Karlovy Vary Film Festival abridged to 4 days, begins November 18

The annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will be held in abridged form starting from November 18 in the Czech Republic.

The orgzers had earlier postponed the festival's 55th annual edition to July 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic but have now unveiled plans to hold the 54 1/2th edition of the festival.

One of the oldest film festivals and the Czech Republic's premiere industry four-day event this year will be launched in the spa town where it had been cancelled as a result of coronavirus pandemic in July.

The festival will run for four days with physical screenings at four cinemas. The orgzers say, Karlovy Vary IFF 54 1/2 will offer audiences the Czech premieres of "an exclusive selection of the most distinctive films to have aroused positive responses at their premieres at Sundance, Berlin or Venice, or that bear the Cannes Label," Variety reported.

Some 30 films will each screen two or three times, with projections in the Grand and Small Hall of the iconic Hotel Thermal, the traditional mothership of Karlovy Vary fest known for its distinctive Brutalist architecture. Other screenings will draw crowds to the ornate Karlovy Vary Theatre and the nearby Cas Cinema, Variety added.

The complete schedule of the program will be announced online at kviff.com on October 19. Attendants can book discount-price tickets starting October 21.

In the wake of the rising cases of coronavirus in the Czech Republic and its impacts on international travel, Karlovy Vary IFF 54 1/2 will have fewer visitors from other parts of the world.

The orgzers said, "We will be looking at possible ways of connecting festivals, exhibitors and new distribution models in times of fundamental changes to the traditional film industry."

Amid COVID-19 pandemic, new restrictions have been imposed in the Czech Republic. Currently, the safety rules limit gatherings to 10 people but allow for up to 500 in cinema halls with social distancing, masks and contact tracing in use.

( With inputs from ANI )

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor