American actor Richard Gere was the guest of honour at the opening ceremony of the 50th Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic.

The 65-year-old, who received the Crystal Globe for outstanding contribution to world cinema from Festival President Jiri Bartoska, was quick to thank the organisers and added he felt deeply honoured to receive this award.

“It is a great honour for me to be presented with this award, said the American actor. ‘‘This festival is very much about filmmakers, it is not so much about the song and the dance and the publicity around it but it seems to be about very serious filmmakers, serious films, actors, writers and directors.”

The festival opened this year with Oren Moverman’s drama ‘Time Out of Mind’, which sees Richard Gere playing the part of a homeless man trying to reconnect with a daughter he abandoned.

Speaking at a press conference, the actor explained how it felt to portray this character.

“I stood on a street corner and I had my hat