Couple days ago, the submission window for the 65th Krakow Film Festival drew to a close, once again breaking previous records for the number of received entries. Each submitted production will undergo thorough scrutiny by the selection committee, who will then present their recommendations to festival director Krzysztof Gierat. The chosen documentaries and short films from across the globe will be screened both in Krakow’s cinemas and online during the festival’s run from late May to early June.
“The moment submissions opened, entries began flooding in, which clearly demonstrates that the Krakow Film Festival has become a permanent fixture in the calendars of filmmakers worldwide. The festival’s growing prominence is further evidenced by the year-on-year increase in the number of submissions. This tremendous response both delights and energises us for the work ahead,” comments Patrycja Czarny, Selection Coordinator for the Krakow Film Festival.
The final Polish productions arrived just before midnight on 15 February. The selection committee now has some time to review the entries that arrived during the last days of the submission period.
How Many?
As in previous years, short films dominate the submissions. Three two-person selection teams are tasked with watching more than 1400 short fiction films. Selecting the most compelling entries falls to film scholar and critic Diana Dąbrowska, director Elżbieta Benkowska, film scholar Bartosz Tesarz, director and journalist Kamil Czudej, and film scholars Jarosław Grzechowiak and Anna Waszczuk.
The short documentary category, comprising nearly 400 entries, is being assessed Maciej Gil and Jędrzej Kościński – a duo of film scholars. The 270 submitted animated shorts are under the expert evaluation of film scholar Olga Bobrowska and animator Zbigniew Czapla.
An impressive 570 feature-length documentaries have been entrusted to film critic Anita Piotrowska, director Grzegorz Zariczny, radio journalist Tadeusz Marek, director Aniela Astrid Gabryel, film critic Marcin Stachowicz, and director Grzegorz Pacek.
All titles recommended by these teams will ultimately be presented to Festival Director Krzysztof Gierat, who retains final authority over programming decisions.
Where from?
France, Germany, Poland, and Spain lead the submission statistics, with French productions exceeding 300 entries, German submissions reaching 270, Polish entries totalling 230, and Spanish contributions amounting to 210. As in previous years, we’ve also received individual submissions from countries with smaller film industries, including Tajikistan, Montenegro, Nepal, Senegal, and Myanmar. The selection committee has also watched several hundred films at major international film festivals.
When?
The selection committee, working alongside Festival Director Krzysztof Gierat, will reach their final decisions by mid-April. At this point, we shall learn which films have been chosen for the festival’s four parallel competitions: three international categories – Documentary, Short Film, and DocFilmMusic – alongside the National Competition.
Passes for the 65th Krakow Film Festival are now on sale!
The Krakow Film Festival is on the exclusive list of film events qualifying for the Academy Awards® in short film categories (fiction, animation, documentary) and feature-length documentary, the European Film Awards in the same categories, and serves as a qualifying event for the BAFTA Awards.
The Krakow Film Festival is organised with financial support from the City of Krakow, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Polish Film Institute, and the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme. The Polish Filmmakers Association serves as co-organiser.
The 65th Krakow Film Festival will be held from 25 May to 1 June 2025, and online on KFF VOD from 30 May to 15 June.