As of this year’s currently ongoing installment, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has run for 57 years, highlighting the current pulse of cinema for audiences and judges in the Czech Republic. While it doesn’t quite have the notoriety of the Cannes Film Festival or the Toronto International Film Festival, this event has found a way to stand out pretty distinctly in its current proceedings showcasing 2023 new movie releases. That strategy was to make a commercial starring Johnny Depp, and yeah, what resulted is as out there as you might have guessed.
The festival, also known as KVIFF, posted the trailer for the 57th annual proceedings on Instagram, which is a short and surreal affair, to say the least. Depicting the 60-year-old actor as arriving from band rehearsal, the former Pirates of the Caribbean lead shows up for an interview with a journalist asking about whether or not he’s received an award from the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
What happens next is where the weirdness really kicks in. So if your up for some Depp-style shenanigans, here’s that trailer to enjoy, in its entirety:
As someone who’s personally experienced and written the official CinemaBlend review of Mortdecai, I think this entry on Johnny Depp’s filmography might be even more befuddling. But there is a bunch of context that’s not readily apparent when watching this odd, but amusing, promotion. Apparently, this trailer is an inside gag for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in two ways.
During a previous appearance the Finding Neverland star made at the festival, which is set to close out its current run on July 8th, he failed to win an award. Which is why this faux interview asks him about the lack of said trophy, prompting him to pull out a version of the award, named the Crystal Globe, with his name written on a piece of tape displayed on the base.
Per The Wrap’s reporting on this short film, it’s not only tradition for the KVIFF to poke fun of itself in such a way, it’s also a good natured jab at Johnny Depp not winning a Crystal Globe for himself. Maybe if there was a little more context in this vignette, the joke would have landed a bit better overall. Still, it's nice to see Depp smiling and poking fun at himself as he resurges onto the world stage.
Unfortunately, that same report seems to confirm that Johnny Depp’s recent ankle injury precluded him from attending this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in person. That being said, seeing as Depp is digging back into his entertainment career with great optimism, there’s always a chance that the man at the heart of this way out there gag could find himself taking home the honor that’s alluded him at a future date.
At the moment, Johnny Depp has made a splash thanks to the critical reaction to Jeanne du Barry, his first to be released after his defamation lawsuit with Amber Heard. That project is still waiting for a domestic release date, so Depp fans will have to continue to wait for word on that particular front.
