The 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will bring one of its strongest Industry Days lineups in recent years, headlined by a special appearance from The Sopranos creator David Chase.
He will be joined across the festival program by an extensive roster of international film figures, including previously announced special guests Dustin Hoffman, Juliette Binoche, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeffrey Wright, Harvey Keitel, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, and others participating in screenings, tributes, and industry events throughout the festival’s July 3–11 run.
The expanded Industry Days program at the Kaiserbad reflects the festival’s increasing focus on the intersection between filmmaking craft, television storytelling, and emerging production technologies. Over four days, the program will host leading figures in production, casting, cinematography, and distribution, alongside discussions addressing the impact of artificial intelligence on contemporary audiovisual work.
David Chase and the legacy of The Sopranos
Seven-time Emmy winner David Chase will appear on the Film Industry Main Stage on Wednesday, July 8, in a moderated conversation with Deadline’s Zac Ntim. The session is part of the Screen Focus Sessions and will center on Chase’s more than five decades in the industry, with particular attention to his influence on modern television storytelling and serialized drama.
Chase is best known as the creator of HBO’s landmark series The Sopranos (1999–2007), widely regarded as one of the most influential television dramas ever produced. The series, which follows New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano as he balances organized crime with family life and therapy sessions, reshaped expectations of long-form storytelling and helped define the so-called “Golden Age of Television.” It earned 21 Emmy Awards, five Golden Globes, and a Peabody Award.
Before The Sopranos, Chase built a career writing and producing for major U.S. television series, including The Rockford Files, for which he won his first Emmy, as well as Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Northern Exposure, and I’ll Fly Away. His work has been closely associated with psychologically complex characters and morally ambiguous narratives, a style that would later become central to prestige television.
In film, Chase made his directorial debut with Not Fade Away (2012), a coming-of-age story set in 1960s suburban America, which premiered at the New York Film Festival. He later wrote and produced The Many Saints of Newark (2021), a feature prequel to The Sopranos that expanded the series’ narrative universe. At KVIFF, Chase is expected to reflect on the evolution of the industry, from network television to streaming platforms, and the changing creative risks faced by writers and showrunners.
Industry leaders, streaming, and the future of filmmaking
Alongside Chase, KVIFF’s Industry Days will host a wide range of international filmmakers and executives exploring the future of screen production. One of the central conversations will feature cinematographer and director Andrij Parekh, a FAMU graduate known for his work on Succession, alongside BAFTA-winning writer, actor, and producer Sharon Horgan, best known for Bad Sisters, Catastrophe, and Divorce. The pair will appear on Wednesday, July 8, in a session titled The Cinematic Series: Storytelling in the Age of Streaming, focusing on how serialized storytelling continues to evolve across platforms.
A strong producing lineup will also include Oscar-winning producers Mollye Asher (Nomadland, The Rider) and Greg Shapiro (The Hurt Locker), who will join a discussion on building a producing identity through independent and studio projects. Other sessions will feature Spanish producer Juan de Dios Larraín (A Fantastic Woman, Spencer), Netflix series director Jan Holoubek (Heweliusz), and strategist Mathias Noschis, focusing on early-stage audience development and new distribution models.
Casting will also be a key theme, with longtime James Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams set to appear in a dedicated KVIFF Talk at Hotel Thermal. McWilliams, who has worked on the franchise since For Your Eyes Only (1981), will reflect on decades of casting iconic roles and the evolving expectations of actors in global cinema.
A separate strand of programming will examine artificial intelligence in filmmaking, featuring Cecilia Shen, CEO of Silicon Valley-based Utopai AI, alongside workshops and panels exploring how emerging tools are reshaping production workflows and creative decision-making. These sessions will run alongside broader discussions on marketing, audience development, and production strategy, reinforcing KVIFF’s growing role as both a public festival and an international industry hub.
Lead photo: David Chase courtesy KVIFF
