Czech journalist Eva Zaoralova, who was artistic director of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for 16 years, has died at the age of 89.
A statement issued by the festival read, “Some news we wish would never come. On Thursday 10 March, Eva Zaoralova left us forever.”
Zaoralova led the festival’s relaunch in 1994 as artistic director, alongside renowned Czech actor Jiri Bartoska as president. Under the duo’s leadership, the festival – founded in 1946 - changed from running alternating years with Moscow Film Festival, to becoming an annual event.
The former journalist and film academic went on to lead the event for 16 years. She handed over the reins of artistic director to Karel Och in 2010, since when she has been an artistic advisor.
In her work as a journalist, she helped to represent Czech cinema on an international stage, partly through her involvement with the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI); as well as popularising Italian and French cinema in her home country.
Festival juries on which she served include Cannes, Venice and Berlin.
Zaoralova was awarded the French government’s Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2002; then raised to the rank of Officier in 2012.
The president of the Czech Republic awarded her the country’s Medal of Merit in the field of culture in 2010.
“Eva and I always liked to joke that our relationship was a kind of permitted second marriage. It lasted nearly thirty years,” said Bartoska. “When you spend that much time creating something with someone, it is difficult to come to terms with the fact that the other person is no longer there, that the end is final.”
“Eva Zaoralová succeeded in giving the Karlovy Vary festival an artistic face,” said a KVIFF statement. “She put together a team that helped her to realize her vision. With a prudent eye to the festival’s future, she chose who would continue her work. She also enjoyed the rare unanimous respect of journalists and filmmakers alike. It was actually an immense honor to be subjected to Eva Zaoralová’s critical eye.
“It may sound clichéd to say that she will always be with us, and if there is one thing Dr. Zaoralová did not like it was clichés – not in films and not in life. We will miss her.”
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