The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) is expanding and broadening its industry program, unveiling new initiatives on Wednesday, in time for the fest’s 60th edition. Among the innovations are a book-to-screen program and a move from a regional to a global focus at the renamed works-in-progress market KVIFF Promises.
Fest organizers said that its industry program will this year be structured around two strands, the Cinematic Focus and the Screen Focus, in “responding to the evolving needs of audiovisual professionals in Central Europe.”
Topics discussed in various industry sessions will include the likes of high-quality production values, the ethics of true crime stories, alternative film distribution, as well as “innovative approaches to storytelling” and private equity financing of projects.
KVIFF Industry Days 2026 will take place Sunday, July 5-Wednesday, July 8 at the Kaiserbad venue in the Czech spa city. Here’s a closer look at the new initiatives and special events at this year’s KVIFF.
First edition of Book-to-Screen
The new offering, inspired by Books at Berlinale, was developed in collaborations with Germany’s Frankfurter Buchmesse, Svět knihy (Book World) and the Moravian Library in Brno and with the support of the PPF Foundation. It will present to producers up to 10 book titles suitable for film or series adaptations coming from the region of Central and Eastern Europe. “Its long-term goal is to create a market for film rights to adaptations of literary works from the region, thereby strengthening cooperation between the film and book industries,” KVIFF said.
“I am delighted that in this collaboration, we all see the potential for new opportunities and benefits for Czech and Central European culture,” said Jana Tomas Sedláčková, a member of the PPF Foundation’s board of directors about the launch of the Book-to-Screen at KVIFF program.
KVIFF Promises Broadens Its International Scope
KVIFF Promises, formerly known as KVIFF Eastern Promises, has long introduced projects to producers, distributors, festivals and sales agents. Now, it is dropping its regional focus to expand its scope. “With a renewed focus on Central Europe and an openness to projects from across the globe, KVIFF Promises strengthens its position as an important meeting point for international co-production and discovery,” organizers said.
Global Media Makers Residency
In collaboration with the U.S. embassies in Bratislava and Prague, and Film Independent, the Los Angeles-based non-profit organization supporting independent filmmakers, KVIFF Industry Days will host the U.S. Department of State’s Global Media Makers Residency, a program for 14–20 independent producers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. “Designed as an intensive, hands-on residency, the program will explore new approaches to private financing and draw inspiration from the U.S. film industry,” the fest said. “Through curated sessions, case studies and direct exchange with international experts, participants will gain practical insight into financing structures, packaging strategies and international collaboration.”
International Casting Directors Association at KVIFF
On Thursday, July 9, the International Casting Directors Association (ICDA) will present its annual Semiramis Award for Excellence in Casting at the fest. ICDA will also host a series of panels and masterclasses exploring the craft and impact of casting in contemporary filmmaking, with “several dozen international casting directors in attendance,” KVIFF said.
“This year marks a defining moment in the history of our profession,” said ICDA president Lana Veenker. “So far, in 2026, we have celebrated the first European Casting Director Award, followed by the first Oscar for best casting. Recognition of casting at this level affirms its place at the heart of the filmmaking process. Karlovy Vary, with its longstanding commitment to auteur cinema and new voices, is a natural setting to explore the creative role casting plays in shaping the films we see.”
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