Anna Franklin, Editor in Chief of Film New Europe said: "The passing of Jiří Bartoška marks the end of an era for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and for Czech film. He was one of the last of the giants of Czech film, who had started their careers under the old communist regime, lived through the Velvet Revolution and went on to shape the new era of film in the Czech Republic.

Jiří Bartoška became President of the festival in 1994 (a festival launched one year before his birth) and together with Artistic Director Eva Zaoralová, who passed away in 2022, they transformed the event into one of Europe’s greatest film festivals but more importantly they gave the festival its unique style of artistic excellence combined with human warmth and a laid back casual attitude.

I was present at the festival in 1994 and at most of the editions of Karlovy Vary since and I met Jiří Bartoška many times over the years. As President he brought to the festival both prestige and elegance as well as a sense of humour. Despite achieving success and fame that endured over many years he was always approachable.

The festival will no doubt go on to many more editions but Jiří Bartoška will be sorely missed. He will remain indelibly identified with the event."

Born in 1947, Bartoška attended the Janaček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno and became famous after his role in Frantisek Vlácil’s Shadows of a Hot Summer, which won the Crystal Globe at the Karlovy Vary IFF in 1978

His most notable roles in cinema are Sekal Has to Die (1998) by Vladimír Michálek, All My Loved Ones (1999) by Matej Mináč (for which he won the Czech Lion for Best Supporting Actor), and Tiger Theory (2016) by Radek Bajgar.