Peter Sarsgaard Calls for Collective Action in Political KVIFF Speech

Politics seems to be everywhere and everything these days, and Friday evening’s opening ceremony for the 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) in the Czech Republic got a dose of it as honorees Peter Sarsgaard and Vicky Krieps used their acceptance speeches for comments on the United States’ role in the world and politics of borders and division.

The black-tie opening affair saw Krieps (Phantom Thread, Bergman Island) and Sarsgaard, who most recently starred in director Tim Fehlbaum’s September 5, each collect a KVIFF President’s Award. 

“Making a film is a collective action, and I’m proud of some of the work that [I have done], maybe not all of it, but any actor will tell you that good work is only possible in an environment that supports it,” Sarsgaard said, after taking to the stage following a huge standing ovation. “There is no going it alone. As my country retreats from its global responsibilities and tries to go it alone, it is also being divided into factions from within — factions of politics, gender, sexuality, race, Jews split over the war.” Sarsgaard’s wife, Maggie Gyllenhaal, identifies as Jewish.

The star continued with a plea. “But when there’s a common enemy, there is no going it alone. The enemies are the forces that divide us, that individuate us — we all know who they are,” he said. “Collective action is the only way forward — in art and in our happiness. So, thank you for this. I couldn’t have done it without all of you.”

Sarsgaard wrapped up his speech by quoting former Czech president Václav Havel and one of the leaders who helped bring about the fall of communism in what was then Czechoslovakia: “One half of a room cannot remain forever warm, while the other half is cold.”

Krieps also spoke out against division. “If movies are not misused, they can go across borders and transfer the most powerful messages,” she said in accepting her trophy, also following a big standing ovation. “They don’t ask [for] a passport or where you are from or how much money you have, or if you are cool or not.”

She continued: “I was never cool. I was always not cool. … Movies give us the space to dream and hope … So we should try and save the movies, so they continue to exist and to continue to spread the word of love and peace and, most importantly, forgiveness.”

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