On July 5, 2018 KVIFF Talk welcomed the author of 27 feature films, screenwriter, producer and director Barry Levinson, who received the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema at the gala Closing Ceremony. The discussion turned, among others, on his Oscar-winning movie Rain Man.

Levinson largely improvised when shooting the road movie which followed Charlie’s long journey with his autistic brother, as the director set on the journey together with the crew and the two stars Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise without being backed by a film studio. “We had a general sense of direction, but otherwise we adjusted the screenplay as the journey unfolded”, concluded the director, whose son was born during the film’s shooting in Cincinnati. That his decision was right was confirmed by the international acclaim, the film being ranked among the best in movie charts in all countries where it was released.