Krakow Film Festival
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First an introduction taken from YouTube, where the Krakow Film Foundation has posted videos and some trailers from films taking part in the 51st (!) edition of Krakow Film Festival, 23rd – 29th May 2011: KFF is one of the oldest film events dedicated to documentary, animated and short fiction films in Europe. During 7 festival days viewers have an opportunity to watch about 250 films from Poland and abroad. Films are presented in competitions and in special sections like retrospectives, thematic cycles, archive screenings. Festival is accompanied by exhibitions, concerts, open air screenings and meetings with the filmmakers. Every year KFF hosts about 750 Polish and international guests: directors, producers, film festival programmers and a numerous audience from Krakow. (Krakow Film Foundation is the main producer of the Krakow Film Festival, the Krakow Film Market and co-organizer of the Dragon Forum. Foundation also promotes Polish documentary, animated and short films abroad.)
The fine old cinema Kino Kijow, next to the communist style Hotel Cracovia, previously the festival hotel, now to be closed, was full last night at the opening ceremony. Festival director Krzysztof Gierat welcomed us all and a 3D short film produced by Ridley Scott was shown, pure technique, no content, did not get the title. After that the opening film, also produced by Ridley Scott, but directed by Kevin Macdonald, Life in a Day, was screened. The film is in the competition for international documentaries, where I am in the jury with Slovak director Dusan Hudec (whose newest film The Entire World Is a Narrow Bridge is shown at the festival), local director and cameraman Marcin Koszalka (whose The Existence I remember as a masterpiece), Kaleo la Belle (winner of main Prize at the festival 2010 with the fine film Beyond the Place) and Italian Annamaria Percavassi (director of Trieste Film Festival). 20 films are to be watched, reviews of some of the films will follow after the festival. There are also juries for short films and a national jury.