EXCLUSIVE: The Provence Arts Festival du Film is readying for its second edition, focused this year on “a celebration of music and musical artists through documentary cinema.”

To that end, the event (renamed from the Dora Maar Film Festival) is programming EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, director Baz Luhrmann’s documentary on the King of Rock n’ Roll, which features “newly restored performances and rare audio recordings of Elvis Presley reflecting on his life and career.”

Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux personally selected EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert for the Provence program.

Elvis will be joined on the festival bill by a former Beatle. One to One: John & Yoko, directed by Oscar winner Kevin Macdonald, also headlines the program announced on Tuesday. Provence Arts Festival du Film will run from July 29 to August 1 in the lovely hilltop village of Ménerbes, located in the heart of Provence’s Luberon region.

Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, The Mauritanian, One Day in September) and One to One cinematographer David Katznelson will be in attendance in Ménerbes.

“A film festival dedicated to music documentaries in the heart of Provence—what’s not to love?” Macdonald said in a statement. “I’m delighted that One to One: John & Yoko will be screening alongside such a strong and varied program, and I am looking forward to discussing the film with audiences in Ménerbes.”

Macdonald will also take part in a panel discussion titled “Beyond Biography: Who Gets to Tell an Artist’s Story?” along with fellow panelists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, directors of Broken English. Sophie Rosemont and Mark Kermode will moderate that discussion.

Provence Arts Festival du Film will feature a documentary by a woman synonymous with French cinema (though she hailed from Belgium), the late Agnès Varda. Jane B. par Agnès V., the filmmaker’s 1988 feature about musician Jane Birkin, will open the festival on Wednesday, July 29.

Rosalie Varda, daughter of Agnès, commented, “I am very happy that Jane B. by Agnès V. is opening the Provence Arts Film Festival. This film perfectly embodies the playful and inventive spirit of my mother, Agnès Varda, as well as the artistic complicity that united her with the divine Jane Birkin. It naturally finds its place in this edition and shows us the many ways documentary cinema can share the lives and imaginations of two incredibly creative women whose artistic partnership and friendship were exceptional.”

Festival director and curator Lucy Darwin, producer of Lost in La Mancha and Match Point, founded the Provence Arts Festival du Film. The inaugural event in 2025 explored the medium of photography through documentary film.

Speaking of this year’s focus, Darwin observed, “Music offers an extraordinarily rich field for documentary storytelling, revealing not only the creative process but also the cultures, communities and personal journeys that shape artistic expression. This year’s program brings together an exceptional range of films, from acclaimed classics to recent discoveries, spanning genres, generations and musical traditions. Alongside some long-standing personal favorites, I am particularly delighted that we will be welcoming such an outstanding group of filmmakers and guests to Ménerbes, creating opportunities for audiences to engage directly with the stories behind the films.”

This is the full lineup of films and panels announced Tuesday:

A PROGRAMME CELEBRATING MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

• Jane B. par Agnès V. (1988) — dir. Agnès Varda

The celebrated collaboration between Agnès Varda and Jane Birkin, blurring the boundaries between portrait, fiction and documentary, will be the Opening Film, introduced by Sophie Rosemont. Rosalie Varda, producer and daughter of Agnès Varda, on hand.

The Festival is honored that Thierry Frémaux has selected Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (2026) for presentation at this year’s Festival.

• EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (2026) — dir. Baz Luhrmann

A remarkable restoration project built from previously unseen footage discovered in the Warner Bros. archives, featuring newly restored performances and rare audio recordings of Elvis Presley reflecting on his life and career.

• Broken English (2026) — dirs. Jane Pollard & Iain Forsyth [in attendance]

The documentary offers an intimate portrait of music icon Marianne Faithfull, tracing her remarkable six-decade career through music, fame, reinvention and artistic resilience.

• Pianomania (2009) — dir. Robert Cibis [in attendance]

An entertaining and revealing portrait of master piano technician Stefan Knüpfer and his quest for perfection alongside some of the world’s greatest pianists.

• Nous l’Orchestre (2026) — dir. Philippe Béziat

A rare behind-the-scenes journey into the Orchestre de Paris at the Philharmonie de Paris under the direction of Klaus Mäkelä, offering audiences an immersive experience of music in the making. Editor Henry-Pierre Rosamond will represent the film at the Festival.

• One to One: John & Yoko (2025) — dir. Kevin Macdonald

A revelatory exploration of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s years in Greenwich Village, featuring previously unseen material and restored concert footage. Director Kevin Macdonald and cinematographer David Katznelson will be in attendance.

• Playing the Changes: Tracking Darius Brubeck (2024) — dir. Michiel Ten Kleij

A moving portrait of jazz pianist and educator Darius Brubeck, whose lifelong commitment to musical education and cultural exchange demonstrates the enduring social power of jazz. Film subject Darius Brubeck and director Michiel Ten Kleij will present the film.

• Searching for Sugar Man (2012) — dir. Malik Bendjelloul

The Academy Award-winning story of two South Africans who set out to uncover the fate of the enigmatic musician Rodriguez. Producer George Chignell will be in attendance.

RENCONTRES DORA MAAR

Continuing the Festival’s connection to Ménerbes’ artistic heritage, the Rencontres Dora Maar filmmaker conversations will take place ahead of the screenings. These intimate exchanges provide audiences with the opportunity to meet filmmakers, critics and special guests while exploring the themes and stories behind the films.

Rencontres Dora Maar will take place at the elegant Hôtel de Tingry, while evening screenings will be held beneath the stars in the magnificent Place de l’Église at the centre of Ménerbes.

THURSDAY 30 JULY | 10:30–11:30 | HÔTEL DE TINGRY

BEYOND BIOGRAPHY: WHO GETS TO TELL AN ARTIST’S STORY?

Documentary biographies come in many forms: collaborative portraits, archival investigations, hybrid works, posthumous accounts and films shaped by the active participation of their subjects. Drawing on examples including One to One: John & Yoko, Broken English and Jane B. par Agnès V., this discussion explores how filmmakers represent artists and cultural figures on screen. Considering the role of memory, archive, reconstruction, collaboration and interpretation, participants will examine the creative and ethical challenges of telling a life through cinema — and ask who gets to shape the stories we tell about artists.

Panelists: Kevin Macdonald, Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard. Moderators: Sophie Rosemont & Mark Kermode

FRIDAY 31 JULY | 10:30–11:30 | HÔTEL DE TINGRY

DOCUMENTING MUSICIANS: THE ROLLING STONES AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE MUSIC DOCUMENTARY

Using The Rolling Stones as a case study, this discussion explores the evolution of the music documentary, from the groundbreaking Direct Cinema of Albert and David Maysles’ Gimme Shelter, to films such as Robert Frank’s Cocksucker Blues and Paul Simon: Born at the Right Time. Emmy Award-winning editor and director Susan Steinberg reflects on the challenges of documenting musicians over time. Examining questions of access, authorship, performance and legacy, the panel considers why music documentaries continue to captivate audiences across generations.

Panelist: Susan Steinberg. Moderators: Sophie Rosemont & Mark Kermode

SATURDAY 1 AUGUST | 10:30–11:30 | SALLE DES FÊTES

FINDING THE MUSIC: THE CREATIVE DIALOGUE BETWEEN DIRECTOR, EDITOR AND COMPOSER

How does music shape the emotional life of a documentary? Through a selection of extracts from the award-winning films of Raoul Peck, composer Alexei Aigui and editor Alexandra Strauss explore the creative relationship between director, editor and composer. Drawing on their collaborations on films including I Am Not Your Negro, Ernest Cole: Lost and Found and Orwell: 2+2=5, they discuss how music is conceived, developed and woven into the storytelling process, revealing the powerful role that sound, silence and rhythm play in shaping the audience experience.

Panelists: Alexei Aigui, Alexandra Strauss. Moderator: Mark Kermode

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Each future edition of Provence Arts Festival du Film will focus on a different artistic discipline, exploring the worlds of visual art, performance, fashion, literature, architecture, poetry, dance, design, and the art of food and wine through documentary cinema.

With internationally acclaimed films, distinguished guests and thought-provoking conversations, Provence Arts Festival du Film continues to establish itself as a distinctive cultural event celebrating the arts through the power of documentary cinema.

You are never too old to experience a first! Even if you are the world’s second-oldest film festival, behind the Venice Film Festival.

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) celebrates its 60th edition in its 80th year from July 3 through July 11 this year, and it will do so with Hollywood stars in attendance and new film discoveries. The Czech festival has, over the decades, hosted all sorts of movies and celebrities.

But it will nonetheless get to revel in some debuts and firsts during its 2026 double anniversary edition beyond all its film premieres.

Here is a quick look at the first-evers set for KVIFF 2026.

First Film From Myanmar

Burmese writer-director Aung Phyoe is bringing the first-ever KVIFF film from Myanmar to this year’s competition lineup. His feature debut is entitled Fruit Gathering (Thit-thee Khu).

The cinematographer for the movie is Thaiddhi, with Emily Swe handling editing. The cast includes Nandar Myat Aung, Nandar Myint Lwin, Thida Soe Khant, Tin Tin Ei and Min Nyo. KVIFF promises an exploration of “how women’s desires survive in a country where intimacy and love between women remain socially unacceptable.”

The film is described as life in contemporary Myanmar seen through the eyes of two young women, which the fest said “can look quite oppressive.” They work at a textile factory in Yangon, the largest city in the country. “They face exhausting work, social repression and economic uncertainty,” reads a synopsis. “Although the grueling pace of everyday life stifles opportunities for human connection, both women continue to dream of intimacy and escape. When they grow closer, they set in motion the previously silenced fibers of their own emotions.”

First Colombian Film

Writers-directors’ Esteban Hoyos García and Juan Miguel Gelacio Ramírez’s Five Years, Four Months (Cinco años, cuatro meses), a co-production between Colombia and the U.S., world premieres in KVIFF’s competition program, marking the first Colombian movie at the Czech festival.

“Not only did Martha lose her oldest son, but to this day, she doesn’t know what happened to him or his remains,” reads a synopsis on the KVIFF website. “After years of searching in vain, she meets Sandra, who offers her one more possibility, perhaps her last hope: to set out for a remote place where the line between the living and the dead is blurred. The directorial duo … gives voice to Colombian women who, after their children’s disappearance, took the search into their own hands. The film’s subdued, focused narrative calls attention to one of the most painful consequences of the country’s long-lasting armed conflict while portraying the search for peace and reconciliation in a place that has never witnessed a farewell.

The film, whose cast includes Jenny Nava and Carmiña Martínez, features cinematography by Paula Moreno Vergara, with editing by Gelacio Ramírez. Patra Spanou Film is handling sales.

A Plumber on the Proxima Competition Jury

In addition to its Crystal Globe competition, KVIFF also programs the Proxima competition, which is now in its fifth year, to provide a space for “bold works by young filmmakers and renowned auteurs alike” from around the globe. It replaced the East of the West competition, which was established in the 1990s with the goal of helping filmmakers from the former Eastern Bloc.

Among the Proxma jurors this year is Jakub Felcman, whom a KVIFF bio describes as “a Czech screenwriter, festival organizer, film critic, creative producer, director, and qualified plumber.” As a script editor, he collaborated on films by Jan Němec, Petr Václav, Radu Jude, and Corneliu Porumboiu.

But has the jury for Proxima, or any other KVIFF competition, for that matter, ever included a qualified plumber? Not that anyone at the festival can remember. “I am not aware of any trained craftsmen being on the jury before,” festival artistic director Karel Och tells THR. “I’m sure there have been a lot of people who could do things manually, both men and women, but I’m not sure about any trained plumbers. Jakub is an incredibly interesting person, and we’re happy he will join us.”

First Swiss Competition Film

Switzerland has been represented at KVIFF before. But no movie from the country has ever screened in its competition – until this year.

A Happy Family comes courtesy of director Jan-Erick Mack, who has previously made shorts and TV series Wilder and Davos 1917. He co-wrote the script with Anna Schinz, Nikita Afanasjew and Eva Kienholz. Schinz also stars, along with Michael Neuenschwander, Julia Jentsch, Alireza Bayram, Bettina Stucky and Martina Apostolova. Benjamin Fueter edited the film, using cinematography by Yunus Roy Imer.

This is another film exploring challenging themes and topics. “Niki works two jobs, but the little money she earns is barely enough to cover the living expenses for her and her two young children,” reads a synopsis on the festival website. “One day, when the children are left unsupervised, they accidentally set the kitchen on fire, and so the Swiss authorities place them with a foster family on the other side of the country. Though forbidden from contacting her children, Niki decides to track them down.”

The first Swiss film in the main KVIFF competition actually closes the circle in a sense for the festival and its long history. “This is a year of looking back with our two anniversaries, and at the first festival in August 1946, our colleagues actually screened 14 films in 14 days, and one of them was Swiss,” Och tells THR. That was Leopold Lindtberg’s refugee drama The Last Chance (Die Letzte Chance), which then went on to screen at Cannes, where it won the Grand Prix. “I’m really happy about this connection of a Swiss film at the first edition of the festival, and a Swiss film in competition now, 80 years later.”