S Viswanath

Three stalwarts who strode the movie marquee like a colossus are being honoured with the President’s Award for their singular contribution to the promotion and growth of cinema in their individual capacities.

The trio picked for the top recognition by European region’s premier film festival are veteran Slovak actress Magda Vasarya, and two celebrated New Yorkians–eminent actress turned filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal and writer, producer and director Jesse Eisenberg.

Describing the septuagenarian actress-diplomat, festival said by recognising an “important representative of Czechoslovak Cinema, it seeks to “not just to express its respect for the performances of one of the greatest Slovak actresses of all time, but also to remember the unique artistic connection between the Czech and Slovak filmmakers who shaped the two countries’ shared cinematic history.”

Charting the career of Magda Vášáryová the festival said the diva actress’ “breakthrough role at the start of her acting career came in František Vláčil’s 1967 historical drama Marketa Lazarova” with film critics and journalists hailing the film as cinematic masterpiece as the most important work of the country’s century old cinematic history. The film was digitally restored in 2011, and the restored version’s world premiere was held at the 46th KVIFF.

According to Vášáryová she had not originally dreamed of becoming an actress: she initially attended a secondary school with a focus on math and physics before subsequently studying at the Faculty of Arts at Bratislava’s Comenius University. With international success of Marketa Lazarová bringing further acting offers, the celebrated actress went on to don several prominent roles in equally appreciated films.

Further after earning her university degree, and through her performances and roles went on to become exceptionally popular among audiences for her roles, her final appearance was in the 1990 psychological drama Private Lives directed by Dušan Hanák.

Thereon, following the Velvet Revolution, the actress went on to accept and on the role of Czechoslovakia’s Ambassador to Austria following the offer from President Václav Havel between 1990–1993 before taking on the assignment as Slovakia’s Ambassador to Poland between 2000–2005.

With a doctoral degree in historical sociology from Charles University’s Faculty of Humanities, the actress has authored several books, including a collection of interviews Before I Disappear, in which she speaks openly about current issues.

Besides felicitating and honouring the actress, the Karlovy Vary festival will be also be screening Juraj Jakubisko’s Birds, Orphans and Fools Czechoslovak-French co-production filmed in the turbulent year of 1968. At the time, the special committee of Slovak Ministry of Culture labelled the film – a mosaic-like, fantastical allegory of unfulfilled dreams and absurdity of the world as “un-socialistic” and forbade its distribution. However, two decades later, Birds, Orphans and Fools which was shown at 1990 Karlovy Vary film festival won the FIPRESCI Award.

Likewise, nearly twenty years since she was named the Best Actress at the Karlovy Vary film festival for her eponymous role in Sherrybaby, the film festival is honouring the actress-director Maggie Gyllenhaal with the President’s Award. The honour, which, coincidentally, was presented to her husband – the American actor Peter Sarsgaard at the last year’s film festival.

The daughter of director and screenwriter, Gyllenhaal rose to fame following her role in the unconventional 2002 romance Secretary, leading to her first nomination for Golden Globe – an award she later won for the miniseries The Honorable Woman.

The actress was also nominated for an Oscar for Crazy Heart. Five years ago, she made her successful writing and directing debut with an adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s The Lost Daughter, earning her a second Oscar nomination (for Best Adapted Screenplay) and also Best Screenplay Award at Venice Film Festival.

In Karlovy Vary at the festival, this New York native will present her second film as director the stylistically uncompromising dark romance set in 1930s Chicago The Bride! – an original re-imagination of the story of Frankenstein.

Similarly, her fellow New Yorker and multifaceted icons of contemporary cinema, Jesse Eisenberg, who began his acting career in 2002 winning audiences appreciation for his performance in Rodger Dodger and went on to receive an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network earned his second Oscar nomination for the script of the film he directed – the tragicomedy about two American cousins in search of their Polish roots, A Real Pain.

While being present to receive the President’s Award, the film festival will see the actor present one of his films, director Richard Ayoade’s playful adaptation of Dostoevsky’s novella The Double, in which he essay twin parts.

Incidentally, his upcoming film as writer-director, The Debut, stars Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti. Eisenberg co-starred and wrote the music and lyrics for the film’s musical-within-the-movie set for release in the Fall 2026 by A24.

The honour is being bestowed on the two distinctive individuals who in their careers have managed to transition smoothly between charismatic performances and bold auteur filmmaking, observed the film festival statement.