The Proxima Competition provides a platform for new cinematic voices from across the globe, spanning a wide spectrum of filmmaking approaches. Showcasing works by emerging directors as well as bold achievements by established authors, the programme complements the main Crystal Globe Competition, celebrating contemporary cinema through a selection of innovative and exciting discoveries. Eligible submissions include feature-length fiction and documentary films presented as world or international premieres.

This year’s Proxima selection features 12 films, including the Croatian title Petty Thieves.

“We are thrilled and grateful that our debut film has been recognised by a festival of such a stature as Karlovy Vary. We look forward to the premiere with great excitement and to an encounter with the audience who will be the first to see it”, said writer and director Mate Ugrin.

Petty Thieves follows Rio, a quiet young man from central Istria who combines his hotel job with occasional petty theft, while clashing with his grandmother at home over the care of his grandfather who suffers from dementia. When seasonal worker Andrea catches him in the act, she suggests joining forces in order to rob her wealthy clients.

The film stars Gavrilo Jović, Tea Ljubešić, Snježana Sinovčić-Šiškov, Izudin Bajrović, Lana Meniga and Lana Barić. Ivan Marković served as director of photography, Liberta Mišan as production designer, and Milica Kolarić as costume designer. Sound design is done by Olivier Voisin, while Sanja Rivić is the makeup artist.

The producers on the project are Daria Blažević and Mate Ugrin, while the feature is a Kadromat production, in co-production with In the Cut (France), Fünferfilm (Germany), and Nanslafu Films (Serbia). Co-producers include Tiphaine Robion, Julia Cöllen, Karsten Krause, Frank Scheuffele, and Jelena Angelovski.

The project was developed through numerous international programmes, including the Torino Film Lab (Script Lab), When East Meets West (winning the Film Center Serbia Development Award), EAVE, and the CineLink Co-Production Market (receiving the ArteKino Award). The film has been realised with the support of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre (HAVC), the French CNC, Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Arte/Cofinova, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, and the MEDIA sub-programme of Creative Europe.

Karlovy Vary IFF is one of the longest-running and most prestigious film festivals in Europe, showcasing more than 200 titles annually. As a FIAPF-accredited competitive feature film festival, it is ranked alongside festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno.

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will take place from 3 to 11 July, while the full selection will be announced in the coming days.

Cover photograph: stills from Petty Thieves