Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic - The 44th Karlovy Vary Film Festival opens Friday with films marking the 20th anniversary of the implosion of communism taking centre stage at what is one of the world's oldest movie showcases. Set against the backdrop of the Czech Republic's fairytale spa town, the Karlovy Vary festival has emerged in recent years as a major venue for feting Central and Eastern European cinema with a slew of movies from the region included among the 19 world premieres to be screened in this year. "Central and Eastern Europe is our territory" said Karel Och, a Karlovy Vary Film Festival programmer. "This is a strong year in terms of quality," he said. The Eastern European line-up for this year's eight-day festival includes Polish director Robert Glinski's Piggies, which touches on the grim world of sex tourism... [read full story]
