For nine days in July, Karlovy Vary will once again become the capital of film. The International Film Festival (KVIFF) will take place from July 3 to 11, 2026 and will offer hundreds of screenings, world and European premieres, important film guests, expert discussions and a rich accompanying program.
In 2026, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival commemorates two significant anniversaries – 80 years since the first year and the jubilee 60th year of the Karlovy Vary IFF.
As the second oldest film festival in the world, the Karlovy Vary one is among the European showcases of the so-called first wave of the post-war trend of European film competitions.
80 years ago, from August 1 to 15, 1946, the first, then non-competitive year of the film festival with international participation took place, the organization of which was shared by the spa towns of Mariánské Lázně and Karlovy Vary. It took place earlier than the inaugural festivals in Cannes or Locarno and also preceded the renewed 7th year of the oldest film festival in the world in Venice (founded in 1932, renewed in 1946).
Main stars of KVIFF 2026
The main star will be American actress and director Maggie Gyllenhaal, known to Czech audiences from the 2003 film Mona Lisa Smile, where she starred alongside Julia Roberts. She became famous the year before with her role in the 2002 romance Secretary, for which she was nominated for an Oscar. She is also known from the action thriller The Dark Knight. She starred in the film Donnie Darko with her brother Jake Gyllenhaal. She will receive the President's Award at KVIFF 2026, just like her husband, American actor Peter Sarsgaard, with whom she has two daughters, did last year.
The second biggest star will be American stage and film actor Jesse Eisenberg, nominated for an Oscar for his role as Mark Zuckerberg in the drama The Social Network. A versatile actor, screenwriter, director and producer, Eisenberg first made his mark as an actor in 2002, when he drew attention to himself in the film Rodger Dodger. His second Oscar nomination was brought to him by a film he directed, the tragicomedy about two American cousins on a journey to their Polish roots, True Pain. In addition to an invitation to the Oscars, he also received a BAFTA award and an award at Sundance for its screenplay.
Gyllenhaal will present her latest auteur work in Karlovy Vary, the film The Bride!, which she also produced. In Eisenberg's honor, the festival will present a playful adaptation of Dostoevsky's novella The Double, in which he played a double role.
The festival's main local star will be actress Magda Vášáryová, who will receive the President's Award of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The festival will also present a digitally restored copy of Věra Chytilová's tragicomedy „Kopytem sem, kopytem tam“.
Press source: zpravy.iDNES.cz
