The film Patti Smith: Dream Of Life offers a unique portrait of the great poet, artist and "poetically rabid" rock musician. The film follows the life of New York's cult "punk priestess" who goes way beyond this style - it's enough just to witness the pure, boundless energy she invests in the name of art. This piece by photographer and filmmaker Steven Sebring about rock, spirituality and self-expression enjoyed a successful world premiere at the Sundance festival and was also a big hit at the Berlin IFF shortly afterwards.

The section A Musical Odyssey will also present the Czech premiere of the first major documentary about the late rock musician, composer and filmmaker Dežo Ursiny, an enigmatic and unclassifiable figure of the Czechoslovak music scene. Director Peter Krištůfek's film Snapshots contains archive shots and testimonies from Ursiny's close friends - including the rocker's "favourite" poet Ivan Štrpka and organist Marián Varga.

Fans of the contemporary independent scene will rave about the films of tireless chronicler Vincent Moon who, for his web archive La Blogothèque, has now filmed over ninety Take Away Shows. Moon has already managed to secure a host of stars (Sigur Rós, R. E. M., Arcade Fire) for informal appearances in "venues" such as a lift, tram or café, where he captures them in imaginative, playful and highly vibrant images. Moon's special selection for the Karlovy Vary IFF also includes the world premiere of the film Little Blue Nothing about Czech musicians Irena Havlová & Vojtěch Havel.