The idea behind this section is a presentation of the newest documentaries, touching upon the actual issues, which are often difficult and controversial.
The exclusive thematic cycle “Krakow Documentary Premieres” is one of the main attractions of the Krakow Film Festival. The idea behind this section is a presentation of the newest documentaries, touching upon the actual issues, which are often difficult and controversial.
This year the film-makers from Spain, Israel, Germany, and the United States will confront the viewers with questions of moral, social, and artistic nature; questions on small and large scale.
-This year “Krakow Documentary Premieres” will unveil its more feminine side – says Krzysztof Gierat, director of the Krakow Film Festival – In four out of six films included in the cycle women are the main characters, and with them the family and intimate stories are coming to the fore.
One of them, for instance, captures the adventures connected with a search for an appropriate partner. In “Arranged Happiness”, a Hindu-German co-production, the groom is brought to the bride by the caring Hindu family in accordance with the centuries-old tradition. An attractive older lady, Nili Tal, the director and the main character of “Sixty and the City” chooses a different path – breaking stereotypes connected with old age, she places a personal ad in a paper, and starts dating. Would the characters of the popular American TV show that the title of this film paraphrases applaud of the liberated sixty-year-old?
Films “Loving Sophia” and “Karla’s Arrival” are concentrating on maternity love. The former of the documentaries touches upon the difficult issues of drug abuse, prostitution, and a mother’s fight for her daughter’s life. The latter, on the other hand, throws the viewer into the world, in which a young homeless woman is expecting the birth of her baby daughter. Although streets or a park are certainly not the right places for offspring upbringing, people deprived of homes refuse to abandon the fundamental human desires and emotions. Or maybe they should not?
Giving the women a field to nurture a family life, the men fulfil their potential in science and art. German “Solartaxi” is a film about a journey on which its protagonist Louis Palmer takes us in his own-invented solar-powered car. “Correspondence Jonas Mekas – J. L. Guerin”, on the other hand, is a filmic conversation between two experimentalists, who are always looking for new ways of expression. One of them we know very well – Jonas Mekas was a Guest of Honour at last year’s Krakow Film Festival, and the winner of the Dragon of Dragons Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements.
Krakow Documentary Premieres includes films such as :
Sixty and the City, dir. Nili Tal, Israel 2010, 70′
Life begins at sixty – this is what seems to think and say Nili Tal, the film’s main character as well as its director. Instead of taking care of grand-children, the woman decided to find a partner for the rest of her days on the Internet. There was no shortage of applicants – 1300 men responded. That way the advanced in years attractive lady went on over 50 dates in different corners of the world. Was it worth it? One thing she certainly did achieve is capturing her adventures in the ground breaking film that challenges stereotypes related to old age.
Screenings:
27.05. / 19.30 / Kino Pod Baranami / The Red Auditorium
28.05. / 15.00 / ARS Reduta
“Karla’s Arrival”, dir. Koen Suidgeest, Spain, 2010, 90′
Nineteen-year-old Sueylin Aguilar lives in a small park in Managua, along with other homeless. The situation remains the same even after she gives birth to her daughter – Karla. After some time the young mother reaches the conclusion that she wants better for her baby. She decides to start anew. But it is not that simple… The camera accompanies the mother and daughter, making a personal and intimate recording of the lifetime test that maternity is to the protagonist.
Screenings:
25.05. / 19.30 / Kino Pod Baranami / The Red Auditorium
27.05. / 15.00 / ARS Reduta
“Loving Sophia”, dir. Ohad Itach, Israel, 2010, 54′
Sophia is the daughter of Moldavian immigrants, who at the beginning of the 90’s had moved to Israel. Raised in the family of artistic aspirations, the girl got involved in music, and became a leader of a folk-rock band. Drug abuse put an end to the band’s career, and turned Sophia to prostitution. The film is a story of her struggle with the addiction, but more than that it is a compelling portrayal of her mother’s fight for the life of her only daughter.
Screenings:
25.05. / 15.00 / ARS Reduta
28.05. / 19.30 / Kino Pod Baranami / The Red Auditorium
“Arranged Happiness”, dir. Daniela Dar-Creutz, India/Germany 2011, ’87
In India marriages arranged by families are a common phenomenon. Love is always secondary. To fulfil the family’s wish, and to preserve the values passed from generation to generation is most important. For Waheda, a promising actress and singer, the time to get married is fast approaching. Looking for the right candidate for a husband must be conveyed in accordance with the tradition- in her case, the marriage will be organised by her younger brother, Ashiqa, who spends his lifetime savings for this occasion.
Screenings:
24.05. / 19.30 / Kino Pod Baranami / The Red Auditorium
26.05. / 15.00 / ARS Reduta
“Solartaxi – Around the World with the Sun”, dir. Erik Schmidt, Germany 2010, 68′
Louis Palmer began his filled with surprises adventure in Summer of 2007. This is when he invented the prototype of a solar-powered car. Within 18 months, he drove to 40 countries (including Poland), proving that a zero-emission car that is powered only by the Sun is not a dream.
Screenings:
24.05. / 15.00 / ARS Reduta
26.05. / 19.30 / Kino Pod Baranami / The Red Auditorium
“Correspondence Jonas Mekas – J. L. Guerin”, dir. Jonas Mekas, José Luis Guerin, Spain/USA 2011, 84′
Film is an answer to life – this thought derived from the repertoire of Jonas Mekas became an inspiration for José Luis Guerin. The exchange of letters between the men created a particular bond between them. Correspondence…is an experiment which incorporates the visual language of the two artists, who are looking for new forms of artistic expression, and new ways of using images. With bated breath we are following subsequent letters read by the artists themselves, and illustrated by their filmic reflections.
Screenings:
26.05. / 21.15 / ARS Reduta
27.05. / 21.15 / ARS Reduta