Midsummer nights' dreams

Of the 220 films at this year's Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, 65 are international or European premieres. The main competition is lacking a single Czech entry, though the former Eastern bloc makes a strong showing in the main event with films from Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Croatia. Considering that the famous spa town has now been colonized by wealthy Russians, it's appropriate that that country feature no less than five films in the festival.

The remaining slots are filled with films from France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and the United States, as well as entries from Iran and South Korea. Canada makes a strong showing with five films.

There are, of course, no shortage of auteur premieres, with new films by Lars von Trier (Antichrist), Sam Mendes (Away We Go), and Almodovar (Broken Embraces).

Any film festival worth its salt packs some star power, and Karlovy Vary is no exception. Celebrities scheduled to appear this year include the Spanish-born Hollywood star Antonio Banderas, French actress Isabelle Huppert and American director Paul Schrader. Special events include tributes to the great Czech filmmaker Jan Švankmajer, French director Patrice Chéreau and American actor and director John Malkovich, who is also scheduled to make a personal appearance.

With so many films to see, options will undoubtedly seem daunting. Many, such as Public Enemies with Johnny Depp (shown on the cover), will enter general release after the festival. Below are a few suggestions for other films worth seeking out in Bohemia's spa of spas.

Nem vagyok a barátod (I Am Not Your Friend)-Hungary, 2009. György Pálfi, director. Pálfi's wonderfully grotesque Taxidermia was a sensation in Prague, where it still pops up in repertory schedules. Based on that alone, it will be exciting to see what the director has come up with next. I Am Not Your Friend is a cynical mosaic on love, which Pálfi developed over 20 days of improvisation with a group of nine amateur actors. Will he remain the enfant terrible of Hungarian cinema?

Thriller in Manila-UK, 2008. John Dower, director. This reconstruction of the famous bout between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in the Philippine capital in 1975 focuses on events as seen from Frazier's corner. Thirty years on, an aging trainer still recalls the taunts and slurs that Frazier's former friend Ali brought to their "battle to the death." Archival footage adds realism to this look at the sociopolitical backdrop of the period.

El Paso-Czech Republic, 2009. Zdeněk Tyc, director. Following on the heels of The Brats (2002), Tyc again examines the lives of Roma. This story of a Roma woman struggling to hang on after her husband dies is expected to generate some interest from the jury in the East of the West category of competition. After being forced from her apartment and losing her kids to social workers, Věra Horváthová must battle in court for the right to raise her children.

Niciji sin (No One's Son)-Croatia, 2008. Arsen Anton Ostojić, director. Described as "the best Croatian movie of 2008" and winner of a whopping six Golden Arena Awards at the 55th International Pula Film Festival, No One's Son follows Ivan, a former rock singer and war veteran with crippling disabilities and seemingly few chances to redeem his life from insignificance and unhappiness. Things take an unexpected turn, however, when Ivan discovers sinister family secrets bubbling up from the past.

Everything Strange and New-USA, 2008. Frazer Bradshaw, director. Fresh from this year's Sundance Film Festival, Everything is veteran director of photography Bradshaw's first outing at the helm. This unrelentingly bleak tale focuses on the day-to-day banalities endured by Wayne, an unsatisfied middle-aged man living out the "American nightmare" of dead-end jobs and few if any prospects.

Dobře placená procházka (A Walk Worthwhile)-Czech Republic, 2009. Miloš Forman, director. This re-creation of Forman's 1966 television version of the Semafor musical by Jiří Suchý and Jiří Šlitr came into being after the famous Hollywood transplant teamed up with his sons, director Petr Forman and stage designer Matěj Forman, to stage a version at Prague's National Theater in 2007. Aptly described as a "comic jazz opera," the story tells the tale of Uli and Vanilka, who find love while attempting to negotiate a divorce. Anyone familiar with the excellent staging at the National Theater will be intrigued to see how Forman has reinterpreted a piece he has filmed once before (which is available on DVD).

James Walling can be reached at
jwalling@praguepost.com