Karlovy Vary Festival 2022 ~ UNITED PHOTO PRESS

Globe for Geoffrey Rush, KVIFF President’s Awards for Benicio Del Toro and Bolek Polívka

Stars on the red carpet during the end of the Karlovy Vary Festival

Just like the opening night, the end of the 56th International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary started atypically. First, the moderator Marek Eben pointed out that the opening show will include stroboscopic lights and pyrotechnic effects, which especially warmed up the audience in the first rows, after which he repeatedly called: "Please turn on your mobile phones and take video and audio recordings." A visual-dance show followed. from the workshop of the Caban brothers.

Czech actor Boleslav Polívka appeared on stage as the first of the three honorary award winners. "He didn't get it because we are friends," said festival president Jiří Bartoška in the cut of Polivkové roli. "Dad was a volunteer and he would have been happy about it. He would consider me the pride of Vizovice volunteers," said Polívka with the Festival President's Award. "I'm touched and I'm happy," he added.

Benicio del Toro receives the Festival President's Award

The actor further added that we are close to a sovereign state that has been defending itself against aggression for five months: "The Karlovy Vary Festival showed solidarity with Ukraine by giving space to projects from the Odessa festival, which is why it is an honor for me to receive the Karlovy Vary Award."

Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush won the Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema. "I'm just as excited as I was when I sat in the theater for the first time at the age of six," said the deeply moved actor.

I wanted to be like Polivka. I'll probably meet him here, admitted Rush, moved

First he danced and then read a prepared speech, which he began in Czech: "Thank you to everyone in the Czech Republic, it's a great honor. And also a good evening, Then he continued in English and mentioned the Black Theater of Jiří Srnec, the playwrights of the Čapk brothers, the work of Miloš Forman, the work of Bolek Polívek and Boris Hybner directed by Ctibor Turba. "The show was absolutely amazing. Bolku, you were my male muse. I wanted to be like you!” Rush said.

He continued to mention Czech traces when he remembered his first international work, i.e. the filming of Les Miserables in Barrandov. He also mentioned Václav Havel and the fact that a playwright became one of the world leaders. "I appreciate the fact that my imagination could be so often and so strongly inspired by my experiences in the Czech Republic," he concluded his speech, after which the entire hall stood up. Rush sang to applause.