The Czech festival also gave awards to “Zatopek” and “Every Single Minute”
“As Far as I Can Walk,” a drama about African immigrants deported from Germany to Serbia, won the Grand Prize at the 2021 Karlovy International Film Festival on Saturday evening in the Czech Republic. The film by director Stefan Arsenijević, which was inspired by a medieval poem, dominated in a main competition of 12 films at the oldest film festival in Central Europe. The audience award went to “Zatopek,” director David Ondricek’s biopic about famed Czech runner Emil Zatopek. Dietrich Brüggemann was named best director in the main competition for “No,” while acting awards went to Ibrahim Koma for “As Far as I Can Walk” and Eleonore Loiselle for “Wars.” For the first time, documentaries were placed in the competition sections rather than being restricted to their own section, with “Every Single Minute” winning a Special Jury Prize. Special Jury Mentions went to “The Staffroom,” actress Vinette Robinson for “The Boiling Point” and cinematographer Jelena Stankovic for “As Far as I Can Walk.” In the East of the West competition, a separate slate of films from Eastern Europe, the winner was “Nuuccha,” with a special jury prize to “Sisterhood” and a special mention to the documentary “Intensive Life Unit.
