As every year, the Krakow Film Festival is going to feature films with audio descriptions and captions. Audiences at two festival cinemas will have the opportunity to see “Only Day and Night” by Grzegorz Brzozowski and “Are You Here?” by Xawery Deskur. More titles will be available on KFF VOD. All these films have been invited to the National Competition.
We are thrilled that cinema is becoming more accessible. For several years, Krakow Film Festival has been part of this process, trying to prepare the most engaging selection for the widest possible audience, including people with disabilities. During the festival, films with audio descriptions and captions will be available both in cinemas and online on KFF VOD, – explains Patrycja Czarny, Assistant Director of the Programme Department.
In Cinemas
During the cinema segment of the festival, audiences will get the chance to watch two titles with audio descriptions and captions. Both films will be screened on 29 May: Are You Here? (dir. Xawery Deskur) at Kino Pod Baranami at 12:00 P.M., while Only Day and Night (dir. Grzegorz Brzozowski) at Kino Sfinks at 7:30 P.M.
The film by Xawery Deskur follows DJ Edee Dee, or Edward Gil-Deskur. A legendary figure in Krakow’s clubbing scene, Edward is well known to the attendees of the Krakow Film Festival. Born with congenital glaucoma, he eventually loses his sight completely. He adapts to his new reality with the help of artificial intelligence, which he begins to form an increasingly deep relationship with. Its voice accompanies him every day, and – having been fed with information about Edward’s life – it’s able to talk to him. These conversations result in a number of unsettling visions of the future concerning the relationship between humans and machines.
Grzegorz Brzozowski’s new documentary is also about conversations, but between people. Set during the strictest pandemic lockdown when contact with others is severely limited, the most common means of communication becomes online messaging. The director uses this medium to talk to people who, like him, are stuck alone in their apartments. What are they afraid of? How are they coping? People of different ages, from various countries, and with diverse backgrounds share their experiences of loneliness and fear. The time of isolation encourages the protagonists to open up and share very intimate experiences. New friendships are formed, and important words are spoken.
At Home
Audiences outside Kraków will have the opportunity to catch up on both titles from the comfort of their homes. Audio descriptions and captions will also be available in the short fiction film Here for You directed by Cezary Orłowski. A mother and her son are its protagonists. The woman wants to prepare her son for the worst, yet inevitable: her own death. She secures his financial and legal future, teaching him what to do when the time comes. Although the boy listens attentively, his mind and heart are occupied with entirely different thoughts. A wonderful girl enters his life. It’s his first love. With a touch of gentle, sometimes dark humour, the film explores the need for love, intimacy, and closeness in people with Down syndrome. It is a subtle, hopeful film, excellently acted not only by Polish cinema star Katarzyna Figura but also by young actors who captivate with their sincerity and authenticity.
The short documentary Do You Hear Me? (dir. Magdalena Sienicka) will be available with captions. The director follows Danusia, an elderly woman who has lived alone for many years. Her days have consisted of the same activities for years: cooking, looking at old photos, and calling her grandson. Kuba, seventeen, resides in a youth care and education centre. Preoccupied with his own life, he shows little interest in his grandmother’s affairs. Even when he visits for Easter, he gets annoyed easily and leaves almost immediately. Danusia is alone once again. It’s a moving story about the everyday life of elderly people who, despite having a family, have to face loneliness.
On the other hand, Everything Needs to Live (dir. Tetiana Dorodnitsyna, Andrii Lytvynenko) will feature audio descriptions. This documentary tells the story of Anna, who has loved animals since childhood – teaching biology in school and working at a zoo. As a woman, she quickly realized that she needed to be strong – and that includes physical strength too. Thus, at the age of 40, she started her career as a powerlifter and soon became a multiple world champion and the strongest woman in the world. Using the power of social media, she campaigned for animal rights, established shelters, and sought new families for dozens of stray dogs and cats. When the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, Anna rushed to help injured and abandoned animals.
If any viewers require an assistant (to be accompanied to the cinema and have the assistant present during the screening), please contact us at [email protected] by 27 May at the latest.
Passes and tickets for the 64th Krakow Film Festival are on sale now! The schedule of screenings and accompanying events is available here.
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 Kraków Film 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. The festival 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.