Czechia's int'l film festival opens; movie shot in Taiwan to premier

Prague, June 29 (CNA) Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), the largest of its kind in the Czech Republic, opened on Friday, with "Pierce" (刺心切骨), a film shot in Taiwan, set to be premiered and has been chosen as a candidate for the festival's official competition.

Held in the Czech city of Karlovy Vary, the festival presents around 200 films from around the world each year. An average of 13,000 audience members and 1,500 people from the film industry attend annually and an average of 140,000 tickets for performances are sold.

In the 58th edition of KVIFF, which runs from Friday until July 6, two films with Taiwanese elements, "Pierce" and "Abiding Nowhere" (無所住), have been selected for the competitive and the non-competitive sections of the festival, respectively.

"Pierce," a film co-produced by production companies in Taiwan, Singapore and Poland, has been selected as the only Chinese-language film for this year's "Crystal Globe Competition," the festival's main competition that showcases international entries of feature-length films presented as world or international premieres, according to the KVIFF.

The film will compete for the "Crystal Globe," the competition's grand prize, alongside 11 other films from countries including Japan, the United Kingdom, and Norway, as stated in the KVIFF's press release.

Karel Och, the artistic director of KVIFF, said that the selection offers a unique range of genres and themes "vibrating through the contemporary cinema."

Shot in Taiwan and featuring Taiwanese actors Tsao Yu-ning (曹佑寧), Liu Hsiu-fu (劉修甫), and Ding Ning (丁寧) in the lead roles, "Pierce" was directed by Singaporean director Nelicia Low (劉慧伶) and tells the story of a juvenile ex-convict who reconnects with his brother through fencing and explores themes of truth, doubt, and familial bonds.

Fast Forward Entertainment, the Taiwanese production company involved in its making, told CNA earlier this month that Tsao, Liu and Low will attend the world premiere of "Pierce" on July 3 at KVIFF.

Selected for the non-competitive section called "Imagina," which focuses on films with an unconventional approach to narration and style, "Abiding Nowhere" is the latest work by Taiwan-based Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮). The film was previously screened as part of a special program at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in February.

The film is the 10th installation in Tsai's Walker series and captures Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-sheng (李康生), dressed as a Buddhist monk, traversing public and private spaces across a range of global cities.

During the opening ceremony on Friday evening, American actor-director Viggo Mortensen received the Festival President's Award, which recognizes individuals "who have made a fundamental contribution to the development of film and cinema," according to the KVIFF.

Mortensen is most famous for his roles in films such as "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, in which he portrayed Aragorn, and "Green Book," in which he played Tony Lip.

The 65-year-old's career has been marked by numerous honors, including three Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, three British Academy Film Award nominations, and four Golden Globe Award nominations.

"It is a great honor for me to receive an award at the Karlovy Vary Festival," said Mortensen, who expressed his gratitude to the festival for selecting "The Dead Don't Hurt," the second film he directed, as the opening film.