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| A touch of old style Hollywood glamour on the red carpet in the shape of Dakota Johnson at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Photo: Film Servis KVIFF |
Dubbed inevitably as "the star of Fifty Shades Of Grey” (possibly not the best calling card) Dakota Johnson launched a charm offensive over the weekend at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and brought a touch of old-style Hollywood glamour to the red carpet.
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| Dakota Johnson proudly clutches her President’s Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Photo: Film Servis KVIFF |
Diplomatically she also managed to use a few words of Czech to thank the organisers for her President’s Award in recognition of her cinematic achievements.
There is nothing old-style about Johnson’s aims which she suggested involved creating “healthy and respectful films sets.” She turns director soon and wants to keep telling female-centric stories through her own company Tea Time Pictures which she founded in 2019 with Ro Donnelly, her production partner.
She came to the Festival with two films - Celine Song’s Materialists, another look at relationships from the director of Past Lives – this time from a slightly different perspective, and Splitsville, directed by Michael Angelo Covino.
Materialists takes us into a world centered not on memories but on possibilities. Johnson is an exclusive matchmaker who balances between the past (Chris Evans), the present (Pedro Pascal), and what might be if…
“I want to avoid toxic sets,” she said. “I measure the success of a movie in how it affects people.” As for dream roles? She’s still got one in mind. “I would love to play a psychopath,” she confessed with a grin.
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| Greeting the crowds at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival - Dakota Johnson: 'I hope these are films that ignite fire in people’s hearts and minds about love and how we treat each other' Photo: Film Servis KVIFF |
Splitsville is a more conventional relationship comedy following two married couples as they confront a familiar dilemma: their relationships no longer feel the same, and each partner may be yearning for change.
Her message to the public was: “I hope these are films that ignite fire in people’s hearts and minds about love and how we treat each other and what we want for ourselves.”
Gushing her gratitude to the Festival for her inclusion she added: “It looks like Disneyland here [a nod to the town’s chocolate box architecture] - it’s just so beautiful.”
The Festival continues until 12 July.
