The jubilee edition of the festival could not take place without special guests. We will see extraordinary film protagonists and filmmakers, festival winners from previous years, films in the competitions will be assessed by Łukasz Żal, Jan Komasa, Magdalena Łazarkiewicz and many more, Kukurba&Słowiński duet will give a special concert and the closing gala will be hosted by Maciej Stuhr.
Dragon of Dragons award for Péter Forgács
Dragon of Dragons award, handed out this year for the 24th time, is the greatest accolade given by the Programme Council of the Krakow Film Foundation, the Organizer of the Krakow Film Festival, as a sign of appreciation of one’s contribution to the development of world’s documentary and animated film. This year it will go to Péter Forgács – an exceptional Hungarian documentary film director and internationally recognised multimedia artist.
On June 2 we will broadcast the Dragon of Dragons ceremony during which prof. Tadeusz Lubelski, the Chairman of the Krakow Film Foundation Programme Council, will give a laudation. As a part of the Forgács retrospective a number of his exceptional films were invited to the festival programme, among them: “The Danube Exodus”, “Hunky Blues – The American Dream” and “Miss Universe 1929. Lisl Goldarbeiter. A Queen in Wien”.
Meetings with filmmakers and film protagonists
The festival will hold over 60 meetings with guests! Winners of the first edition of the festival – Witold Giersz and Jerzy Hoffman – will take part in the official opening of the 60th Krakow Film Festival. It will also include the screening of their short films from 1961.
Like in previous years after online screenings the festival will host Q&As with directors and film protagonists, which will be streamed live on the festival’s website and in social media.
Every day from Sunday to Friday at 10 am you can join us during Critical mornings – filmmakers and jury members’ discussions with film critics covering topics related to film but also venturing outside of the cinematic world. What is more, the programme offers two debates organised in cooperation with Tygodnik Powszechny.
After the screening of the film “xABo: Father Boniecki” by Aleksandra Potoczek on June 5 you can join a meeting with the protagonist, the director and the cinematographer Adam Palenta. The meeting will be hosted by Anita Piotrowska, journalist from Tydodnik Powszechny weakly.
Meeting with Adam Boniecki | Friday, June 5, 7.15 pm | free event
A debate dedicated to a moving documentary film “The Self Portrait” directed by Margreth Olin, Katja Hogset and Espen Wallin will take place between Joanna Pawlik, a visual artist, and Cezary Żechowski, psychiatrist and psychotherapist, and will be hosted by Monika Ochędowska and Marta Filipiuk-Michniewicz.
Watching and sympathising. Tygodnik Powszechny’s debate after the screening of “The Self Portrait” | Tuesday, June 2, 7.30 pm | free event
The best will choose the best
This year the head of the jury of the documentary competition will be one of the most distinguished Polish cinematographers, twice nominated to the Academy Awards Łukasz Żal. He will be accompanied by: Renata Santoro, Tod Lending, Eva Mulvad, Martin Horyna. The head of the short film competition jury is Jan Komasa – Polish director nominated to The Academy Awards for his film “Corpus Christi”. He will asses the films with: Marko Škop, Dekel Berenson, Paola Orlić, Csilla Kato. Deliberations of the DocFilmMusic competition jury will be led by Stephen Nomura Schible who co-produced an Oscar winning film “Lost in Translation” (2013) directed by Sofia Coppola. Other members of the music jury are: Rachel Leah Jones and Leszek Możdżer.
The head of the national competition jury is film director Magdalena Łazarkiewicz. Joining her will be Joanna Szymańska, Elwira Niewiera, Izabela Plucińska, Paweł Dyllus.
The head of the national competition jury is film director Magdalena Łazarkiewicz. Joining her will be Joanna Szymańska, Elwira Niewiera, Izabela Plucińska, Paweł Dyllus.
Actors and protagonists
In the films made by recognised and debuting Polish filmmakers we can find some superb Polish actors. On the screen we will see Katarzyna Herman, Krzysztof Materna (“The Stone”, dir. Bartosz Kozera), Małgorzata Gorol, Małgorzata Foremniak, and… Popek!, (“Maria Is Not Alive”, dir. Martyna Majewska), Bartłomiej Topa (“Noamia”, dir. Antonio Galdamez), Jan Frycz, Magdalena Boczarska, Łukasz Simlat, Janusz Chabior (“Alice and the Frog”, dir. Olga Bołądź).cz, Magdalena Boczarska, Łukasz Simlat, Janusz Chabior (“Alicja i żabka”, reż. Olga Bołądź).
In documentary films we will see stories of various people including the aforementioned father Adam Boniecki, August Zamoyski in a film by Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz “Guczo. Notes on Life”, or a group picture of inhabitants of a legendary House of Writers on Krupnicza street in Krakow (“House of Writers”, dir. Marek Gajczak). Maria Stachurska in her film “The Midwife” tells the story of her family member Stanisława Leszczyńska who was sent to Auschwitz concentration camp where she delivered 3 thousand babies.
KFF Industry
Like every year almost 1000 accredited guests will take part in the film industry events under the auspices of the KFF Industry platform. 150 festival representatives from around the world will visit Krakow virtually; among them programmers and directors of the following festivals: Berlinale (Sergio Fant, Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck), Cannes Film Festival (Wim Vanacker), Venice International Film Festival (Enrico Vannucci), Sundance (Ania Trzebiatowska, Mike Plant), Hot Docs (Shane Smith) and IDFA in Amsterdam (Joost Daamen). Representatives of film organisations from almost all continents – Europe, both Americas, Asia, Australia and even Antarctic – will also make an appearance!
Over 50 most relevant sales agents and distributors from all around the world confirmed their involvement in the events for film professionals what makes KFF Industry one of the world’s most important film industry events.
Concert
Apart from watching we’d like to invite you to listen, and you’ll have a great opportunity to do so. Celebrating festival’s diamond jubilee Kukurba&Słowiński Project will give a performance especially for us! Tomasz Kukurba, an artist recognised in Poland and abroad, frontman in a band Kroke, violist, author of characteristic vocalises, decided to join forces with Stanisław Słowiński – one of the most sought-after jazz violinist of the young generation – and create a programme which is a fusion of two remarkably colourful and diverse music worlds.
Night in Kazimierz online | Wednesday, June 3, 9 pm | free event
Closing ceremony
Awards of the 60th Krakow Film Festival will be announced online on Saturday evening. The ceremony will be hosted by Maciej Stuhr who had already taken this role at the Krakow Festival but this time it will be his online debut as a host.
Award ceremony | Saturday, June 6, 7 pm | free event
Krakow Film Festival is on the exclusive list of the Academy Awards documentary feature qualifying events and the winner of the Golden Horn is eligible to submit for Oscar consideration. KFF also qualifies short films (live action, animated, documentary) for the Academy Awards and recommends them for the European Film Awards.
The programme of the 60th Krakow Film Festival will be moved entirely online! The latest documentary, animated and short films from around the world, awaited Polish premieres and meetings with filmmakers will be available online, from the safety of your own home. Full festival programme is available on the festival website www.krakowfilmfestival.pl