Dragon of Dragons 2025
Jean-François Laguionie to Receive the Dragon of Dragons AwardSmoków 2025
Winner of the Palme d’Or in Cannes, the French César, and both the Silver and Golden Dragon at the Kraków Film Festival, Jean-François Laguionie is set to return to the capital of Lesser Poland. Jean-François Laguionie is going to receive the Dragon of Dragons and lead a masterclass The occasion will be accompanied by a retrospective of his remarkable, painterly films.animacji.
The Kraków Film Festival Programme Council has selected French animation maestro Jean-François Laguionie as the recipient of the 2025 Dragon of Dragons award. For six decades, Laguionie has continued to explore new compositional possibilities in animated storytelling. His early films – Noah’s Ark (Silver Dragon, 1967) and A Random Bomb (Golden Dragon, 1969) – earned recognition at the Kraków Film Festival, while Rowing Across the Atlantic (1978) secured him the Palme d’Or at Cannes. His latest feature, A Boat in the Garden, is set to premiere this year. – explains Tadeusz Lubelski, Chair of the KFF Programme Council.
Born in 1939 in Besançon, France, Jean-François Laguionie initially pursued drawing, painting, and theatre. He studied stage design at the École de la rue Blanche in Paris before turning to acting. In 1963, he met Paul Grimault (1904–1994), one of France’s most celebrated animation directors. That encounter prompted Laguionie to alter the course of his artistic development. Grimault became his mentor, providing him with studio space and imparting not only the technical aspects of animation but also the principles of constructing narratives. Most importantly, he demonstrated that animation need not be confined to merely entertainment; it could also serve as a profound artistic medium exploring human emotions and experiences.
As part of his visit to Kraków, Laguionie will lead a masterclass.
I can’t wait to see Kraków again, forty years after my last visit. I don’t know how to express the joy this award brings me. It brings back warm memories of your country, your city, and the friends I made at your festival many years ago, such as Daniel Szczechura and Raoul Servais… I am deeply honoured to receive the Dragon of Dragons, especially as I have just completed my latest film, A Boat in the Garden, which is going to, in fact, be my final work. What a marvellous way to conclude my career! – reflects an emotional Jean-François Laguionie.