Writer-director-producer Barry Levinson, who will screen his HBO-produced account of the Penn State sex-abuse scandal “Paterno” at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, will be honored with the Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema, the organization has announced.
At the fest, which launched its 53rd edition in the Czech Republic’s historic spa town June 29, Levinson will also introduce his Oscar-winning 1988 Dustin Hoffman-starrer “Rain Man” and 1998’s “Wag the Dog.” The impact of Levinson’s screenwriting, including 1970s TV hits and breakout courtroom drama “…And Justice for All,” will be celebrated along with his directorial work, which launched with 1982’s “Diner” and carried on with “The Natural,” “Good Morning, Vietnam,” “Avalon” and “Bugsy.”
Karlovy Vary said that Levinson’s producing work, backing directors from Mike Newell (“Donnie Brasco”) to Neil LaBute (“Possession”), has made his influence on cinema comparable with that of William Friedkin, Jerry Schatzberg, Ken Loach and his partner-screenwriter, Paul Laverty. The festival honored the last two men with a joint Crystal Globe in 2017.
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The fest is also hosting Danish actress Trine Dyrholm, star of “Nico, 1988,” who will present the biopic of the iconic Velvet Underground vocalist. The film charts the final chapters in the music career of Christa Päffgen, the woman behind the stage name, often described as Andy Warhol’s muse.
Dyrholm’s own career as singer for Danish band The Moonlighters led to her work with Thomas Vinterberg in “Festen” and the Oscar-nominated historical drama “A Royal Affair.” Her turn in Vinterberg’s “The Commune” won her a Silver Bear at the 2016 Berlinale.
Karlovy Vary also has announced that it will screen “The Silent Child,” winner of this year’s Oscar for live-action short, to be presented by actress and screenwriter Rachel Shenton and director Chris Overton. The film’s account of a deaf 4-year-old girl whose world is transformed by learning sign language is part of the festival’s People Next Door program, which this year focuses on films with hearing-impaired protagonists.
