The jury
Laura Arias (Colombia), Giuseppe Sedia (Italy), Marita Nyrhinen (Finland), Isabel Jacobs (Czech Republic), Shiva Fouladi (France), Wellington Almeida (Portugal),
Awarded films
-
Only Beautiful Things to Look At by
Ivan Ostrochovsky,
(Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Hungary, 2026, 90 min) -
Petty Thieves by
Mate Ugrin,
(Croatia, France, Germany, Serbia, 2026, 110 min)
Reports
- Strong Women in the Spotlight at the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival by Marita Nyrhinen
- Only Beautiful Things to Look At: Reclaiming Dignity in the Face of Reproductive Violence by Laura Arias
- Burmese Cinema: The Best Gift for a Special Year by Giuseppe Sedia
- Humanity’s Fractured Relation with the Earth: Three Visions from the Proxima Competition at Karlovy Vary by Shiva Fouladi
- Lovers Are Fighters: Two Debuts from Karlovy Vary by Isabel Jacobs
- In Karlovy Vary, The Kids Are Not Alright by Wellington Almeida
The largest film event in the Czech Republic and one of the oldest A-list international festivals, Karlovy Vary IFF annually screens over 150 films and regularly hosts renowned filmmakers. Our jury awards two prizes: one to a film in the international Crystal Globe Competition and one in the Proxima Competition, which highlights innovative contemporary cinema.
Crystal Globe competition
Only Beautiful Things to Look At
Motivation: “Ivan Ostrochovský addresses a very touchy topic for bygone Czechoslovakia—the ethical implications of the state-sponsored sterilization campaign of Roma women. Steering clear of both inflexible realism and folklore, Pramen is also a visually alluring nostalgic trip into the Eighties, and most of all, a story of friendship and solidarity among two strong women from different backgrounds”.
Proxima competition
Petty Thieves
Motivation: “This impressive first feature finds depth and beauty in lives too often left unseen. Through rich atmosphere, lingering observation and a seductive sense of mystery, the director crafts a quietly universal portrait of a generation caught between economic hardship, fractured human connections, and the search for belonging and dignity. It’s a summer film with a dark twist, one that marks the arrival of an exciting new voice in European cinema”.
Discover the results of the FIPRESCI-FNE Critics Poll.