- Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus
- Milos FormanThe festival opened last night with the film "The Greatest" by American director Shana Feste in her debut effort.
Mining similar territory as Robert Redford's 1980 "Ordinary People" it is a study of how one family deals with the grief of the death of a teenage son.
Technically lacking in many areas (lighting, directing, acting, editing) it is a movie that is much better as a sum than its many parts.
Susan Sarandon (as the mother), for instance, phones in her performance and is truly disconnected from the material and from her fellow actors as well. Pierce Brosnan (as the father) fares little better but it is Johnny Simmons (the surviving son "Ryan") and Carey Mulligan ("Rose") who rise to the occasion with their exceptional performances.
Rose's condition brings healing to the family and allows them to scatter the ashes of grief and begin life anew. A satisfying ending for this incomplete debut.
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The KVIFF is considered the Czech Republic's most important cultural event of the year. There are festival-goers of all ages in attendance and represent virtually all social demographics.
It is well-attended by the politicians of this country including Czech Presidcent Vaclav Klaus, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense, Minister of Culture, Vaclev Havel, and many others.
Also in attendance this year are the Czech director Milos Forman, John Malkovich, Antonio Banderas, and screenwriter/director Paul Schrader...
