Russell Crowe Gives Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Opening Night His Stamp of Approval: 'I've Been to So Many Film Festivals That Are Absolute Hell-Screens'

Seriousness is a common trait in the world of European cinema, but the opening night of the 57th Karlovy The Vary International Film Festival was an all-encompassing affair, starting with the most unexpected sight of a troupe of acrobatic ice-skating showgirls spinning and whirling through fake snow and dry ice. MC Marek Eben followed in the same feel-good vein, with a dry, witty monologue that touched on current events in the Czech Republic and the rest of the world without getting too political. A "surprise" appearance by festival stalwart Jiří Bartoška, ​​whose attendance was initially uncertain, prompted the first standing ovation of the evening.

One ​​of the biggest stars at this year's festival was there in spirit, if not in physical form :she It's a tradition for a KV guest to return the favor next year with an appearance in one of the festival's famous irreverent trailers, joining Casey Affleck, Helen Mirren, Jude Law, John Malkovich and more others in an elite club. Abandoning the usual black-and-white format, this year's trailer shows , who, after gushing over his career, points out that he is the only festival visitor to never > received one of the famous Crystal Globes.

This is a fun commentary on the Lifetime Achievement Awards that are the lifeblood of the festival circuit, and Depp's stalemate, hurt reaction proves he still has some serious comedic chops.

Two actual Crystal Globes were featured tonight, the first — The Karlovy Vary President's Award went to Alicia Vikander, star of the opening film Firebrand, a whimsical historical reimagining of the marriage between King Henry VIII and his last wife. Struggling to hold the famously heavy crystal globe, Vikander said: "I feel incredibly honored to receive this award, I've heard amazing things about this festival from friends and colleagues over the years. " Referring to her breakout role opposite Mads Mikkelsen in 2012's A Royal Affair, which filmed in Prague, she added: "And I'm also very happy to be back in the Czech Republic. Czech Republic, where, in fact, my international career began.”

Unlike Vikander, Russell Crowe — receiving the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema — confessed that Karlovy Vary was entirely new to him. “I have to tell you the truth,” he said, before getting the biggest laugh of the night, “I didn't know about this film festival until very recently. Been to so many film festivals that are completely disorganized and absolute hellscapes. But I have to give credit to the organizers [of this one], it's running like clockwork, everything is on time."

Taking the microphone, Crowe gave a simple but heartfelt speech about his experiences as an actor. "The thing with me and my career," he said, "is that I started acting when I was six. I did my first TV show in 1970 and I do feature films since 1989. Luckily for me, I still love coming to work. I love waking up every day thinking about the scenes that are ahead of me. And I think that's because I make the decision to make particular films where I feel there's a special connection. So I never have to wake up at 4am and wonder why I'm here. I always know why I'm at work. And my relationship with cinema? The older I get, the deeper it gets: my love of cinema and what it can accomplish, how it can educate and how it can move. It gets deeper and deeper.

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"You have to remember - to all the filmmakers in the room - that all it takes is one one voice to make a difference. So make that voice yours."

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