From the beginning of its existance, Krakow Film Festival has been trying to show the most interesting of world´s documentaries. In cooperation with well-known film festivals abroad, Krakow can show films which have already managed to win audience`s hearts in Amsterdam, Leipzig or Jihlava. This year 6 projects are presented in the section: „Winners of the world`s film festivals". „Last Train Home" directed by Lixin Fan, the winner of the IDFA, is a story about hard-working Chinese parents trying to earn money for their children`s education. Mostly, the solution is working far away from home and almost whole year separation. „Disco and Atomic War", the winner of the Warsaw Film Festival, directed by Jaak Kilmi and Kiur Aarma, touches the issue of Finnish-Estonian television war in the Soviet Union times. Supported by opposing powers, both countries hit each other with propaganda-like contents. „Six Weeks", a documentary by Marcin Janos Krawczyk, appreciated in Amsterdam, is a story about mothers giving their children away for adoption. Women have 6 weeks to change their decision. „The House" by a Columbian filmmaker Tayo Cortes, the winner of the Leipzig festival, is based on dramatic narration and tells a story of a Sisyphean family of small sellers, living only to survive the next day. In his short and chamber film „Ivan and Loriana", Stefano Cattini observes a couple of deaf children who communicate with each other without a smallest difficulty. The project was mentioned by jury of the Pontenure Film Festival. In Tampere jury appreciated a Thai project entitled „Four Boys, White Whiskey and Grilled Mouse".

Krakow Film Festival is not only „importing" movies. During this year`s edition a large number of international representatives of film industry will come to Krakow in order to discover new talents and find films which they could show later on in their countries. „Panorama of the Polish Film" is a section created especially for international guests. This year 35 projects will be shown, including the most recent and most interesting documentaries and shorts that have been made in Poland lately, also those made as part of programmes for young filmmakers. This section is most interesting for international film festivals` programme selectors and television makers, and is a very strong „exporting" platform for Polish cinema.

In this year`s „Panorama of the Polish Film" there are many documentaries devoted to artists, musicians and filmmakers, i.e. a life story of Jerzy Kawalerowicz entitled „Żyłem 17 razy" directed by Tadeusz Bystram and Stanisław Zawiśliński or „Komeda - muzyczne ścieżki życia" by Claudia Buthenhoff-Duffy, presenting life of a music composer Krzysztof Komeda. „Doktor Jimmy" by Janusz Barycki and Tomasz Szwan is a biography of a journalist Tomasz Beksiński. Tomasz Stroynowski, a famous musician who invited celebrities and organized school radio programmes for children living in the countryside has become the main character of a documentary „Tournée" by Andrzej Mańkowski. Tadeusz Król made a portrait of Antoni Antoine Cierplikowski, an ingenious hairdresser living at the turn of the 19th and 20th century, entitled „Ręka fryzjera". „Dokumentaliści" by Jędrzej Lipski and Piotr Melecha is devoted to Polish documentary filmmakers. It is acted by Ewa Borzęcka, Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz, Maciej Drygas, Andrzej Fidyk, Kazimierz Karabasz, Grzegorz Królikiewicz, Marcel and Paweł Łoziński. This film was made especially for the Krakow Film Festival jubilee edition. Polish film panorama will also present projects about characters whose activities were a matter of controversy, like "Dzieci wolności" by Miłosz Kozioła, presenting Paweł Zyzak, the author of a controversial biography of Lech Wałęsa.

Among features presented in this section, a couple of projects are worth mentioning. Jan Wagner, student of the Lodz Film School, is the director of "Syn", which is said to resemble Roman Polanski`s „Knife in the Water". „Dekalog 89+", vol. 5 describes a story of a TV presenter who caused a fatal car accident and fights with the image created by mass media. The project is entitled „Sprawa Janusza W.". Zbigniew Hołdys, Krzysztof Skiba, Jerzy Urban and Krzysztof Zanussi are narrating the story of a misterious man who contributed to tearing down the Iron Curtain in the movie „Człowiek z Winylu" by Bartosz Wyrwas. Edyta Wróblewska is a director of "Ala z Elementarza", a portrait of the famous Ala from the primer by Marian Falski. The project is a biography of totally unknown Alina Margolis-Edelman, a pediatrician and spouse of Marek Edelman.

FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS

SIX WEEKS, dir. Marcin Janos Krawczyk, Poland 2009, 18'

Six weeks - that much time is left for mothers to change their decision about giving a child to adoption. Meanwhile, newly born babies are taken to day care centres and wait for the course of events.

LAST TRAIN HOME, dir. Lixin Fan, Canada / China, 2009, 85'

More than 130 mln Chinese people work far away from home. They come back once a year - to celebrate the Chinese New Year`s Day. Qin`s parents are among those who left their children to earn for their better future and education. They want their children to graduate and not to work in a factory. However, Qin does not want to spend all her life in the countryside, she wants to leave her home and start working. Does one of her parents` visit is able to change her attitude and strenghten family ties?

FOUR BOYS, WHITE WHISKEY AND GRILLED MOUSE, dir. Wichanon Somumjarn, Thailand 2009, 10'

Late afternoon after the harvest...In one of the rice fields four teenagers transform a shed into a pub. There is whisky, grilled mouse and live music...

DISCO AND ATOMIC WAR dir. Jaak Kilmi, Kiur Aarma, Estonia / Finland 2009, 80'

Socialist Estonia enters television era. TV shows happy workers and children singing communist songs. The Soviet propaganda reaches Finland and Finland gives as good as it gets. Supported by the West, Finland launches a competitive TV channel reaching directly Estonian capital - Tallinn. Estonian minds are now occupied by Dallas soap opera and disco dance. Govermental bans and removing antennas from the roofs seem to be useless. When broadcast time comes, creativity of Estonian people goes beyond any borders.

IVAN AND LORIANA, dir. Stefano Cattini, Italy 2008, 10'

Adults who became deaf still remember sounds and melody of words. For children who were born deaf, it is really difficult to learn to speak. Kindergarden pupils Ivan and Loriana, led by nuns, exercise their tongues very carefully but they succeed most in mutual communication. A flesh of joy in their eyes during games and playing speaks for itself.

THE HOUSE, dir. Tayo Cortes, Columbia / Spain 2009, 70'

Mendez family are small sellers dreaming of a house with running water and electricity. They have been living illegaly for years in the outskirts of Bogota. They can be evicted any time. However, it is not the only problem of the family - the inner conflict makes their life even more difficult.

PANORAMA OF THE POLISH FILM

Tata zza żelaznej kurtyny, dir. Krzysztof Rzączyński, Poland 2009, 52'

Każde dotknięcie zostawia ślad, dir. Anna Zakrzewska, Joanna Turowicz, Poland 2009, 49'

Dokumentaliści, dir. Jędrzej Lipski, Piotr Mielech, Poland 2009, 50'

Żyłem 17 razy..., dir. Tadeusz Bystram, Stanisław Zawiśliński, Poland 2009, 58'

Komeda-muzyczne ścieżki życia, dir. Claudia Buthenhoff-Duffy, Poland/Germany 2009, 52'/

Kino Marjan, dir. Grzegorz Rogala, Poland 2010, 4'

Syn, dir. Jan Wagner, Poland 2009, 28'

Sprawa Janusza W., dir. Wojciech Jagiełło, Poland 2009, 29'

Nowa, dir. Tomasz Olejarczyk, Poland 2009, 20'

MC. Człowiek z winylu, dir. Bartosz Warwas, Poland 2010, 20'

Koniec Rosji, dir. Michał Marczak, Poland 2010, 58'

Kochankowie, dir. Rafał Skalski, Poland 2009, 51'

Między kroplami deszczu, dir. Kuba Karyś, Paulina Loszek, Poland 2010, 94'

Lech Majewski. Świat wg Bruegela, dir. Dagmara Drzazga, Poland 2009, 45'

Doktor Jimmy, dir. Janusz Barycki, Tomasz Szwan, Poland 2009, 30'

Ręka fryzjera, dir. Tadusz Król, Poland, 49'

Efekt Chopina, dir. Krzysztof Dzięciołowski, Poland 2010, 54'

Tournée, dir. Andrzej Mańkowski, Poland 2010, 51'

Budka, dir. Grzegorz Zariczny, Poland, 6'

Dzieci wolności, dir. Miłosz Kozioł, Poland, 20'

Prywatne śledztwo majora Zakirowa, dir. Jarosław Mańka, Poland, 15'

Nahacz, dir. Anna Maria Mączka, Poland, 20'

Zabita Czeczenia, dir. Magda Siemion, Poland, 20'

Cena wolności, dir. Mateusz Mularski, Poland, 20'

Dezerterzy, dir. Jerzy Zięty, Poland, 20'

Gdyby ryby miały głos, dir. Tomasz Jurkiewicz, Poland 2010, 27'

Kawałek lata, dir. Marta Minorowicz, Poland 2010, 23'

Wszystkie małe kłamstwa Anny, dir. Krzysztof Bizio, Poland 2009, 30'

Krajobraz nizinny z kołyską, dir. Arek Biedrzycki, Poland 2009, 18'

Serca dwa, dir. Anna Kuśmierczyk, Poland 2010, 15'

Perecowicze, dir. Sławomir Grunberg, Poland 2009, 52'

Aleksandra jedzie do Polski, dir. Jacek Wasilewski, Poland 2010, 52'

Dzieci Wehrmachtu, dir. Mariusz Malinowski, Poland 2009, 44'

Narodzona po raz drugi, dir. Michał Nekanda-Trepka, Poland 2008, 43'

Ala z Elementarza, dir. Edyta Wróblewska, Poland 2010, 28'

--
Anna E. Dziedzic
PR Manager, Rzecznik prasowy / Press spokesperson

50th Krakow Film Festival: 31st May - 6th June 2010
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