The 47th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival took place from June 29st to July 7th this year. Norwegian filmmaker Martin Lund‘s film The Almost Man won the Grand Prix Crystal Award in a picturesque spa town in the Czech Republic.
The Almost Man is a psychological study about a man, Henrik, in his 30s grappling with the process of getting older and become a responsible partner and father; Henrik Rafaelsen, who played Henrik, also picked up the Best Actor award for his portrayal.
Rafaelsen shared Best Actor limelight with Polish actor Eryk Lubos, who was recognized for his acting in Jan Jakub Kolski‘s To Kill a Beaver.
There were three other double-prize winners at the festival: Camion, a drama that won the Ecumenical Jury Prize and Best Director for French-Canadian Rafael Ouellet; Iran's The Last Step, which won the FIPRESCI prize and Best Actress for Leila Hatami; and Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy, which won the Special Jury Prize and the European Cinemas Label Award.
Helen Mirren and Susan Sarandon were given lifetime achievement awards at the festival. Sarandon dedicated the prize to the late filmmaker Nora Ephron, calling her ‘my friend and wonderful director.'
The festival's grand jury was led by Richard Pena, selection committee chair of the New York Film Festival.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VV4mzndIeU[/youtube]
Source: THR
