Given that the 55^th edition of the largest Czech film gathering, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), has been postponed to July 2021 owing to the implementation of coronavirus-related measures (see the news), the festival’s KVIFF at Your Cinema initiative will have to serve as some sort of replacement for now.

Usually, KVIFF at Your Cinema functions as a travelling showcase introducing selected films from the latest edition throughout the Czech Republic after the festival has wrapped. Since the gathering’s programmers had already picked several titles for the 55^th edition before it was disrupted, they have now decided to organise an alternative course of action for the postponed 2020 edition of KVIFF via the KVIFF at Your Cinema initiative. A selection of 16 films that would have appeared in the festival’s line-up will have their European premieres in local cinemas over the course of nine days, taking in 96 theatres across the Czech Republic.

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“Given the situation, since moviegoers can’t come to Karlovy Vary this year, we decided to bring at least part of the festival to them. It’s our way of thanking the visitors, guests and film enthusiasts who create the fantastic festival atmosphere in Karlovy Vary every year. We are thrilled by our viewers’ immense interest, and it’s also huge that nearly 100 theatres have signed up for KVIFF at Your Cinema. I believe that, together, we will succeed in offering audiences not only great films, but even a bit of the traditional festival atmosphere,” says KVIFF president Jiří Bartoška.

The special showcase will unfold during the dates originally set for the 55^th edition of the festival. Each film will have just one exclusive screening, which will take place at all participating theatres simultaneously. All screenings will be accompanied by on-site introductions to the films by the KVIFF programmers. The 2020 initiative comprises titles selected from the festival circuit from last autumn until this year’s Berlinale, such as Guillaume Brac’s drama À l’abordage [+lire aussi :
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interview : Guillaume Brac
fiche film], unveiled in the Panorama section at the 70^th Berlin International Film Festival; Fabio and Damiano D’Innocenzo’s Bad Tales [+lire aussi :
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interview : Fabio et Damiano D'Innocenzo
fiche film], which won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at this year’s Berlinale; and The Mole Agent [+lire aussi :
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interview : Maite Alberdi
fiche film], a combination of observational documentary and spy movie by Maite Alberdi, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Domestic production will be represented by the Czech and Slovak co-produced documentary Meky [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Šimon Šafránek, who premiered his previous work, King Skate [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], at the 2018 KVIFF and received the Czech Lion Award for Best Documentary (see the news).

Below is the full line-up of KVIFF at Your Cinema 2020:

À l’abordage [+lire aussi :
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interview : Guillaume Brac
fiche film] - Guillaume Brac (France)
Babyteeth - Shannon Murphy (Australia)
Bad Tales [+lire aussi :
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interview : Fabio et Damiano D'Innocenzo
fiche film] - Fabio D’Innocenzo, Damiano D’Innocenzo (Italy/Switzerland)
Ema - Pablo Larraín (Chile)
Honey Boy - Alma Har’el (USA)
Identifying Features [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] - Fernanda Valadez (Mexico/Spain)
Kubrick by Kubrick [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] - Gregory Monro (France/Poland)
Luxor [+lire aussi :
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interview : Zeina Durra
fiche film] - Zeina Durra (Egypt/UK)
Meky [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] - Šimon Šafránek (Czech Republic/Slovakia)
Moffie [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] - Oliver Hermanus (South Africa/UK)
Mogul Mowgli [+lire aussi :
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interview : Bassam Tariq
fiche film] - Bassam Tariq (UK)
The Mole Agent [+lire aussi :
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interview : Maite Alberdi
fiche film] - Maite Alberdi (Chile/USA/Germany/Netherlands/Spain)
Proxima [+lire aussi :
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interview : Alice Winocour
fiche film] - Alice Winocour (France/Germany)
Wildland [+lire aussi :
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interview : Jeanette Nordahl
fiche film] - Jeanette Nordahl (Denmark)
Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness [+lire aussi :
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interview : Massoud Bakhshi
fiche film] - Massoud Bakhshi (France/Germany/Switzerland/Luxembourg/Lebanon/Iran)
Zumiriki [+lire aussi :
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interview : Oskar Alegría
fiche film] - Oskar Alegria (Spain)

Even though the 55^th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will therefore take place from 2-10 July 2021, the KVIFF Eastern Promises industry programme, presenting works in progress for film professionals, is being maintained this year and will unspool on the original dates of 6-8 July, as a virtual initiative.

KVIFF at Your Cinema will take place from 3-11 July 2020.

The situation in the Czech Republic is gradually returning to normal as the government eases restrictions, allowing the local film industry to restart (see the news) and cinemas to reopen (see the news). Even though the planned 2020 edition of the KVIFF had to be postponed, the organisers of the Days of European Film festival are going ahead with the 27th edition of the gathering. The festival focuses on contemporary European cinema and will present 40 films from nearly 30 European countries. Days of European Film will thus become the first film festival to be held physically in the Czech Republic after the lockdown restrictions have been lifted.