29-04-2014

FESTIVALS Lech Walesa to Attend KVIFF

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    Wałęsa. Man of Hope by Andrzej Wajda Wałęsa. Man of Hope by Andrzej Wajda

    PRAGUE: The Karlovy Vary IFF announced its first major guest for the 49th edition of the festival, 4-12 July 2014: Nobel Prize winner and former Polish president Lech Walesa who will introduce the world premiere of the director’s cut of Walesa: Man of Hope (Akson Studio) by Andrzej Wajda.

    Walesa will be accompanied by lead actors Robert Więckiewicz and Agnieszka Grochowska.

    “I am very well aware of the fact that Walesa is the most difficult topic I have ever come across in my 55-year film career. Nonetheless, no director has made a film about him that I found satisfactory, so I simply had no choice,” Wajda said.

    The festival also announced the selection of the recipient of the President’s Award for contribution to Czech cinematography: the beloved writer/actor Zdeněk Svěrák. Svěrák’s film Kolya, directed by his son Jan, which he wrote and starred in, won an Oscar in 1977. His extensive credits also include the Oscar-nominated films My Sweet Little Village directed by Jiří Menzel and The Elementary School also directed by his son.