Krakow Film Festival 2015
The Krakow Film Festival is the oldest event in Poland and one of the most appreciated festivals in the world, dedicated to short and documentary films. During 8 days of the festival, the viewers have the chance to watch, in 4 competitions and 10 non-competing sections, over 250 films, most of which shown in Poland for the first time. This year's edition is held from May 31 - 7 June 2015.
In the international documentary competition, there is a strong Polish representation. "Dybuk. A Tale of Wandering Souls" by Krzysztof Kopczyński reveals the dark side of contemporary Ukraine, confronting two religions and two nations in the destination of Hassidic pilgrimages from the entire world. The eponymous "Queen of Silence" by Agnieszka Zwiefka is a deaf and mute gypsy girl who learns Bollywood dance and wins the liking of her community, not free from racial prejudices. "Casa Blanca" by Aleksandra Maciuszek, made in Cuba, is a poignant image of old, disabled mother and her son suffering from the Down syndrome.
In the international music competition we will see films which use music to tell about the world, history, human tragedies. "Rock’n’Roll and Khmer Rouge” by John Pirozzi is a story of Cambodia seen through the eruption and fall of rock music, hated by the Pol Pot regime. "No Land's Song" by Ayat Najafi transports us into a different time and different place on the world map, where Islamic law forbids Iranian women to perform music in front of the audience of men.
In the international short film competition, short feature films, animated and documentary films will be shown, including the latest achievement by Sergei Loznitsa, the most frequently awarded film maker in Krakow, and the master of the found footage genre, Jay Rosenblatt.
The highlight of the festival is the first film in 25 years by the laureate of last year's Dragon of Dragons for contribution into international documentary film, Bogdan Dziworski, "Plus minus czyli podróże muchy na Wschód" (Plus and minus, or the fly's journey to the East) - a somnambulist diary of the journey in the footsteps of Joseph Stalin.
In the non-competing section, the following series will be shown, among others, "Focus on Lithuania," "World Stories," "Somewhere in Europe," "Festival Award Winners," "Docs&Science," "Panorama of the Polish Film," and "Sounds of Music" in the open air cinema Kino Pod Wawelem.
This year's Dragon of Dragons award goes to Priit Parn, eminent animated film-maker from Estonia.
During the 55th edition there are concerts, among others, of Wojciech Waglewski with Fisz and Emade, and Stanisław Soyka. Every year, about 600 guests from Poland and abroad visit Krakow Film Festival, the audience amounts to 25000 people.