Redford and Liv Ulman honored at Karlovy Vary

ROBERT REDFORD was among the guests at the 40th Karlovy Vary IFF

The jubilee 40th Karlovy Vary IFF 2005 will welcome a world film personality of the highest order to its gala opening ceremonies: American actor, director, and producer ROBERT REDFORD. The artist, who has acted in or directed a number of movies considered today to be part of the golden fund of world cinematography, will be honored at Karlovy Vary’s gala opening ceremonies with a Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Film. On the occasion of Mr. Redford’s visit, the festival will present an overview of his
work.
Now 67 years old, Robert Redford got his start in acting at the beginning of the sixties, winning a name for himself in a number of Broadway productions. In 1966 he earned recognition on screen as the escaped con in Arthur Penn’s The Chase. But his real break came when he hooked up with Paul Newman and director George Roy Hill on the legendary films Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The Sting (1973). In the seventies he opted for roles in a number of films with wider political and social overtones such as The Candidate
(1972, dir. Michael Ritchie), Three Days of the Condor (1975, dir. Sydney Pollack), and mainly All the President’s Men (1976, dir. Alan J. Pakula), which treats the Watergate affair.
Robert Redford’s rich filmography as an actor includes a wide variety of film genres, from comedies and romances to psychological dramas and thrillers. The actor’s last film screened in Czech theaters was Tony Scott’s gripping movie Spy Game (2001).
Redford turned to directing at the beginning of the eighties and met with great success his first time out, winning a Best Director Academy Award for Ordinary People (1980). He has directed six films thus far, including the romantic drama A River Runs Through It (1992), Quiz Show (1994, Oscar nominee for Best Director), and The Horse Whisperer (1998), in which he also (uniquely) plays the lead.
For many years now Robert Redford has used his great popularity and recognition to support ecological initiatives and the protection of America’s natural and cultural heritage.

A large part of Redford's life is his Sundance Institute, which he founded in 1981. The Sundance Institute is dedicated to the support and development of emerging screenwriters and directors of vision, and to the national and international exhibition of new independent cinema.
Their highly acclaimed Screenwriting, Directing, Playwrite and Producing Labs take place at the Sundance Village mountain retreat in Utah, founded by Redford in 1969. The Sundance Film Festival is a program of the Institute and is internationally recognized as the single most important showcase of independent cinema.
Redford’s extensive activities as an actor, director, producer, founder of Sundance, and inspiration to filmmakers were awarded an honorary Oscar in 2002 by the American Motion Picture Academy.Panská 1, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic, www.kviff.com

LIV ULLMANN, actress, director, producer At the 40th Karlovy Vary IFF, Norwegian actress, director, and producer Liv Ullmann will be awarded a Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema.
The public generally connects the name Liv Ullmann with the work of eminent director Ingmar Bergman with whom she made a number of movies; he was also her partner and the father of her daughter. Persona (1966), Hour of the Wolf (Vargtimmen, 1968), Shame (Skammen, 1968), Cries and Whispers (Viskningar och rop, 1972), Scenes from a Marriage (Scener ur ett äktenskap, 1973), Face to Face (Ansikte mot ansikte, 1976), The Serpent’s Egg (1977), and finally Autumn Sonata (Höstsonaten, 1978): each of these films belongs to the golden fund of
not only European, but of world cinematography as well. Despite a role’s dramatic nature, the characters which Ullmann has portrayed not only in Bergman’s films but in those of numerous other top filmmakers (Jan Troell, Richard Attenborough, Mario Monicelli, and others) evoke a feeling of calming harmony through her unaffected natural beauty, whether playing a simple
countrywoman, artist, or intellectual.
Her work in front of the camera and on the stages of Europe and Broadway has proved what an asset she has been to world screens and stages. In the mid 1970s Ullmann even tried her hand at writing, and since 1980 she has worked for UNICEF as a goodwill ambassadress. The actress turned to directing in 1992 with the Danish production Sophie (Sofie), followed three years later by an adaptation of Sigrid Undset’s renowned novel trilogy Kristin Lavransdatter. She then shot Private Confessions (Enskilda samtal, 1996) and Faithless (Trolösa, 2000) based on scripts written by Bergman. At a gala awards ceremony in Barcelona in December 2004, the European Film Academy conferred upon her its lifetime award, the European Achievement in World Cinema.
Currently, Liv Ullmann is working on three scripts and her autobiography.
ALEXANDER PAYNE, screenwriter, director The biggest star of this year’s Forum of Independents is to be Alexander Payne, a filmmaker who has managed to maintain his independence in the midst of Hollywood’s studios. This Oscarwinner
for SIDEWAYS (Best Adapted Screenplay, 2004) plans to present his older films in person at Karlovy Vary.
Alexander Payne shot amateur films in his childhood. He first graduated in history and Spanish literature and then from film school at UCLA. He got his start in directing on the indie scene, and his debut came with CITIZEN RUTH (1996), a movie about a pregnant junkie with an excellent performance by Laura Dern in the title role. He gained greater recognition with his second film, the brilliant high school comedy ELECTION (1999) starring Reese Witherspoon
and Matthew Broderick. He has co-written the script for each of his films, including the tragicomedy ABOUT SCHMIDT (2002) based on the novel by Louis Begley. The film stars Jack Nicholson as a grumpy retiree having a tough time coping with changes in his life. For his performance, Nicholson took a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar. Alexander Payne was nominated for the Golden Globe for direction, and he and his longtime co-writer Jim Taylor
took Best Adapted Screenplay at the Golden Globes and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards. A hit last year and clearly Payne’s most successful film to date, Sideways is a romance about wine and relationships. In addition to the Academy Award for the Best Adapted Screenplay, Payne also picked up an Oscar nomination for direction and a number of other
awards.