KVIFF Sponsor ČEZ Pulls Out as General Partner of Festival

20-03-2018

KVIFF Sponsor ČEZ Pulls Out as General Partner of Festival

By Denisa Strbova

PRAGUE: The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has lost its general partner just four months before the beginning of the 53rd edition of the festival. The energy company ČEZ decided to end the cooperation with the festival citing poor financial results as the reason for pulling out of its role as the festival’s biggest sponsor after 16 years.

According to the festival president Jiří Bartoška, this year's 53rd edition, which runs from 29 June to 7 July, is not endangered, preparations continue and the visitors of the festival will not notice the termination of cooperation with ČEZ. Organisers said they may not be able to find a new general partner on such a short notice, but they believe can attract other sponsors to fill the gap. According to Bartoška, the festival is missing 15 million Czech crowns (CZK) – more than half a million EUR.

The CEZ Group has been working with the Karlovy Vary IFF since 2002. In recent years, CEZ donated annually almost 787,000 EUR / 20 m CZK to KVIFF, whose total budget is about 5.3 m EUR / 135 m CZK.

Published in Czech Republic