In this year’s film series “Somewhere in Europe” at the 61st Krakow Film Festival, we will visit, among others, the famous Italian studio Cinecitta, where Fellini created his films, we will set off on a pilgrimage from Sweden to Spain. We will get acquainted with protagonists who look for their identity and who fight for their right to live according to their beliefs.
Our European house of film is as dazzlingly beautiful as the place where the outstanding works of the Italian master were created, or as ethnically and culturally diverse as the villa of the English documentary film-maker, and finally, full of profound dramas and hidden secrets like the residences of the Swedish and Swiss family with strong Polish roots, this is how Krzysztof Gierat, the director of the Krakow Film Festival, announces the series.
Cinecitta — one of the most famous film addresses in the world. It was here, in studio number five, that Federico Fellini lived and created his art over the years. “Fellinopolis” (dir. Silvia Giulietti) takes us on a fascinating journey through this peculiar microcosmos, and our guides are close associates of Fellini.
Another microcosm is described in the film “The Filmmaker’s House.” Marc Isaacs, who returns to the Festival with his latest film, opens to us the doors of his British house, where his Columbian housekeeper, British workers, a Slovak homeless man and a neighbour from Pakistan meet. The director skillfully blurs the boundaries of documentary and fiction, and the viewer begins to lose confidence in his perceptive perspective.
Erik, the transgender protagonist of “Prince of Dreams” (dir. Jessica Nettelbladt) struggles with self-acceptance, which is hindered by traumatic experiences from the past. To understand himself better and to finally open his way to happiness, Erik sets off on a pilgrimage from his native country Sweden to the Spanish Camino de Finisterre.
Martin, the protagonist of “Who’s Afraid of Alice Miller?”(dir. Daniel Howald) also goes on a journey. The son of the famous psychotherapist and the author of the best-selling book “The Drama of the Gifted Child” did not have a happy childhood. Beaten by his father, he had to come to grips with his mother’s cold indifference. Years later, Martin visits Poland — his parents’ homeland — to understand how their wartime experiences could have shaped them.
The Filmmaker’s House, dir. Marc Isaacs 
Who’s Afraid of Alice Miller?, dir. Daniel Howald 
Prince of Dreams, dir. Jessica Nettelbladt 
Fellinopolis, dir. Silvia Giulietti
The films in the programme of the series “Somewhere in Europe”:
- “Fellinopolis,” dir. Silvia Giulietti, 79’, Italy 2020
- “Prince of Dreams,” dir. Jessica Nettelbladt, 90’, Sweden, Denmark 2021
- “Who’s Afraid of Alice Miller?”, dir. Daniel Howald, 101, Switzerland 2020
- “The Filmmaker’s House,” dir. Marc Isaacs, 75’, Great Britain 2020
The Krakow Film Festival is included on the prestigious list of film events qualifying for the Academy Awards in the short film competition (feature film, animated film, documentary film) and feature-length documentary film, and it also recommends the films to the European Film Awards in the same categories.
The Krakow Film Festival is organised with the financial support of the co-organiser – the Polish Filmmakers Association and the City of Krakow, the Polish Film Institute, the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport and the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.
The 61st Krakow Film Festival will be held from the 30th of May to the 6th of June 2021, simultaneously at the cinemas in Krakow and on the Internet.