld, Creative Europe MEDIA – Mini-Slate Funding
Europa Cinemas Label Award:
3 Weeks After / 3 nedelje posle (Serbia, Luxembourg, Italy, Bulgaria, Croatia)
Directed by Miroslav Terzić
Produced by This and That Productions
Coproduced by Paul Thiltges Distribution, Nightswim, Invictus, Kinorama
Supported by Film Center Serbia, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the Luxembourg Film Fund, MIC Italian Ministry of Culture, the Bulgarian National Film Center, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Creative Europe MEDIA
The FIPRESCI Award for the Best Film in the Crystal Globe Competition:
Only Beautiful Things to Look At / Prameň (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary)
Directed by Ivan Ostrochovský
Produced by Punkchart Films, Negativ
Coproduced by the Slovak Television and Radio, Proton Cinema, the Czech Television
Supported by Czech Audiovisual Fund, Eurimages, Slovak Audiovisual Fund, National Film Institute – Hungary, Hungarian National Film Office, Kultminor
The FIPRESCI Award for the Best Film in the Proxima Competition:
Petty Thieves / Sitni lopovi (Croatia, Germany, France)
Directed by Mate Ugrin
Produced by Kadromat
Coproduced by In the Cut, Fünferfilm, Nanslafu films
Supported by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, CNC – Aide aux cinémas du monde, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, ARTE/Cofinova, MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Creative Europe MEDIA
KVIFF PROMISES WINNERS:
Midpoint & KVIFF Development Award:
They Bloom at Dawn / Cutot na zorata (North Macedonia)
Directed by Angela Dimeska
Eurimages Co-Production Development Award:
Selamlik (Sweden, Denmark)
Directed by Jerry Carlsson
Eurimages Special Co-Production Development Award:
Reminiscence / Reministsentsiia (Ukraine)
Directed by Anastasia Tykha
connecting cottbus Award:
Reminiscence / Reministsentsiia (Ukraine)
Directed by Anastasia Tykha
Rotterdam Lab Award:
Monika Matuszewska, producer of the film Confirmation / Bierzmowanie (Poland)
Marché du Film Producers Network Award:
Tomáš Hrubý, producer of Cowgirl (Czech Republic)
Eva Váchová, producer of A Few Branches Off / Pořezat pár větví (Czech Republic)
Works in Development – KVIFF Talents:
Feature Pool:
Exposed / Exponovaná (Czech Republic)
Directed by Klára Tasovská
Until We Leave / Odliv (Czech Republic)
Written by Lucia Čižinská
Nera (Czech Republic, Slovenia)
Directed by Ivana Vogrinc Vidali
Creative Pool:
Inhalatorium (Czech Republic), Stop-motion feature film
Directed by Bára Anna Stejskalová
Burning Witches / Hon na Čarodejnice (Czech Republic), Miniseries
Written by Martina Babišová and Věra Starečková
K-Dream (Czech Republic), Miniseries
Directed by Adam Sedlák
Book to Screen at KVIFF:
Playing Wolf / Cestou špendlíků nebo jehel (Czech Republic)
Written by Zuzana Říhová
Published by Argo
The True Way Out / Skutečná cesta ven (Czech Republic)
Written by Patrik Banga
Published by Host
Cupid at the Kremlin Wall / Kupidoni Kremlis Kedeltan (Georgia)
Written by Aka Morchiladze
Published by Sulakauri Publishing
Aspic Bistro / Šaltienos bistro (Lithuania)
Written by Ieva Dumbrytė
Published by Kitos knygos
The River Odyssey of Kora from Willow Meadow / Wodyseja, czyli prawdziwa historia Kory z Wierzbowej Łąki (Poland)
Written by Adam Robiński
Published by Widnokrąg
Queen of Hearts / Dama de cupa (Moldova)
Written by Iulian Ciocan
Published by Polirom
The Zone / Zóna (Slovakia)
Written by Daniel Majling
Published by BRAK
Amadoca / Amadoka (Ukraine)
Written by Sophia Andrukhovych
Published by The Old Lion Publishing House
