Film festival in the Czech Republic - Karlovy Vary Film Festival: main prize goes to Mark Cousins
The main prize of the 58th International Film Festival in Karlsbad goes to the latest documentary film by British director Mark Cousins. The 59-year-old accepted the Crystal Globe at the closing gala in the Czech spa town personally. In his film, he tells the story of a turning point in the life of the British abstract painter Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912-2004).
The artist visited the mountains in Swiss Grindelwald in 1949, which led to an entire series of abstract glacier images. The glacier landscape has long since significantly shrunk, serving as an example of the consequences of global warming. The documentary is called "A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things" - roughly translated: a sudden glimpse into deeper things. The main prize is worth approximately 23,000 Euros.
The award for best direction goes to the filmmaker Nelicia Low from Singapore for her feature film "Pierce" (Fencing) about a young fencer and his older brother, who has just been released from prison. The Norwegian Helga Guren was honored as best actress, the Dutch Ton Kas and Guido Pollemans as best actor. The British film star Clive Owen - known from "Closer" (2004) and "Gosford Park" (2001) - received the festival president's honorary award at the gala. He has shot a lot in Prague and its surroundings and has found some friends in the Czech Republic, Owen said.
In total, more than 130 evening-length feature and documentary films were shown in Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary) this year. The film festival, founded in 1946 and originally alternating with its Moscow counterpart, is one of the oldest in the world. It transforms the picturesque spa town in western Czech Republic into a party stronghold every summer and attracts visitors from within and outside the country. This year, over 127,000 admission tickets for film screenings were sold.
The main prize-winning documentary, "A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things," showcases the life-changing journey of British abstract painter Wilhelmina Barns-Graham in the Czech Republic. Clive Owen, a renowned British actor, received the festival president's honorary award for his contributions to cinema, particularly in Prague. The film festival in Carlsbad, Czech Republic, showcased over 130 feature and documentary films, attracting a large audience from both within and outside the country. The best director award went to Nelicia Low from Singapore for her film "Pierce" (Fencing). The documentary 'Main prize' winner explores the shrinking glacier landscape in Swiss Grindelwald, symbolizing the impact of global warming. The Norwegian actress Helga Guren and Dutch actors Ton Kas and Guido Pollemans received awards for their exceptional performances in various films screened at the festival.
