Karlovy Vary: Lubos Wins Best Actor
Eryk Lubos in Zabić bobra (To Kill a Beaver)
The 47th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has come to an end. The closing gala of this year’s festival brought the presentation of the Crystal Globes awards. The winner in the Best Actor category was Polish actor Eryk Lubos for his performance in Zabić bobra (To Kill a Beaver) by Jan Jakub Kolski. The film received support from the Polish Film Institute. Lubos shares the Best Actor award with Henrik Rafaelsen (The Almost Man). Special Mention in Main Competition also went to the actors of Polski film by Marek Najbrt. The festival’s Grand Prize went to The Almost Man.
Award for Eryk Lubos for His Performance in To Kill a Beaver
Polish feature Zabić bobra (To Kill a Beaver) won the Best Actor award for the film’s leading man Eryk Lubos. The festival jury – Richard Peña (chairman), Rajko Grlić, Maria Hatzakou, Makram Khoury, Joanna Kos-Krauze, Ivo Mathé, and François Papineau – recognized Lubos for the role of Eryk, a contemporary veteran returning home from the war.
‘I Fully Gave Myself to the Part’
“This is a film about the search for love, for the truth; a film about coming home. The director and I worked on a basis of confrontation. This is the first film in Poland that discusses the issue of PTSD. It’s an important film. I fully gave myself to the part,” said Eryk Lubos at the press conference in Karlovy Vary that preceded the official premiere screening.
Special Mention in Main Competition for the Actors of Polski Film
Polski film is a Polish-Czech co-production, partly filmed in Krakow, and directed by Marek Najbrt, winner of the 3rd Off Plus Camera festival who received 1 million PLN from the Polish Film Institute for the production of his next film in Poland. This comedy/mockumentary features performances by acclaimed Czech actors, including Marek Daniel, Josef Polášek, Tomáš Matonoha, and Pavel Liška – it was these actors whose work was recognized by the Main Competition jury.
Films Supported by the Polish Film Institute Awarded in Karlovy Vary
Various Polish films screened and won awards in competition sections at previous editions of the Karlovy Vary film festival. In 2005, Krzysztof Krauze received the Crystal Globe award for his feature Mój Nikifor (My Nikifor), while Krystyna Feldman who played the lead in Krauze’s film received the Best Actress award.
Films co-financed by the Polish Film Institute have also received awards in Karlovy Vary. In 2009, Filip Garbacz received special mention of the jury for his performance in Świnki (Piggies) by Robert Gliński. In 2010, Mateusz Kościukiewicz and Filip Garbacz shared the prize for Best Actor for their performances in Paweł Sala’s Matka Teresa od kotów (Mother Teresa of Cats). In 2011, the top prize in the documentary film competition went to Deklaracja nieśmiertelności (Declaration of Immortality) by Marcin Koszałka.
Award Winners of the 47th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival:
Main Competition
- Grand Prix – Crystal Glove – The Almost Man (Mer eller mindre mann), directed by Martin Lund;
- Special Jury Prize – Romanzo di una strage, directed by Marco Tullio Giordana;
- Best Director– Rafaël Ouellet for Camion;
- Best Actress – Leila Hatami for her performance in Peleh akhar, directed by Ali Mosaffa;
- Best Actor – Eryk Lubos for his performance in Zabić bobra (To Kill a Beaver), directed by Jan Jakub Kolski, and Henrik Rafaelsen for his performance in The Almost Man (Mer eller mindre mann), directed by Martin Lund;
- Special Mention – the actors of Polski film by Marek Najbrt: Pavel Liška, Tomáš Matonoha, Marek Daniel, and Josef Polášek, and Yannis Papadopoulos for his performance in To agori troi to fagito tou pouliou, directed by Ektoras Lygizos;
Audience Award: Hasta La Vista, directed by Geoffrey Enthoven
Independent Camera Award: Death of a Man in Balkans, directed by Miroslav Momčilović
Documentary Film Competition
- Best Documentary Over 30 Minutes Long – Sofia’s Last Ambulance, directed by Ilian Metev;
- Best Documentary Under 30 Minutes Long – A Story of the Modlins, directed by Sergio Oksman;
- Special Mention – Private Universe, directed by Helena Třeštíková
East of the West Competition
- East of the West Award – House with aTurret, directed by Eva Neymann;
- Special Mention – Wanishing Waves, directed by Kristina Buožyte and Bruno Samper
Crystal Globe for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema – Special Prize of the 47th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival – Helen Mirren and Susan Sarandon
Further details about the 47th Karlovy Vary IFF awards available at: www.kviff.com.
Marta Sikorska
Translated by Karolina Kołtun