The International Documentary Competition of the 63rd Krakow Film Festival showcases 14 remarkable productions from around the world, including two from Poland. The films cover personal and current topics that shape our society today. From searching for identity, to being a victim of violence and complicating our perceptions of individuals with disabilities or those who are transgender, the program aims to deepen and nuance our perceptions of the world. The program uses a variety of means such as family archives, journalistic investigations, war correspondence, intimate observations, and theatre language. Competition film Songs of Earth, Margreth Olin’s breathtaking visual and auditory poem will open the festival.
The films featured in the competition are diverse and aim to showcase unique cinematic hybrids. Radical Move by Aniela Gabryel delves into the closed, controversial world of Jerzy Grotowski and explores his methods used by the participants of the “Workcenter” he founded in Pontedera, Italy. Dreaming Arizona by Jon Bang Carlsen is a unique cinematic hybrid and takes us into the lives of five high school students who reveal their feelings, traumas, and dreams in front of the camera and on stage. The film captures growing up in a town in Arizona marked by scarcity, violence, environmental degradation, and the memory of indigenous inhabitants.
Other films include Lazaro and the Shark, directed by William Sabourin O’Reilly, which takes us behind the scenes of the preparations for the renowned Conga carnival contest in Cuba, and Is There Anybody Out There? directed by Ella Glendinning, which showcases her journey to find others in the world with a similar condition to hers. My Name Is Happy by Nick Read and Ayse Toprak tells the story of Mutlu Kaya, a girl who was shot and sustained a severe brain injury. Her story is one of resistance against the continued impunity of honour killing perpetrators, whose victims include many women in southeastern Turkey.
The program’s films provide a window into the lives of individuals and their struggles. Through their stories, the program seeks to enrich our perception of the world by exploring the complexity and diversity of human experience. The Krakow Film Festival International Documentary Competition is a must-see for film lovers seeking unique, thought-provoking films.
Find the full 2023 Krakow Film Festival International Documentary Competition programme – HERE
Featured Image: Who I Am Not, a film by Tunde Skovran
