Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed in ‘Fingernails.’

Courtesy of Telluride Film Festival

Christos Nikou’s sophomore feature Fingernails, starring Riz Ahmed and Jessie Buckley, will screen as the closing film for the 58th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) in early July.

Organizers of the film fest in the picturesque Czech spa town unveiled the news Wednesday. “The tender and idiosyncratic romance co-produced by Cate Blanchett” features “disarming performances by Jesse Buckley and Riz Ahmed,” fest organizers said, describing the movie as an “unusual romance.”

The movie, Nikou’s English-language debut, is about a new technology that has been embraced by a growing number of couples. Promising “no more uncertainty” and “no more divorce,” the simple but physically daunting test enables people to be sure they have indeed found a true love connection – the only requirement: the removal of one fingernail from each person.

“There will be blood, yes, but mainly there’s a well-written and beautifully performed investigation of yearning and the mysterious realm that apps and algorithms can only profess to quantify,” THR wrote in its review from the Telluride Film Festival.

Programmed by artistic director Karel Och, KVIFF features a slew of world premieres, plus highlights from the film festival circuit of the past year. Organizers lauded Nikou, saying, “his debut Apples instantly
made him one of the most sought-after directors today.”

The winner of the KVIFF competition wins the Crystal Globe. This year’s jury includes jury head and indie film producer Christine Vachon, Australian actor Geoffrey Rush, Hungarian director Gábor Reisz, Icelandic poet, novelist and screenwriter Sjón and Czech actress Eliska Krenková.

The Karlovy Vary fest this year runs June 28-July 6.