Dustin Hoffman and Maggie Gyllenhaal honored at Karlovy Vary Film Festival

Veteran actors Dustin Hoffman and Maggie Gyllenhaal were honored for their artistic contributions at the opening gala of the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Hoffman received the prestigious Crystal Globe award, while Gyllenhaal was presented with the President's Award.

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I think this is destiny, thank you for the inspiration and for the first step to become a director.

Gyllenhaal, a director, screenwriter, actress, and producer, shared a personal connection to Karlovy Vary, recalling a transformative semester studying in Prague. She recounted attending an experimental theater performance of Chekhov's 'The Seagull' at the Divadlo Na Zábradlí, where she saw Jirí Bartoska, the festival's late president, perform. Gyllenhaal expressed gratitude, calling it a moment of destiny that inspired her to become a director.

Hoffman, who will celebrate his 89th birthday next week, spoke emotionally about his lifelong passion for acting. He described finding a sense of being 'lost in time' through his craft, a feeling that made him feel alive and compelled him to pursue a career dedicated to immersive performance. The festival will screen his breakthrough film, 'The Graduate,' in his honor.

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I fell in love with acting because it was the first time I felt lost in time. I knew instinctively that this was how I wanted to live; I wanted to be absorbed by time because it made me feel alive.

The Karlovy Vary festival, a category 'A' event celebrating its 80th anniversary, will feature competitive screenings until July 11. Among the films vying for the Crystal Globe are Valeria Sarmiento's 'Detrás de la lluvia' and the Colombian documentary 'Cinco años, cuatro meses.'

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The pleasure of doing what we do is losing track of time.