This festival has always been a quality trademark

Artur Cichmiński: 50^th anniversary is a moment when you come to terms with the past. What role did the festival play, what is it now and what will it be?

Krzysztof Gierat: For sure it is difficult to put it in one sentence. The festival was different in Polish People’s Republic, it has been different for the last twenty years. Until 1989 it was a place where you could watch films inaccesible anywhere else. It was easier to see Polish movies abroad than in Poland. Krakow’s Festival became a ticket to international career. As far as I am concerned, I started to work at the festival quite early- already in the 80s. At first as a director of the cinema Mikro where additional screenings took place. Then I became a press spokesperson of the festival, followed by a break in my work and comeback as the director of the festival. This would be my 10^th festival. At the beginning of the 90s we experienced a serious crisis. Organizers of the festival could not cope with the newly confronted reality. However, 21^st century is also for us a new era. We managed to extend the duration of the festival up to 7 days, organize more screenings and get new screening rooms, restore film trade fairs and workshops, as well as the pitching Dragon Forum. The festival has finally reached its proper form. Despite the fact that many shorts are screened, leading role is taken by documentaries, also full- lenght documentaries. Couple of years ago Krakow´s Festival was associated mainly with short films. Nowadays, it is known for documentaries.

Krzysztof, where could we place Krakow on the Film Festivals map of the world?

We do not compete with festivals presenting full-lenght features, offering documentary and short sections at the same time. In my opinion, we are at the very top in our category. Lately in Tampere (it is also one of the oldest European film festivals) I have seen a map where Krakow was placed among few most important film festivals in the world. In the past, programme of our festival was closer in its form to the ones presented in Clermont-Ferrand or Oberhausen. The French one is still popularizing short films, the German one – experimental cinema. I think now we resemble more the Leipzig festival, the leader of German film events. What about the others? To answer this question we have to consider places where we promote Polish cinematoghaphy and where we get most films from. Well, the most important point of reference is Amsterdam of course, exclusively documentary film festival. We keep in touch with Jihlava in Czech Republic, Lisboa and other, not so experienced cities, where we often organize Polish retrospectives. We learn from each other, we invite representatives of world cinematogrphy annually and they take our films with them and even experience inspiration as it was in case of our digital video library. I assume, Krakow´s Festival, although one of the oldest, is still received in a very positive way, be it elder or younger generation of audience. 

Could you predict how the festival will look like in the future?

We will probably change the form of the Polish section. We want to keep it so that each documentary and short is represented. The truth is that at present there are no full-lenght documentaries in the Polish section, they can be shown in the foreign section but there, however, number of places is limited. Exclusively 10 projects can compete. Other sections will remain unchanged. We would like to continue inviting accredited jury of The International Federation of Film Critics – FIPRESCI, and movie discussion clubs – FICC. We also really care that Krakow has the accreditation of The American Movie Awards. This would mean, the winner of our festival can automatically compete for the Oscar, and the winner of Prix EFA award can compete for the Europea Academy Award. Last year it happened to Marcel Łoziński. Moreover, we want to balance the festival between audience and people representing film industry. By doing this we aim at promotion of Polish film abroad, promotion that will start here, in Krakow and that will continue beyond our borders. Krakow Film Foundation is working on it, implementing programmes like Polish Docs and Polish Shorts. Our visitors not only keep these movies in their heads and hearts. We also make it easier for them to share their passion for film with others. What is of great importance is our educational layer, still being developed, I mean workshops and conferences. A good example for that is this year´s presence of Documentary Campus, initiative for coproduction of documentaries. 

Does this mean, we can easily say that the festival is recognizable?

Definitely yes. What makes us even happier, it is recognizable worldwide. Since many years, we have had the accreditation of FIAPF, International Federation of Film Producers Association, which is really important, as it is our quality guarantee. We represent Krakow abroad personally but also through our stands and promotional materials from world festivals. The most important thing is, however, that participation in our festival is highly emotional for filmmakers. I used to experience it many times, let it be in Quatar, where I invited to Krakow the Hindu winner of the festival. Discovering new talents and supporting them on their way can make you very happy. Our mission is, using a buzzword, discovering and sharing the discovered with others. 

We could talk aboout organizational part and many other aspects but this does not change the fact that films make the festival. What is crucial for the Krakow Film Festival concerning selection of films that appear in the programme?

The festival and the films have always been a quality trademark. It is said how difficult it is for filmmakers to send their films to Krakow. A film has to carry an artistic message with it. I am not interested in political issues, critical opinion expressed with the help of the camera or talking about problems of this world. I am interested in stories about human beings. Additionally, it has to be original, intriguing and moving. It can be sad, horrible but also joyful. All this year´s movies, even if they touch political, historical or great matters, are told through human perspective and human story. I am interested in such filmmakers like the winner of this year´s Dragon of the Dragons, Jonas Mekas, a legendary artist but not commonly known to young people. That is why I want to introduce him to younger audience. Let the reason be the fact that he has always had a very personal approach to his films. Looking among filmmakers of the younger generation, we have our local ones, for example Marcin Koszałka or Tomek Wolski. The first one consequently exercises his cinematic exhibitionism, touching issues connected with death orcommemorating his parents. The second one refreshes a classical approach towards documentaries, and similarily as Paweł Łoziński or Maciej Cuske comes really close to a man, becomes his companion and gets to know his problems but not as an opponent who criticises his mistakes but rather as a friendly observer. 

Shortly speaking, these are personal stories from the perspective of main characters…

Not only from their point of view but also through their sensitivity, mentality. For me those are documentary features. Main character in front of the camera. Not an issue, not a thesis but a human being. 

Summing up, I want to ask you about the stability of the festival. Do you have to fight for it every year or is it already financially „safe” initiative?

Couple of years ago we established the Krakow Film Foundation with the help of which we organize the festival. It happened in a time when some important persons and institutions stopped to care about the existance of the festival. We cared. If not for determination of a few women (the festival´s office is strongly feminized), we would have given up long time ago. For some time, what is of great importance, we have had permanent public partners: Polish Film Institute, Ministry for Culture and National Heritage, the City of Krakow, Polish Filmmakers Association, the Malopolska Region and I hope also Polish Public Television will remain among them. The situation is much more difficult concerning private partners. This is not the festival of red carpets and celebrities. However, we have a couple of permanent partners and we try to keep these contacts alive. Well, nothing is permanent. Every year I negotiate again and again in different institutions and with different policy-makers. I would even call it a begging. Recently, there has been an initiative in Krakow aiming at gathering all NGOs in one and the same camp, in order not to start each time everything from the beginning. I am not talking about a 10-year guarantee but at least about a 3-year one. Let us be judged after each festival but let us also hope for more than those who have just started. Krakow itself has surely changed in a positive way. This year we received twice as much financial support compared to previous edition. Money is not as big as it is in case of events organized by the City of Krakow, anyway, the change is positive and let us stick to that. 

Krzysztof, thank you very much for the interview and good luck.

The interview was published at Stopklatka.pl – one of the media patron of the Festival.  Translation: Magdalena Krajewska.