Johnny Depp, Mel Gibson, Javier Bardem, Helen Mirren, Harvey Keitel, Milos Forman, Danny DeVito, Casey Affleck, Andy Garcia, John Malkovich – what reads like a who’s who of Hollywood stars is just some of the list of big names starring in the trailers for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic, which celebrates its 60th edition in its 80th year July 3-11.
The short films, usually in black and white and directed by Ivan Zacharias, premiered during the opening ceremony of the film festival in the picturesque Czech spa town. They have a reputation for being offbeat, eccentric, and yes, full of attitude. Many of them feature a previous Karlovy Vary winner to show what they did with their prize.
KVIFF highlighted that “the idea of filming festival advertisements featuring distinguished actors of world cinema was born” to create excitement and expand collaborations with big names beyond the festival dates. “It’s not always easy in terms of organization, but the result is a unique series of trailers featuring world-famous personalities that are unrivaled by any other international festival.”
In 2024, Bardem joined the list of luminaries to make his mark with a KVIFF trailer, which referenced oplatki, a popular local dish that is a thin round wafer. Check it here.
Depp is also among the Hollywood names who have become part of the list of people with bold names who appeared in one of the famous trailers. In his case, he’s making fun of Depp not getting a festival award. Watch that trailer here.
The 2010 honoree Law is the star of one of the many car-themed trailers that made KVIFF laugh, even if they’ve seen it many times before. After all, Law did manage to use the festival statuette creatively, as you can see here.
An old festival trailer starring Gibson shows the star interrupting a break-in, while Garcia also learns about the break-ins in his short film.
Check out these two trailers here. First, here’s Mel Gibson!
Here comes Andy Garcia!
Affleck, on the other hand, takes a trip to a pawn shop in the trailer for the Czech festival, in which he stars – with a surprise ending, as you’ll discover, if you haven’t seen it before, here.
Meanwhile, Mirren wants to store her festival statue, which keeps mysteriously appearing next to the Oscar statue, in its trunk in a different take on the fate of Karlovy Vary’s winners and trophies.
In another KVIFF trailer, John Malkovich, in his black-and-white turn, has a strange “oh” moment in a taxi. Get ready for it here.
Last but not least, there are more KVIFF ads featuring big names that you’ll have to watch by going elsewhere. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with the links.
The first clip stars Keitel drinking in a bar, while the second sees DeVito’s sleep disturbed by a phone call. And KVIF’s final trailer stars the late legendary Czech director Miloš Forman in a short film, in which he ends up finding a healthy use for his cup.
