The Krakow Film Festival is unveiling even more secrets about the program of its 63rd edition.
Of all the competitions at the Krakow Film Festival, DocFilmMusic is exceptionally popular. The best music documentaries from around the world attract more than just cinema goers, but also enthusiasts of sounds of all kinds and audiences open to remarkable musical discoveries. This time, the program is going to include two Polish productions – a fascinating portrait of jazz icon Urszula Dudziak and a story about the search for traditional songs about death.
Music often tells stories better than words. However, if we contrast it with image, the result is a strong catalyst for emotions and experiences. Every year we make sure that the films featured in DocFilmMusic explore a variety of musical territories and also talk about the most important things, explains Krzysztof Gierat, director of the Krakow Film Festival. – I am glad that once again, among musical documentaries from all over the world, we will be able to show exceptionally interesting Polish productions
Urszula Dudziak is a leading figure in jazz vocals who gained international fame in the 1970s. She has recorded over 50 albums. She has performed and befriended some of the world’s greats such as Krzysztof Komeda, Bobby McFerrin, Herbie Hancock, Nina Simone, and Sting. Her life is a script for a film as it is. In Agnieszka Iwańska’s documentary Ula, using unique archival material, she herself weaves a fascinating tale of what fulfilling dreams feels like and what the price is. Behind and in front of the camera, she is accompanied by Michał Urbaniak, Jerzy Kosiński and many other extraordinary figures. And all this to the sound of the finest jazz.
Goodbye My Wonderful World (dir. Joo Joostberens) is the story of an unusual music and anthropology project which explores the meaning of death and mourning. Musicians known from bands such as Pustki or Kult embark on a journey through the Polish countryside in search of traditional funeral songs. The result delivers not only a fantastic album, featuring Vito Bambino, Michał Szpak or Matylda Damięcka, but also breaks down taboos in popular music themes in an accessible and respectful way. The film’s protagonists save Polish folk songs from oblivion while tackling an extremely important and difficult subject. We will also get to see Bart Sosnowski for the last time, who died suddenly during the making of the film.
What else will we hear on cinema screens this year? The full program of the Krakow Film Festival will be revealed in April. That’s when we’ll also find out which films are going to compete for the prestigious Golden Heynal in the DocFilmMusic competition. The festival selectors still have a lot of work ahead of them.erami festiwalu wciąż jeszcze dużo pracy.
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 a recommending event for the European Film Awards in the same categories.
Kraków Film Festival is organised with the financial support of the European Union as part of the “Creative Europe” program, the City of Kraków, the Polish Film Institute, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and the Lesser Poland Province. The co-organiser is the Polish Filmmakers Association, and the main organiser is the Krakow Film Foundation.
The 63rd Krakow Film Festival will be held in cinemas from 28 May to 4 June and online across Poland on 2–18 June. online na terenie całej Polski.