The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has announced the first competition films for its 42nd edition this summer, including titles from three recent Crystal Globe winners.

From the Czech Republic comes Empties, the latest film from Jan Sverak. The director won the Crystal Globe in 1995 for The Ride and brought home an Oscar for Kolya in 1997.

Sverak has said Empties is the last movie he will make with his screenwriter father Zdenek Sverak, who also stars in the film. The warm drama about a man coming to terms with mortality has set new box-office records in the Czech Republic.

Poland will be represented by Saviour's Square from directors Krzysztof and Joanna Krauze. Krauze's My Nikifor won the grand prize at Karlovy Vary in 2005. Saviour's Square, a heartrending family drama, won the grand prize and numerous other awards at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia last September.

Festival artistic director Eva Zaoralova told ScreenDaily.com that Ferzan Ozpetek would return to Karlovy Vary with his new film, Saturno contro. The Turkish-Italian director won the Crystal Globe in 2003 with Facing Window.

Other competition features announced Tuesday include Simple Things from Russian director Aleksei Popogrebsky (Roads To Koktebel) and Pruning The Grapevine from South Korean director Boung-hun Min.

Zaoralova said that her selection committee was still considering numerous other titles for the main competition, including films from Canada, Hungary, Iran, Romania and Spain.

Czech director David Ondricek (Grandhotel, Loners) will sit on the international jury which will award the prizes in the main competition. Further jury members and a complete list of films in competition will be announced closer to the festival, which takes place June 29-July 7.

The festival also announced three films included in its East of the West international competition section: The Rules Of Lying from Czech director Robert Sedlacek, Free Floating from Russian director Boris Khlebnikov and Kek (Ballade Of The Forgotten Years) from Kazakh director Damir Manabai.

Three titles from the documentary competition were also announced: 4 Elements by Jiska Rickels, Neo-Lounge by Joanna Vasquez Arong, and Stone Time Touch by Garine Torossian.

Karlovy Vary traditionally awards several Crystal Globes for outstanding lifetime achievement to world cinema. One of these will go to Bretislav Pojar, a Czech director celebrated for his short animated films. Balablok one a Palme d'Or in 1972 and To See Or Not To See won a Golden Bear in 1969. The festival will screen a retrospective of his films.

The Czech festival will also present a retrospective of the 'angry young men' of Japan's post-war new wave - Nagisa Oshima, Masahiro Shinoda and Yoshishige Yoshida. Other sidebars include a focus on new Italian directors and a tribute to William Wyler.

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