Karlovy Vary IFF’s artistic director Karel Och graduated in Film History and Theory from Prague’s Charles University. Since 2001, he has worked for the Karlovy Vary IFF, the key film event in Central and Eastern Europe, as a member of the selection committee, also in charge of the documentary programme, the tributes and retrospectives.

In 2010 Och was appointed as the Festival’s artistic director. He is a member of the European Film Academy, as well as of the Czech Film and Television Academy, and from 2014 – 2024 he has been working with the Venice Days as the tutor of the jury.