Even in years when the star power is considerably brighter than it is at this year's festival, half the fun is at the soirees. Those that happen early on in the fest tend to be a tad stiff, however, with everyone properly turned out and more or less well-behaved.

Thank goodness, then, for folks like Prague-based indie producer Jefe Brown and Czech femme fatales Anna Geislerová and Tatiana Vilhemová, all of whom showed up Saturday night at the rustic redoubt known as Diana, where the Barrandov fete is held. Fair to say, these folks kept things lively.

Another force of nature keeping folks on their toes during the opening days of the festival was British director Steen Agro, whose Shut Up and Shoot Me is screening in the collection of 10 new films by up-and-coming directors chosen by a group of esteemed critics for the European Film Promotion Variety Critics Choice awards.

Many KVIFF regulars prefer to avoid the chichi gatherings as much as possible, hanging out instead in the bowels of the communist-era Hotel Thermal, the fest HQ. Therein lies Peklo, known officially during the fest as the Sierra Bar, a basement lounge with hellish red lighting, cheesy rock disco, cheap mojitos and a lot of people shaking it every night.