The Karlovy Vary Film Festival announced the lineup for the 52nd edition of the prestigious Czech Republic festival and it includes a surprise American entry in competition. Rachel Israel‘s “Keep The Change,” which debuted to strong notices at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival in April, will compete alongside new films from Boris Khlebnikov, Ofir Raul Graizer, Alen Drljević and Karma Takapa among others.
The festival previously announced that Casey Affleck would be honored along with a screening of David Lowrey‘s “A Ghost Story.” The opening night film has still not been revealed.
The 2017 Karlovy Vary Film Festival runs from June 30 through July 8.
Here’s a rundown of the official Competition, East of the West and Documentary slates.
OFFICIAL SELECTION – COMPETITION
“Arrhythmia”
Director: Boris Khlebnikov
Russia, Finland, Germany, 2017, 90 min, International premiere
Oleg is heading for his thirties. He works as a paramedic and, after a hard shift, he likes to take a few swigs. His wife Katya is also a doctor, working in the hospital’s emergency department. But her patience with Oleg is running thin, so she announces one day that she wants a divorce… One of the most intriguing filmmakers on the Russian scene today, Boris Khlebnikov returns to the big screen with a meticulous piece of direction. Along with precise performances from the cast, the film examines a relationship experiencing an arrhythmia similar to that affecting the hearts of the patients Oleg treats in his job as a paramedic.
“Breaking News”
Director: Iulia Rugină
Romania, 2017, 81 min, International premiere
A difficult assignment awaits TV reporter Alex. He must film a memorial portrait for a coworker who died in a tragic accident they both experienced but that only he survived. His colleague’s daughter becomes his guide, although her relationship with her father was more than complicated. Alex becomes an involuntary witness to the girl’s handling of her father’s death, and he also comes to believe that chronicling a person’s life involves more than just a short news report…
“The Cakemaker”
Director: Ofir Raul Graizer
Israel, Germany, 2017, 104 min, World premiere
After the death of his lover, Thomas heads to Israel – the birthplace of the man he adored. Despite prejudice at his German origins, he becomes the pastry chef at a local café owned by the widow of the deceased Oran. Yet she hardly suspects that the unnamed sorrow that connects her to the stranger is for one and the same man.
“The Line”
Director: Peter Bebjak
Slovak Republic, Ukraine, 2017, 108 min, World premiere
Adam Krajňák is head of the family and also the boss of a gang of criminals smuggling cigarettes across the Slovak-Ukrainian border. The failure of one of the transports triggers an avalanche of consequences that compels him to question his own boundaries, none of which he had planned on crossing until now.
“Corporate”
Director: Nicolas Silhol
France, 2016, 95 min, International premiere
The life of an uncompromising HR manager named Emilie changes the instant she witnesses the suicide of one of the staff. The investigation of the case becomes a moral test for a woman whose actions, although motivated by her unlimited devotion to work, have caused grief for many an employee.
“More”
Director: Onur Saylak
Turkey, 2017, 115 min, World premiere
Fourteen-year-old Gaza lives with his father Ahad on the shores of the Aegean Sea. The intelligent kid would like to continue his studies, but Ahad sees his son’s future differently. He gets Gaza to help with his side business – smuggling refugees from the Mideast. A directing tour de force, this disturbing psychological study of an adolescent boy’s transformation under the influence of those around him bears dark tidings about the contemporary world.
“Keep The Change”
Director: Rachel Israel
USA, 2017, 94 min, International premiere
Stylish but apathetic, David meets bundle of energy Sarah at a support group. While he’s just fulfilling a court-ordered obligation, she is thrilled to be there. But as they move past their initial conflicts, they become participants in an uncommon romance that won’t yield to convention. Keep the Change is a different kind of romantic comedy about people who are not the same – like most of us.