Rockaway Insider with Kryštof Mucha, executive director of the Karlovy Vary IFF

Kryštof Mucha

What key thing has 2020 taught you?
The important thing was that we never stopped. Even though we didn’t know whether the pandemic would allow us to hold the festival, it was terribly important for us to keep going as long as humanly possible. Then the festival was cancelled, and instead the “Tady Vary” project came about, in which we took festival films to small cinemas in the regions. So that taught me to not give up. I realized that even when a situation looks hopeless, in the end it can enrich you greatly. Tady Vary allowed us to go to the regions and meet local cinema operators, which we’d probably never have done if not for Covid, because during the normal course of things there isn’t time that. And now we’d like to continue doing this.

What is the number-one rule that you follow every day in your business?
I have two. The first is being honest. To myself as well as to those around me. That means always being open and describing things as they are, even though at the given moment it may seem inappropriate. It’s always paid off for me, because I know that someone won’t be able to come to me a year later and tell me that things were different. No, I know that I’ve been saying the same thing the whole time. And the second rule? I try to make sure I do everything 100% and that I enjoy doing it. Because if you don’t enjoy it, you’ll start making mistakes that stem from the fact that you don’t enjoy it and you’re not focused.

One learns from one’s mistakes. What mistake taught you the most, and what, specifically?
That’s a tough question. Not because I don’t make mistakes, not that, but because I don’t see them as something bad. I’ll give you an example. When as a student I started helping out at the festival, I worked for the guest service, which took care of stars attending the festival. I had no experience in this area, so sometimes, for example, they would arrive at Karlovy Vary without knowing what was in store for them, what their programme was. Today that would be unthinkable, so from today’s perspective it was a mistake, but back then everyone took it as being a natural part of our evolution. I could also consider a mistake the fact that sometimes I trust everyone around me a little too much, that earlier the festival was a little too dependent on one single partner, or that I should listen more to people around me. But none of these things are actually mistakes – it’s simply just a way of getting better and moving forward.

What is your most important piece of advice for new entrepreneurs?
To do work they’ll enjoy. It sounds simple, but it’s not always a matter of course. In the beginning, none of us who today are part of the festival’s management thought that one day we would make a living doing it. I didn’t see it as work, and I started out doing it as a part-time job while in school because I really wanted to be part of the festival. I was gradually given better opportunities, and the amount of work grew. When I graduated from university, they offered me a full-time job, and only then did it occur to me that I could make a living working for the festival. What was much more important was that I enjoyed it.

What do you consider the greatest benefit of your business for society?
Spending two or three days in Karlovy Vary at the festival will make you a better person. More open and more tolerant. I’m convinced of that. When you come to the festival and in the morning you see a film from Chile, in the afternoon one from Ukraine, and in the evening from France, for example, you meet other people and talk about films, it enriches you and you become someone who is more open to accepting other world-views. You can’t read three books in one day, but you can watch three movies. And that’s really important.

What question are you asked most often, and how do you answer?
Which star will come to the festival. Mr. Bartoška always says that it’s Jiřina Bohdalová. And I say that we don’t know until they get off the plane, because something can always happen. Sometimes I’m a bit sad that people don’t ask about films and filmmakers, but I get it – stars are simply an essential part of the festival. That why we alway try to do our best. I worry whether the entire year won’t be seen as unsuccessful if no high-profile guest comes to Karlovy Vary. It’s not completely fair, because it’s not just about the stars, but on the other hand just look at the attention that Johnny Depp attracted this year. Which is why I appreciate that such famous personalities are willing to come to a festival in a small town in the west of the Czech Republic, especially when we don’t even pay them for it.

What life hack helps you most in your work?
Three times a week I go boxing, always at seven in the morning. I started doing it twelve years ago, then it fell by the wayside a bit, but the last year and a half I’ve started doing it again regularly. It’s not about hitting someone to unload, but rather that boxing gives me energy. For me it’s a more fun way of keeping in shape, plus after training I aways feel that my mind is absolutely clear. And what’s important is that I go first thing in the morning – I like the fact that I’m at work by nine, I’ve done it, and I don’t have to force myself into some sort of activity in the evening.

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