The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) has announced the winners of KVIFF Promises 2026, its industry platform designed to connect filmmakers with co-production partners, distributors, festivals, and financiers. This year's edition showcased 38 film, television, and intellectual property (IP) projects from across Central and Eastern Europe, alongside the fourth edition of KVIFF Talents and the launch of the festival's new Book-to-Screen pitching initiative.

The top Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, worth €20.000, was presented to Selamlik, a Swedish-Danish drama directed by Jerry Carlsson, written by Khaled Alesmael, and produced by Frida Mårtensson. The jury praised the project's timely story of love, displacement, and identity, saying it reflects today's geopolitical realities while highlighting the importance of European co-production.

A second €20.000 Eurimages Special Co-Production Development Award, created to support a promising Ukrainian project, went to Reminiscence, directed and written by Anastasiia Tykha and produced by Darya Bassel. The jury described the film as a moving exploration of grief, survival, and resilience in contemporary Ukraine.

Reminiscence also received the Connecting Cottbus Award, securing an invitation to pitch at the East-West co-production market during the Film Festival Cottbus. The jury highlighted the project's intimate portrayal of the consequences of war through the story of a mother and daughter coping with loss.

The MIDPOINT & KVIFF Development Award, accompanied by a €10.000 cash prize sponsored by MIDPOINT, Barrandov Studio, and KVIFF, was awarded to They Bloom at Dawn from North Macedonia. Directed and written by Angela Dimeska and produced by Ognen Antov, the project was recognized for its exploration of family relationships against the backdrop of an environmental crisis.

Polish producer Monika Matuszewska, attached to Confirmation, received the Rotterdam Lab Award, earning a place in the prestigious professional training program for producers held during the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Meanwhile, the Marché du Film Producers Network Award was presented to Czech producers Tomáš Hrubý for Cowgirl and Eva Váchová for A Few Branches Off. Both will participate in the Producers Network during next year's Cannes Film Festival.

KVIFF Talents selected seven Czech and Slovak projects from more than 100 submissions, providing financial support, mentoring, script development, proof-of-concept production, and creative residencies. The Feature Pool winners were Exposed, Until We Leave, and Nera, while the Creative Pool recognized stop-motion feature The Inhalatorium and limited series Burning Witches and K-Dream.

A major addition to this year's Industry Days was the launch of Book-to-Screen at KVIFF, developed in partnership with the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Moravian Library in Brno, and Book World. The new initiative showcased eight literary works from Central and Eastern Europe with strong adaptation potential, including titles from the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Ukraine.

According to Hugo Rosák, Head of the KVIFF Film Industry Office, the initiative aims to strengthen the international visibility of Central European productions while encouraging new co-production partnerships and expanding opportunities for literary adaptations. He said the region has the potential to become a major audiovisual production hub, with KVIFF Promises helping connect filmmakers and stories from Central and Eastern Europe to global audiences.