On Sunday, May 31st marked the start of the 60th Krakow Film Festival, which takes place entirely online this year. The gala inaugurating this unique installment of the festival was attended by the winners of the first edition: Witold Giersz and Jerzy Hoffman, director of the opening film “Pollywood” Paweł Ferdek, as well as the Mayor of the City of Krakow, Jacek Majchrowski.
“This festival is special because it is a jubilee edition. But there won’t be sixty cakes at the nearby Andrzej Wajda Square. There will be no toasts, there will be no concert in Słowacki’s theater, but there will be a beautiful program that we will showcase from beginning to end, as we have been working on it for the last six months “- festival director Krzysztof Gierat greeted the guests in front of the screens in their own homes.
During the ceremony, there was a screening of the animated film “Little Western” by Witold Giersz and the documentary film “Two Faces of God” by Jerzy Hoffman and Edward Skórzewski, which were awarded in Krakow in 1961. Both creators virtually took part in the ceremony thanks to previously recorded videos.
The Mayor of the City of Krakow, Jacek Majchrowski, has traditionally opened the festival. “This is not only one of the oldest, but also the most important and best festivals of its kind in the world.” – he emphasized. “This is the place of debut for many outstanding directors. This is the history of the Polish documentary, it is something that can be safely called the icon of the Polish film “
After the presentation of all jurors of each of the four film competitions, the screening of Paweł Ferdek’s “Pollywood” took place. The screening of this feature-length documentary that is showcased in the Polish competition took place in a virtual cinema room filled to the brim, and after the screening the director answered the viewers’ questions live.
It was a unique ceremony preceded by a day full of premiere screenings of films, as well as meetings with creators, protagonists and jurors. Internet festival halls were bursting at the seams, great attendance was also noted at accompanying events, and the audience was actively involved in the discussions.
A week of film sensations filled with screenings of the latest and most interesting documentary, animated and short feature films from Poland and around the world awaits the festival audience. Over 170 films will be showcased during over 190 screenings. The audience can also participate in daily broadcasts of meetings with creators and special events await viewers.
The recording of the festival’s opening gala is available on the Krakow Film Foundation’s YouTube channel.
We invite you to the festival to a virtual group on Facebook, where we share opinions and impressions and where curiosities about movies with the program are published.