The 56th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is right around the corner, and today the festival announced its two honorary awards for 2022. In something of a surprise, KVIFF will bestow the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema presented to Geoffrey Rush. The KVIFF President’s Award will be given to Benicio del Toro. Both gentlemen will receive their awards during the festival’s closing ceremony on July 9.
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In a statement, KVIFF President Jiří Bartoška remarked, “We are honored and delighted that two extraordinary actors we have been deeply admiring for many years accepted our invitation to come to Karlovy Vary.”
The selection of Rush, an Oscar winner for his role in 1996’s “Shine,” will raise many eyebrows in the entertainment industry. In 2019, Rush went to court in his native Australia to refute leaked allegations in The Daily Telegraph that he had engaged in “inappropriate behavior” with a co-star in a 2015 stage production of “King Lear.” A single judge surprised many by ruling in Rush’s favor despite another actress coming forward with claims of sexual misconduct in 2018. Rush did not sue that actress. In the years following, he has been effectively shunned from the theater and film community in Australia and has not worked since appearing in the film “Storm Boy” in 2019.
Much less controversial is del Toro who is best known for his Oscar-winning performance in “Traffic.” His credits also include “The Usual Suspects,” “Snatch,” “Che,” “The Wolfman,” “Savages,” “Sicario,” “Escape at Dannemora” and, most recently, “The French Dispatch.” He recently finished production on the independent film, “Reptile.”
Over 160 feature-length and short films across 13 sections will be screened at the 56th edition of the festival. 34 of the films being presented are world premieres.
The 2022 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will run from July 1-9.