This Friday, the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival begins in the Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary, the most influential and esteemed film festival in post-communist Eastern Europe. The festival was established during the Cold War as a prestigious project of the Soviet bloc and successfully survived the transition following the fall of the Berlin Wall. Despite a very unfavorable date, coming immediately after Cannes, the festival has secured its place among the leading A-list festivals.