Three completely different filmmakers with three completely different stories – what they have in common is that they all previously won in Krakow and they come back this year to the Festival with their latest documentaries. They will take us to Jamaica, Syria, Switzerland and the United States. All three films will be presented in the international documentary competition.
One of the filmmakers coming to Krakow is Till Schauder – the last year’s winner of the DocFilmMusic competition for his documentary “When God Sleeps” about a life of Iranian musician, Shahin Najafi, living under a fatwa for apostasy. In his latest movie the director takes us to Jamaica, where he follows the national football team preparing to the World Cup qualifications. The team consists of the amateur players who are to be led to success by a coach brought from Germany. However, “The Reggae Boyz” is something more than a story about sport competition. Schauder goes beyond the football field and focuses his camera on the islanders, which results in a colourful picture of the homeland of Bob Marley and Rastafarians, painted with reggae music.
The 2014 winner of the Golden Horn, Talal Derki, once again will confront Krakow audience with the sheer terror of the Syrian war. Four years after the horrifying, successful and widely discussed “Return to Homs” – the opening film of the 54th KFF – the director visits a family of a radicalized ISIS member and follows the process of forming of jihadist fighters. In “Of Fathers and Sons” the camera focuses on little boys who are being prepared the join the ranks of ISIS by their beloved fathers, for whom family is especially important. The film received this year an award for best documentary at Sundance.
Kaleo La Belle with his film “Beyond This Place” won the KFF documentary competition in 2010. In his latest film “Fell in Love with a Girl” the director once again talks about family and turns the camera on himself. While his previous film focused on his relation with his largely absent father, this time La Belle analyses his own situation – being a father and a partner for two women: his ex-wife and his present partner. Both women are very important for the filmmaker while their shared lives are stretched between two countries: Switzerland and the United States.
The full list of the films selected to the 58th Krakow Film Festival will be announced at the beginning of April.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/214610089105300/?active_tab=about
The 58th Krakow Film Festival will take place May 27th – June 3rd 2018.