Crystal Globe Awards opens in Czech town of Karlovy Vary

The 58th International Film Festival is underway in the usually tranquil spa town of Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic.

Two of the festival's top guests, actors Viggo Mortensen and Geoffrey Rush, arrived on Thursday evening. They were welcomed by the festival's president Jiří Bartoška in front of the Pupp Hotel.

Mortenson, perhaps best known for his role as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings series, was warmly welcomed by fans on the red carpet at the festival's opening ceremony before winning the Festival President's Award.

In his acceptance speech, he said the festival 'holds a special place' in his heart and described Karlovy Vary as a 'very important celebration of cinema'.

A special tribute to Ukraine

The Karlovy Vary festival also prides itself on its recognition of current political events.

There has been a special screening of the Ukrainian war documentary 'Real' in which filmmaker Oleh Sentsov captured footage from his time with Ukraine's armed forces.

Sentsov said he filmed much of the footage accidentally, after switching on his helmet camera while he was in the trenches.

"I have a tremendous number of memories and experiences and once we win and if I stay alive, I would love to make a feature film about it," Sentsov told Euronews Culture.

The Ukrainian director was praised by the Czech President, Petr Pavel, who is also a retired army general and former Chairman of the NATO Military Committee.

"This footage is incredibly current and, because of its raw authenticity, it powerfully conveys to viewers the intense experiences and emotions that the soldiers are enduring," said President Pavel.

Some of the soldiers shown in the documentary have since been killed in the war between Russia and Ukraine. The screening's audience paid a special tribute to their memory.