Krakow celebrates documentaries

by Dorota Hartwich

29/05/2012 - One of the oldest film festivals worldwide for documentaries, fiction short films, and animation films, the Krakow Film Festival yesterday launched its 52nd edition with the Polish premiere of Marley by Scottish filmmaker Kevin Macdonald. This opening film confirms the very special place given to music this year, as the event has also dedicated one of its most important sections to it: "The sounds of music".

Three competitive sections stand out in the programme. Two are international, with one for feature-length documentaries and another for short films (fiction, animation, and documentary), while the third is for Polish productions. In total, selectors chose 104 titles out of over 3,000 films for the festival.

The rest of the programme is made up of 12 non-competitive sections, notably "Festival Award Winners" (including, among others, The Declaration of Immortality by Marcin Koszalka, Last Chapter. Goodbye Nicaragua by Peter Torbiörnsson, and Vol spécial [trailer] by Fernand Melgar), "Krakow Documentary Premieres" (with 4:13 to Katowice by Andrzej Stopa and Rodicas by Alice Gruia), and "Short Matters!" (with Berik by Daniel Joseph Borgman, Frozen Stories by Grzegorz Jaroszuk, and Jessi by Mariejosephin Schneider).

After Israel and the Netherlands, Italian cinema that will be the festival's guest of honour this year, with screenings of, among others, Roots by Carlo Luglio, Summer of Giacomo [trailer] by Alessandro Comodin, and The Castle by Massimo D'Anolfi and Martina Parenti.

While the festival's winners will be revealed when it ends on June 3, its most important prize, The Dragon of Dragons, has already been awarded to famous Czech documentary filmmaker Helena Trestikova.

(Translated from French)