Monsoon KVIFF

Source: KVIFF

‘Monsoon’

The 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 28 - July 6) has unveiled the first competition titles in its Official Selection, East of the West and Documentary sections. 

Scroll down for full line-ups

The 12-strong main competition will include 10 world premieres and two international premieres.

UK director Hong Khaou’s Monsoon, his follow up to his 2014 Sundance debut Lilting, is among the world premieres. Backed by BBC FilmsMonsoon stars Henry Golding, best known for Crazy Rich Asians, as a man struggling with his return to his native Vietnam for the first time in 30 years. The film was featured in this year’s UK Cannes buyers showcase Great 8.

Further world premieres in competition include German director Jan Ole Gerster’s drama Lara, starring Corinna Harfouch; Slovenia’s Damjan Kozole, the winner of best director at the 2016 KVIFF for Nightlife, returns with Half-Sister; and Felipe Ríos’ Chile-set The Man From The Future.

East of the West

This year’s East of the West strand is showing eight world, three international, and one European premiere, with eight debuts. The opening film is Aga’s House, the feature-length debut by Kosovo director Lendita Zeqiraj.

Documentary

The 11-strong documentary strand features eight world premieres, including Spoon from prolific Latvian filmmaker Laila Pakalnina and Over The Hills from award-winning Czech documentarian Martin Mareček.

The selection also includes the European premiere of Todd Douglas Miller’s Apollo 11.

KVIFF 2019 line-up

OFFICIAL SELECTION - COMPETITION

The Father (Bul-Gre) - World premiere
Director: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov 

Patrick / Patrick (Bel) - World premiere
Director: Tim Mielants

The Man from the Future (Chi) - World premiere
Director: Felipe Ríos

La Belle Indifference (Tur) - World premiere
Director: Kıvanç Sezer

Lara (Ger) - World premiere
Director: Jan Ole Gerster

Mosaic Portrait (Chi) - World premiere
Director: Yixiang Zhai

Monsoon (UK) - World premiere
Director: Hong Khaou

Let There Be Light (Slo-Cze) - World premiere
Director: Marko Škop

Ode to Nothing (Phi) - International premiere
Director: Dwein Baltazar

Half-Sister (Slo-Mac-Ser-Cro) - World premiere
Director: Damjan Kozole

To the Stars (USA) - International premiere
Director: Martha Stephens

The August Virgin (Spa) - World premiere
Director: Jonás Trueba

EAST OF THE WEST – COMPETITION

Last Visit (Sau) - World premiere
Director: Abdulmohsen Aldhabaan

Arrest (Rom) - International premiere
Director: Andrei Cohn

The Bull (Rus) - International premiere
Director: Boris Akopov

Passed by Censor (Tur) - International premiere
Director: Serhat Karaaslan

Silent Days (Slo-Cze) - World premiere
Director: Pavol Pekarčík

Mamonga (Ser-Bos-Mon) - World premiere
Director: Stefan Malešević

My Thoughts Are Silent (Ukr) - World premiere
Director: Antonio Lukich

Nova Lituania (Lit) - World premiere
Director: Karolis Kaupinis

Aga’s House (Kos-Cro-Fra-Alb) - World premiere
Director: Lendita Zeqiraj

Scandinavian Silence (Est-Fra-Bel) - European premiere
Director: Martti Helde

A Certain Kind of Silence (Cze-Net-Lat) - World premiere
Director: Michal Hogenauer

Zizotek (Gre) - World premiere
Director: Vardis Marinakis

DOCUMENTARY FILMS – COMPETITION

17 Blocks (USA) - European premiere
Director: Davy Rothbart

Apollo 11 (USA) - European premiere
Director: Todd Douglas Miller

The Fading Village (China) - World premiere
Director: Liu Feifang

Over the Hills (Cze) - World premiere
Director: Martin Mareček

Up to Down (Ita) - World premiere
Director: Nazareno Manuel Nicoletti

In the Arms of Morpheus (Net) - World premiere
Director: Marc Schmidt

Spoon (Lat, Nor, Lit) - World premiere
Director: Laila Pakalniņa

Confucian Dream (Chi) - European premiere
Director: Mijie Li

Projectionist (Ukr-Pol) - World premiere
Director: Yuriy Shylov

The Last Autumn (Ice) - World premiere
Director: Yrsa Roca Fannberg

Immortal (Est-Lat) - World premiere
Director: Ksenia Okhapkina

Official Selection – Out of Competition

Mystify: Michael Hutchence (Aus) - European premiere
Director: Richard Lowenstein

Old-Timers (Cze) - World premiere
Director: Martin Dušek, Ondřej Provazník

The True Adventures of Wolfboy (USA) - World premiere
Director: Martin Krejčí

Special Events

The Sleepers (Cze) - World premiere
Director: Ivan Zachariáš

Forman vs. Forman (Cze-Fra)
Director: Helena Třeštíková, Jakub Hejna

Jiří Suchý – Tackling Life with Ease (Cze) - World premiere
Director: Olga Sommerová

The Downfall of the Secluded Berhof (Cze)
Director: Jiří Svoboda