The 60th annual Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will present Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jesse Eisenberg with the President’s Award as the Czech event runs July 3–11 in the spa town west of Prague.
For the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the spotlight isn’t just on new titles—it’s also on the filmmakers shaping what contemporary cinema looks and feels like.
KVIFF organizers announced Monday morning that they will honor actors and directors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jesse Eisenberg with the President’s Award. The Czech festival. taking place in the spa town west of Prague from July 3 to 11. will present both performers with an award that in recent years has also gone to Vicky Krieps. Viggo Mortensen. Alicia Vikander. Ewan McGregor. Benicio del Toro and Peter Sarsgaard.
KVIFF’s Executive Director Kryštof Mucha said in a statement that the festival is “glad to be able to welcome two creative individuals” whose work as actors, screenwriters, and directors reflects contemporary trends in cinema, adding that their films are “an intense experience for audiences.”
Artistic director Karel Och underscored what he sees as a shared sensibility between the two honorees. describing Gyllenhaal and Eisenberg as distinguished by a certain “trans-Atlantic” sensitivity. He said their work as actors and directors can connect the New World and Europe while drawing on “the most essential elements of both traditions.”.
Gyllenhaal is set to receive her award during the KVIFF opening ceremony on July 3. During the festival, she will also present her most recent film as a director, “The Bride!”
Eisenberg’s honor will be tied to a screening as well. His most recent film as a writer/director. “The Debut. ” will be released by A24 in the fall. and at KVIFF he will be saluted by a screening of “The Double.” The film is the 2013 black comedy by Richard Ayoade. in which Eisenberg plays dual roles as a shy office worker. Simon James. and a confident new worker. James Simon. who nobody else notices looks exactly like him.
The festival says more honorees will be announced in the coming weeks, including this year’s recipient of the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema.
KVIFF has also already revealed its official lineup for several sections of the festival: the Crystal Globe Competition (its main competitive section), the Proxima Competition (for films from younger filmmakers), and Special Screenings out of competition.
Below is the festival’s announced programming.
Crystal Globe Competition
“3 nedelje posle” / “3 Weeks After”
Director: Miroslav Terzić
Serbia, Bulgaria, 2026, 94 min, World premiere
“Cherni pari za beli noshti” / “Black Money for White Nights”
Directors: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov
Bulgaria, Greece, 2025, 94 min, World premiere
“Chica Checa”
Director: Šimon Holý
Czech Republic, France, Slovak Republic, 2026, 96 min, World premiere
“Cinco años, cuatro meses” / “Five Years, Four Months”
Director: Esteban Hoyos García, Juan Miguel Gelacio Ramírez
Colombia, USA, 2025, 83 min, World premiere
“Detrás de la lluvia” / “Behind the Rain”
Director: Valeria Sarmiento
Chile, 2026, 97 min, World premiere
“Gæsten” / “The Guest”
Director: Mads Mengel
Denmark, 2026, 99 min, World premiere
“A Happy Family”
Director: Jan-Eric Mack
Switzerland, 2026, 120 min, World premiere
“Hijamat”
Director: Nader Saeivar
Germany, 2026, 103 min, World premiere
“The Lion at My Back”
Director: Tonia Mishiali
Cyprus, Luxembourg, Greece, 2026, 106 min, World premiere
“Pipes”
Director: Karim Kassem
Lebanon, 2025, 112 min, World premiere
“Prameň” / “Only Beautiful Things to Look At”
Director: Ivan Ostrochovský
Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Hungary, 2026, 90 min, World premiere
“Thit-thee Khu” / “Fruit Gathering”
Director: Aung Phyoe
Myanmar, France, Czech Republic, 2026, 97 min, World premiere
Proxima Competition
“33 krokov” / “33 Steps”
Director: Anna Domček, Šimon Domček
Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, 2026, 71 min, World premiere
“Camionero” / “Truck Driver”
Director: Francisco Marise
Spain, Argentina, 2026, 84 min, World premiere
“Contra la Naturaleza” / “Against Nature”
Director: Axel Bertha
Mexico, 2026, 86 min, World premiere
“Enas olokliros anthropos schedon” / “A Whole Person Almost”
Director: Efthimis Kosemund-Sanidis
Greece, Bulgaria, Germany, Cyprus, Romania, 2025, 111 min, World premiere
“Homo Sive Natura”
Director: Giovanni C. Lorusso
Italy, 2026, 115 min, World premiere
“The Ink-Stained Hand and the Missing Thumb”
Director: Yashasvi Juyal
India, 2026, 120 min, World premiere
“Mein Freund der Pornostar” / “My Friend the Porn Star”
Director: Rosa Friedrich
Austria, 2026, 94 min, World premiere
“Milovník, nie bojovník” / “Lover, Not a Fighter”
Director: Martina Buchelová
Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, 2026, 108 min, World premiere
“Paris Paris”
Director: Isabelle Tollenaere
Belgium, 2026, 78 min, World premiere
“Rain Catcher”
Director: Michele Fiascaris
Italy, United Kingdom, 2026, 109 min, World premiere
“Shokyakuro” / “Incinerator”
Director: Shuntaro Uchida
Japan, 2026, 97 min, World premiere
“Sitni lopovi” / “Petty Thieves”
Director: Mate Ugrin
Croatia, Germany, France, 2026, 106 min, World premiere
Special Screenings
“Bára Basiková” / “Bára – Diary of a Rockstar”
Director: Helena Třeštíková
Czech Republic, 2026, 97 min, World premiere
“Dvě deci tuše” / “A Pint of Ink”
Director: Ester Geislerová
Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, 2026, 83 min, World premiere
“Kdyby se holubi proměnili ve zlato” / “If Pigeons Turned to Gold”
Director: Pepa Lubojacki
Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, 2026, 110 min
“Khaneh doost injast” / “The Friend’s House is Here”
Director: Maryam Ataei, Hossein Keshavarz
Iran, USA, 2025, 96 min, International premiere
“Learning To Breathe Underwater”
Director: Rebekah Fortune
United Kingdom, Netherlands, Ireland, 2026, 95 min, World premiere
“Město otců” / “City of Fathers”
Director: Zdeněk Tyc
Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Poland, 2026, 100 min, World premiere
“Mistryně” / “Everything As It Should Be”
Director: Bohdan Karásek
Czech Republic, 2026, 101 min, World premiere
“Morten”
Director: Ivan Pavljutskov
Estonia, Lithuania, 2026, 101 min, World premiere
“Robert Richardson: The White Devil”
Director: Jana Hojdová
Czech Republic, USA, 2026, 105 min, World premiere
“The Story of Documentary Film – 1980s”
Director: Mark Cousins
United Kingdom, 2026, 120 min, World premiere
“To Die to Live”
Director: Yuliia Hontaruk
Ukraine, Latvia, Slovak Republic, 2026, 116 min, World premiere
“Vyvolený” / “Gregorius, the Chosen One”
Director: Tomasz Mielnik
Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, 2026, 90 min, World premiere
“Zpráva pro Minervu 2” / “A Report for Minerva 2”
Director: Miroslav Krobot, Lubomír Smékal
Czech Republic, 2026, 69 min, World premiere
As July 3 approaches, the festival’s message is clear: before the competitions begin in earnest, Karlovy Vary is already making room for two major voices—celebrating not just careers, but the craft and sensibility behind them.
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival KVIFF President’s Award Maggie Gyllenhaal Jesse Eisenberg The Bride! The Double The Debut Crystal Globe Competition Proxima Competition Special Screenings