The 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival opened on 4 July 2025, in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic with a film by Milan Kuchynka and Jakub Jurásek, We've Got to Frame It!, a tribute to Jià ÂàBartoà ¡ka, the late president of the festival. 'Midnight Screenings' section from this year have a new name "Afterhours" under revamped programme.
On 3 June, the festival revealed 11 films selected for its main Crystal Globe Competition, including nine world premieres and two international premieres. On 20 June, the festival revealed its complete line-up for the 59th edition, expanding upon the previously announced competition sections.
The festival paid tribute to 1940s American film star and pioneering method actor John Garfield, while presenting its prestigious President's Award to Czech film editor Jià ÂàBroà ¾ek for his outstanding contribution to Czech cinema. Vicky Krieps, Peter Sarsgaard, and Dakota Johnson were also honored with the KVIFF President's Award for their achievements in films. The special feature of this edition was the world premiere on 9 July of a cinematic cut of Warhorse Studiosâ video game â ' Cinematic Cut, directed by Daniel Vávra and Petr Pekaà Â, in Special Screenings section. The festival wrapped up after showcasing 175 films across 465 screenings. The lineup featured 108 fiction features, 23 documentaries, and 44 short films. Out of these, 36 had their world premiere, while five debuted internationally and another five had their first screening in Europe.
The festival concluded on 12 July with midnight film screenings and the presentation of awards in both non-statutory and main competition categories. Better Go Mad in the Wild, a Czech-Slovak documentary directed by Miro Remo, received the Crystal Globe, while Sand City, a Bangladeshi drama by Mahde Hasan, was awarded the PROXIMA Grand Prix.
The festival's opening ceremony was held on July 4 in the Grand Hall of the Thermal Hotel. It was streamed live on KVIFF.TV. This year, the platform also streamed the opening film We Gotta Frame It!, as a tribute to Jià ÂàBartoà ¡ka by Milan Kuchynka and Jakub Jurásek. Vicky Krieps and Peter Sarsgaard were presented with KVIFF President's Award.
After presenting a restored screening of Miloà ¡ FormanâÂÂs 1975 American psychological comedy-drama film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the co-producer Michael Douglas was surprised with a modern Crystal Globe statuette by the festival executive director Kryà ¡tof Mucha, replacing the earlier, awkward-to-hold version he had originally received in 1998 for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema.
The festival closed by midnight screenings of the following films:
Later the winners of the non-statutory jury awards were announced. All broadcast live was available on ÃÂT1, with red carpet arrivals on KVIFF.TV. Before announcement of the winners in the main competition categories, the Crystal Globes was presented to Jià ÂàBroà ¾ek, and the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema was awarded to the actor Stellan SkarsgÃÂ¥rd.
The festival has following sections:
Eleven of the twelve titles in the Crystal Globe Competition have been announced. The remaining film, from Iran, was revealed on 25 June to ensure the safety of its creators. The name of the 12th film from Iran was revealed as Bidad by Soheil Beiraghi.
The world premiere of Serbian miniseries AbsoluteÃÂ 100 will be highlight of Special screening in this edition.
Michael Douglas presented restored version of the 1975 classic film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest which is included in this section. Douglas was a producer along with Saul Zaentz of the Oscar winning film.
Jià ÂàBroà ¾ek is a Czech film editor.
Jià ÂàBartoà ¡ka was a Czech theatre, television, and film actor and president of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
John Garfield was an American actor who played brooding, rebellious, working-class characters
This section was previously known as "Midnight Screenings".
Following awards were announced at the closing ceremony of the festival:
The following awards were presented:
Non-statutory awards were announced in the evening of 12 July.