The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival’s Industry Days strand, which runs July 5-July 8, 2026, is expanding with a number of new initiatives, including a new book adaptation program. 

The new joint project, dubbed Book-To-Screen, will present producers with up to 10 book titles from Central and Eastern Europe suitable for film or series adaptation. The new initiative is launched with Frankfurter Buchmesse, Svět Knihy and Moravian Library in Brno with support of the PPF Foundation. The long-term goal is to create a market for film rights of adaptations of literary works from the region and strengthen cooperation between the film and book industries. 

With continued support from the PPF Foundation, the film industry program is structuring around two complementary strands – Cinematic Focus and Screen Focus. Under the new structure, its festival platform KVIFF Eastern Promises is set broadening its international scope and is rebranding as KVIFF Promises. The platform, which has been responsible for introducing projects to producers, distributors, festivals and sales agents, is now dropping its regional designation and focusing on projects from all over the globe. 

This year will also see the addition of a strand dubbed “From True Crime Ethics to Alternative Distribution”, which will focus on a series of presentations, panel discussions and workshops across the ethics of true crime stories, alternative film distribution and innovative approaches to storytelling and private equity financing of projects. There will also be a presentation of currently available AI tools. 

KVIFF will also host, for the first time, a meeting of the Board of the European Film Academy, which annually awards the European Film Awards. 

On July 9, the International Casting Directors Association (ICDA) is set to present its annual Semiramis Award for Excellence in Casting. The award recognizes outstanding achievement in casting and honors the creative contribution casting directors make to the success of film and television. Alongside this, ICDA will host a dedicated series of panels and masterclasses exploring the craft and impact of casting in contemporary filmmaking. 

Additionally, KVIFF Industry Days will host the U.S. Department of State’s Global Media Makers Residency, a focused program for 14-20 indie producers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It’s held in collaboration with U.S. embassies in Bratislava and Prague, and Film Independent, the L.A.-based non-profit organization supporting indie filmmakers. 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 festival is also continuing its partnership with Oneplay, which will support a range of panels, masterclasses and presentations in its Screen Focus sessions. 

Finally, its KVIFF Talents program is set to support six audiovisual works in the concept stage, which will receive development funding, mentoring from industry experts and the opportunity to pitch their projects. Three features will be presented in its Feature Pool section: Exposed, from director Klára Tasovská; Nera from director Ivana Vogrinc Vidali; and Lucia Čižinská’s Until We Leave. Two fiction series and one animated film will be presented in its Creative Pool section: series Burning Witches, written by Martina Babišová and Věra Starečková; animation The Inhalatorium from Bára Anna Stejskalová; and series K-Dream from director Adam Sedlák.

KVIFF runs July 3-11, 2026.