Polish Summer Festivals
February 26, 2017From klezmer-jazz fusion to new-age world music, creatively revitalized cityscapes
to art-house cinema screenings, Poland’s festival scene has fast become one of
the most vibrant and exciting in Europe. When the weather heats up, Krakow does
too with festival after festival transforming the city into a nonstop cultural
carnival. Warsaw takes over the festival reins in autumn with a line-up of events
that inspire and surprise visitors.
by Anna J. Kutor
A cinematic celebration matching Krakow’s distinguished cultural heritage, this acclaimed
film bash, which dates to 1961 showcases short films, documentaries and
animated features. Theaters around town unspool some 80 cinematic efforts, with
the ground zero of Kijow Centrum devoted to the shorts block. Vying for viewers’
attention in the documentary section will be, among others, Return
to Homs about two men in the Syrian revolution and Killing Time, which dissects the trials and tribulations of the American capital punishment system. Britain’s cinematography will take center
stage in the ‘Focus On’ section, while films on forbidden rap in Cuba and Gypsies
playing Andalusia flamenco in Seville will be standouts of the DocFilmMusic
competition.
Cinematic Krakow
Krakow’s renowned architecture and rich culture make for a stunning cinematic backdrop. Scenes
from Stephen Spielberg’s Schindler’s List were shot in the moody streets,
buildings and historic synagogues of the old Jewish district of Kazimierz,
while the Communist-era aesthetics of Nowa Huta play a central role in Andrzej
Wajda’s Man of Marble. Bollywood has also set its sights on the city’s timeworn
facades, with the Old Town serving as a vibrant backdrop for the spy-action
thriller Azaan.
Quickly gaining momentum as a European leader in photographic displays, this year’s
Krakow Photomonth Festival explores the intimate relationships between
photography, searching and research. United under the title ‘Re:Search’ by
American photographer and curator Aaron Schuman, the festival’s main program sees
a set of nine collections - including the works of David Campany, Wojciech
Nowicki and Clare Strand - presented in prestigious museums and galleries
alongside the Echoes exhibit at Bukier Sztuki and Masters’ Series meetings with
artists and curators. Feast your eyes on experimental imagery at the Krakow Photo
Fringe exhibit, which runs parallel to the festivities.
Marking the ongoing revival of Krakow’s Jewish community, the Jewish Cultural Festival returns for the 24th year. Sounds of traditional and contemporary klezmer music will fill the streets and bustling
spaces of Kazimierz, the city’s former Jewish quarter, but as always, the
cultural offerings bring an eclectic mix of history, literature, cinema, crafts,
art and academics. They range from the curious (see the guided tours of
Synagogues and Prayer Houses in Kazimierz and the Former Ghetto in Podgórze or
the graffiti workshop of Broken Fingaz) and the culinary (see Benzion Millers
workshop ‘Shabbat in the Kitchen’ or ‘Beyond Bubbie: Schmooze’, an event
dedicated to Polish and Jewish culinary recipes from Galicia) to the downright
controversial (see discussions of Poland’s contemporary Jewish culture and Jews
in or from countries with a Muslim majority).
If this year’s multidisciplinary happening is comparable
to those of past seasons, audiences can look forward to plenty of color,
experimental artistic dialogue, and re-imagined historic landmarks and spaces.
The rococo neon figure of the lady named Markiza will shine anew in Plac
Centralny while new murals brighten the buildings as part of the rich program
of visual works, performances and social activities designed to redefine the cityscape of Nowa Huta, the
socialist realist district built around a giant industrial steelworks.
With a name like Warsaw Cross-Culture Festival it should come as no surprise that this
decade-old fete delivers an alternative to more mainstream musical happenings,
grabbing a vibrant mix of talent from across the globe and sticking it in a
small tent at the foot of Warsaw’s iconic Palace of Culture and Science.
Warsaw International Film Festival
Of all the annual cultural events in the Polish capital,
this ten-day film fiesta draws the most advance-ticket-buying excitement, so be
sure to reserve in time if you wish to enjoy the stellar selection of 200 films
from 50 countries, including world premiers, undiscovered gems, and acclaimed
art-house successes from other festivals.