Published On 4/7/2026
The 60th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival opened in the Czech Republic, which is scheduled to witness a special celebration of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the festival.
The opening ceremony witnessed the awarding of the American actor Dustin Hoffman with the Crystal Ball Award in honor of his distinguished artistic contribution during his busy career in cinema.
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Today, Saturday, Hoffman will present a screening of the film “The Graduate” (1967), for which he received his first Oscar nomination.
Hoffman won dozens of international awards, including two Oscars for Best Actor for his role in the films “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979) and “Rain Man” (1988). He was also nominated 5 times for the same award. He also won several prestigious awards such as BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Emmy.
The festival also honors French actress Juliette Binoche, and she is scheduled to be presented with the “Crystal Ball” award at the festival’s closing ceremony on July 11, in addition to organizing the screening of the films “Replica” and “Three Colours.. Blue.”
The French star won a number of international awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film “The English Patient” (1996).
The third “Crystal Ball” award will go to American director of photography Robert Richardson, winner of three Oscars, and his honor will be accompanied by the screening of the documentary film “Robert Richardson…The White Devil.”
The 60th session of the festival is scheduled to witness the screening of more than 130 films as part of its various competitions and programs.
12 films will compete in the “Crystal Ball” competition, which is the main competition of the festival, including the Lebanese film “Qastal” (Pipes) by director Karim Kassem.
80 years of cinema
The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest film festivals in the world, as its first session was launched in 1946, and it was a non-competitive event, before it turned into a competitive festival in 1948, and settled permanently in the city in 1950.
It is also classified within the category of major festivals such as Cannes, Venice and Berlin, which gives it international weight and makes it an essential platform for displaying international cinema, especially those coming from Eastern Europe and emerging markets.
