With our audiences in mind, the 43rd Karlovy Vary IFF will be expanding its program on the first and last days of the festival. On opening day, Friday, July 4th, the number of screenings will dramatically increase. Viewers will be able to see movies from the Horizons section, as well as some of the most talked-about new releases from the Cannes IFF. The first day's greatest attraction, however, will be an encounter with the opera.

This year, the Karlovy Vary IFF will introduce a technologically and artistically unique project, which as of 2006 has become an enthusiastically welcomed phenomenon for film and music lovers. In the 2007/2008 season, viewers and listeners enjoyed Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD, a series of operas from New York's Lincoln Center broadcast live via satellite in 600 theaters and cultural centers on five continents. The Encore series, a rebroadcasting of the most memorable performances, built on the success of the live broadcasts. Prague's Aero Movie Theater became the Met's partner in the Czech Republic and the venue for the first live broadcasts.

As a prime example, the opera spectacular The First Emperor is an exceptional event in which Chinese and Western cultures are blended with depth and sophistication. Starring Plácido Domingo, the production at the Met was directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, Hero, House of Flying Daggers). Tan Dun, conductor and composer of the score, won a Best Music Oscar for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

The Karlovy Vary IFF will offer visitors a glimpse of New York's opera mecca on opening day, Friday, July 4th. At 7 pm, The First Emperor will launch the festival section entitled 2008: A Music Odyssey. (A second screening is scheduled for Tuesday, July 8th.)