The 57th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival got off to a star-studded start Friday evening, with the opening ceremony also including much humor and some political commentary from Czech actor and TV presenter Marek Eben.
“Dear foreign visitors, welcome to the Czech Republic,” he said at the start of the event before highlighting that since the creation of his country, it has “never sought to conquer the territory of another state,” according to a translation provided via headphones. He added: “The small territory we have is perfectly enough for us.”
The comment was seen as a remark about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was on many attendees’ minds during last year’s edition of the fest. The host then also seemed to make a reference to Nazi Germany’s occupation of Poland and the former Czechoslovakia, saying his country had never invaded Germany or Poland.
Eben later,...
“Dear foreign visitors, welcome to the Czech Republic,” he said at the start of the event before highlighting that since the creation of his country, it has “never sought to conquer the territory of another state,” according to a translation provided via headphones. He added: “The small territory we have is perfectly enough for us.”
The comment was seen as a remark about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was on many attendees’ minds during last year’s edition of the fest. The host then also seemed to make a reference to Nazi Germany’s occupation of Poland and the former Czechoslovakia, saying his country had never invaded Germany or Poland.
Eben later,...
- 6/30/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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