The opening ceremony of the 57th edition of Central Europe’s biggest cinema celebration in the Czech spa town on Friday featured the much-anticipated premiere of its annual trailer starring the Pirates of the Caribbean actor.
It was directed by film and advertising director Ivan Zachariáš and is set in the Hotel Gellért, an art nouveau hotel in Budapest. With Depp working in Europe at the time of production, a stopover in Hungary fit into his work schedule, the fest noted.
Concluded the director: “We had great fun.” The shoot took only two and a half hours, according to fest organizers. But Depp seemed in no rush to leave. “When we were done, he still wanted to chat even though a plane was waiting for him,” recalled Zachariáš.
The Czech festival has been a supporter of the sometimes controversial actor, inviting Depp as its guest of honor in 2021, where he presented two films produced by him, music documentary Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane MacGowan and Andrew Levitas’ Japan-set drama Minamata, in which he also starred.
In May, festival organizers had unveiled that Depp would appear in this year’s fest trailer. On Wednesday, the fest in a statement detailed that “the new trailer featuring Johnny Depp in the main role will have its premiere screening … at the official opening of the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.”
