Sleepovers at a friend’s house, unexpected inter-species friendships, a trip to Iceland, playing detectives, or even experiencing emigration or ordinary daily chores can all be treated as an extraordinary adventure that brings lots of fun but, above all, allows one to gain new experiences. A trip to the cinema to see excellent European films during the Kids & Youth Fest section can also be an adventure. Whatever your age, we’ve got something for you!
The films selected for Kids & Youth Fest are aimed at various age groups. For teenage audiences, we’ve got four great and award-winning documentaries as part of the international Docs4Teens project, while for families with children can expect a captivating animated film and two engaging features.
Thanks to a longer weekend, this year’s program has been divided into two parts. The documentary part is intended for an organised teenage audience and has been created as part of the international Docs4Teens project, while the second one is aimed at families with children. Within it, we will present three European productions – two fiction films and an animated one. This perfectly complements the Children’s Day celebrations for which we are preparing something special thanks to the support of our partner, PKO Ubezpieczenia, – explains Magdalena Walo, curator of the children’s section at the Krakow Film Festival.
Detective Adventures
The popular Enola Holmes isn’t the only child detective in town. The young Tiril and Oliver witness strange events at the local museum. The pharaoh’s mummy has arrived in their town! Intrigued by the incidents during the preparations for the exhibition opening, they decide to investigate. Is the curse of the ancient pharaoh Tutankhamun behind it? The detectives from Operation Mummy (dir. Grethe Bøe-Waal) suspect that one of the museum’s staff must be involved. But who’s guilty? The electrician, the decorator, or perhaps the museum director? It’s time to gather evidence and connect the dots! Will Tiril and Oliver solve the case before the grand opening? Or could the pharaoh’s curse turn out to be real?
The 13-year-old Benjamin will be facing a larger investigation. The teenager is a successful hacker. He finds solace from the hardships of everyday life in the online world. At the age of seven, the boy lost his mother and never got to know his father. One day, two intelligence agents service visit him claiming they have found a video recording that may feature the mother of the protagonist of Hacker (dir. Poul Berg). As soon as the shock wears off, Benjamin decides to launch his own investigation into what happened to his mom. He is aided by Savannah, who lives with him in the same facility. It quickly becomes apparent that his mother wasn’t who he thought she was and had been involved in a secret government mission.
Warrior Expeditions
Based on Dino Buzzati’s book, The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily (dir. Lorenzo Mattotti) is an animated fairy tale about the existence of different worlds, searching for one’s identity, and the power of love and authority. The extraordinary adventure begins with the disappearance of the king’s son. Leonzio, the ruler of the Sicilian bears, sets out with his subjects to the realm of humans in hope of finding his child. However, the king’s good intentions are mistakenly interpreted by humans who – driven by the lust for power and greed – attack the visitors. A fight for love, influence, and power ensues in a world full of magical characters where anything is possible.
Aimed at an older audience, the documentary production Why We Fight (dir. Camille Etienne, Solal Moisan) follows 23-year-old Camille Etienne, a French climate and social justice activist, who sets out with a camera and two of her best friends to Iceland to see first-hand the thing she has been trying to protect for many years: melting ice. Sharing a very personal account of her journey, she tries to engage the public on the issue to raise awareness about the climate crisis.
(Extra)ordinary Adventures
Everyday life can be tedious, but you can also spice it up a notch. Teenage heroines in Girls’ Stories (dir. Aga Borzym) know this perfectly well. Sleepovers in the garden and hours spent in the backyard – no one will understand us as well as one’s best friend does and – in addition – you can talk to her about everything. About first loves and your relation with parents. About the perception of your own body and the imminent first menstruation. About school and its strange rules and prohibitions. Jagoda and Zuzia are sincere, full of positive energy, and ready to conquer the world!
Thirteen-year-old Nastia from Girl Away from Home (dir. Simon Lereng Wilmont, Alisa Kovalenko) has found herself in a rather difficult situation. The protagonist of the documentary is an incredibly talented gymnast from Kyiv. Unfortunately, the war forced her and her friends to emigrate. Together with her grandmother, she leaves Ukraine and moves to Germany. She is trying to find her way in the new country and – above all – keeping up her greatest passion, artistic gymnastics, which she practices almost every day.
Meanwhile, the protagonists of the short documentary The Unicorn in Snowpants Suddenly Ran Off (dir. Philipp Schaeffer) live in an almost completely different world. The award-winning film takes us to the world of three self-confident children, for whom blindness is not a disability but another kind of normalcy. Short phone conversations can be a starting point for fun or lead to unexpected adventures.
The Kids & Youth Fest is a section aimed at organised school and preschool groups. Admission to each screening is free, but requires prior reservation, which can be made by writing to: [email protected]. The number of seats is limited.
PROGRAM FOR ORGANISED GROUPS:
- 27.05 – Girls’ Stories, dir. Aga Borzym, documentary, 10+
- 28.05 – Why We Fight, dir. Camille Etienne, Solal Moisan, documentary, 14+
- 29.05 – Short film set: The Unicorn in Snowpants Suddenly Ran Off, dir. Philipp Schaeffer // Girl Away from Home, dir. Simon Lereng Wilmont, Alisa Kovalenko, documentaries, 12+
Screenings will be held in the Mikro cinema (ul. Juliusza Lea 5) at 9:00 a.m.
SPECIAL SCREENING FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN
- 30.05 – Operation Mummy, dir. Grethe Bøe-Waal, fiction film, 7+
- 31.05 – Hacker, dir. Poul Berg, fiction film, 9+
- 1.06 – The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily, dir. Lorenzo Mattotti, animated film, 5+
Screenings on 30-31 May will be held in the Paradox cinema (ul. Krupnicza 38) at 12:00 p.m. On the occasion of Children’s Day, the animation The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily will be shown in the Kijów cinema at 11:00 p.m. The screening will be accompanied by additional attractions organised together with our partner, PKO Ubezpieczenia. Don’t forget to reserve some time after the screening.
PKO Ubezpieczenia is the partner of the Kids & Youth Fest.
Passes for the 64th Krakow Film Festival are on sale now!
The Krakow Film Festival is on the exclusive list of qualifying events for the Oscars® in the categories of short film (live action, animated, documentary) and documentary feature, as well as a recommending event for the European Film Awards in the same categories.
The Festival is organised with the financial support of the Municipality of Kraków, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the European Union’s Creative Europe program, the Lesser Poland Province, the Polish Film Institute. It is co-organised by the Polish Filmmakers Association.
The 64th Krakow Film Festival will be held in cinemas from 26 May to 2 June and online across Poland on the KFF VOD platform from 31 May to 16 June 2024.