Krakow Film Music Festival 2025

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If you are a fan of film music, and especially film music composers and live performances of their music, the Krakow Film Music Festival (FMF) in Poland is the place to be. This is not just some random statement from me, because I have attended every edition of this festival since 2011 and have written about them on this website since 2017, adding some value to that claim. This edition would be different from what I have been used to in recent years, where the organization went for fewer guests than in previous editions, but the ones who were invited were quite outstanding. These guests were Gustavo Santaolalla, Justin Hurwitz and Gabriel Yared, who together have received five Oscars.

The concerts

Many concerts could be attended during the festival, which spans over a week. Unfortunately, I was not able to go to all of them. One of them was The Saragossa Manuscript – film with live music that was performed on Monday, the 26th. This is a Polish movie from 1965, and what made the concert even more interesting was that Krzysztof Penderecki wrote the soundtrack for it. It resulted in a truly unique experience, according to those who attended the concert. 

On Sunday, June 1st, there were also two concerts on the program. In the afternoon a children’s concert was planned, featuring a variety of songs from cartoons. Since it was for Polish children, I booked my flight that same evening to return home, so I had to leave the concert after attending for only 20 minutes. The organization also announced a second concert, scheduled for Sunday evening, titled Cinematic Piano: Aleksander Dębicz, during which Polish composer Aleksander Dębicz returned to the festival for a second time to perform a piano-only concert. Fortunately, I was still able to attend four excellent, yet very different, concerts during the festival, of which I will provide a brief summary. 

May 28: Cinema Chorale: Choral Extravaganza 

The first concert I would attend had a focus on a choir. It was held in an old and gorgeous small hall, which was part of a church in the city center and was ideally suited for a classical choir. That is why I was quite surprised when a young, all-female choir started singing popular songs from movies, as I had not looked at the program beforehand. The choir was the Treble Choir from Nazareth University in the United States, and they performed a variety of songs from movies and musicals. A pianist supported the choir, but they also brought other musicians with them, playing the saxophone, accordion and cello. These musicians supported the choir but also performed solo pieces to entertain the audience in this small hall. This concert was a delightful surprise. 

May 29: The Music of Gabriel Yared 

The orchestra Sinfonietta Cracovia has been a staple for the FMF for many years. In recent years, Dirk Brossé has become an honorary conductor for that orchestra, so it was not a surprise to see them both again at this year’s FMF. Brossé also brought his good friend Gabriel Yared with him this time. For this concert, a piano was placed in front of Brossé on stage, where Yared himself was sitting most of the evening. He would play all the piano parts but also grab the microphone on several occasions to address the audience and explain some of his themes.

We were treated to some excellent music that evening, with most of the pieces featuring emotional and delicate melodies, performed primarily by the string section of the orchestra and the woodwinds. At certain points, other parts of the orchestra could join in to elevate the music to the next level. A choir was present, but its members were only on stage for brief periods of time. In the first half of the program, they only sang for a couple of minutes, making me wonder why they were even there, as it adds significantly to the production costs of a concert. At the concert’s finale, it became clear to me why they were present. Their presence was needed to perform the ‘experimental piece’ Yared had worked on for almost a year, listed as “Yort,” on the program. I assume you are familiar with the story of Yared and rejection. In that case, you can imagine that this final piece of the evening was the highlight of the concert for me, making an already magical and intimate evening even more special.

May 30: La La Land In Concert

Every year, the FMF program includes a screening of a movie with a live orchestra, preferably a high-profile film, that can be hosted in the Tauron Arena. This year, the massive sports arena was filled with people who wanted to see La La Land with a live orchestra and with the Oscar-winning composer Justin Hurwitz himself conducting. I had never seen the film, so for me it was a thrilling experience to see it for the first time, with Hurwitz conducting the orchestra and the jazz ensemble. It was also amazing to see that the original pianist of the movie, Randy Kerber, was present to show off his skills. While you were watching the film on the big screen, the two side screens showed the events happening on stage, and it was pretty entertaining to see how the hand movements on the piano by Sebastian in the film matched Kerber’s movements in real-time.

It was an entertaining evening, but it was also what I would describe as “very American.” I am accustomed to the fact that invited FMF guests are open to some interaction with fans for signing personal items and taking photos, but in Hurwitz’s case, he would only sign official concert merchandise that you had to buy at a booth. It is something I dislike, but after witnessing the huge line that formed after the concert for the signing booth, I can understand why those rules were in place. Apparently, a large group of people also had a great evening. Otherwise, you would not stand in line for a long time just for a signature and a few words.

May 31: FMF International Gala

The FMF focuses on different aspects each year. They are highlighting music from Polish composers, handing out awards, and giving a spotlight to international guests. For this edition, they were all combined into one concert. The first half was focused on the awards and Polish composers, which meant that it was filled with a lot of talking, but the music in between was quite good. I especially liked the pieces from Bartosz Chajdecki, whom I have been following since 2011 and who has never managed to disappoint me.

The second half was quite an emotional one. It began with Robert Piaskowski taking the stage for the last time as artistic director of the festival, a topic I will discuss later in this report. It was also entirely focused on the music of Gustavo Santaolalla, who would perform alongside the orchestra and two of his musicians that evening. It is the second time I have seen him perform, and the amount of emotions he can produce from a single string instrument is divine. He performed music from his soundtracks, but he also played and sang other songs he had written throughout his long life. At the end of the evening, he received a standing ovation from the audience and all the musicians on stage, and it was clear that the experience moved him deeply. It was well-deserved for this excellent performance.

Panels

Throughout the day, during the FMF, you can always attend panels, but this year they were a bit different. In previous years, you could interact with invited guests at a location on the main market square, but during this year’s edition, these panels were focused more on the technical aspects of writing music for media, which is great for people who work in the film industry, but less so for soundtrack enthusiasts. There were, however, meet-and-greets with the composers, but they were held at a different location, which was further away from the city center. Most of them were also outside and, in contrast to the panels in the city center, were very superficial to make them accessible to people passing by. After the panel outside, however, you could walk up to most of them for a photo and a signature, which is one of the reasons why the Krakow Film Music Festival is so amazing.

Change of leadership

During this edition, a significant transition took place. After 18 years, Robert Piaskowski is standing down as the artistic director of the festival. I met him at my first edition in 2011 and have seen him and the festival grow. As the festival grew larger, he also maintained contact with me and fans who had been attending for many years. He understands the importance of keeping these enthusiasts happy. That is why I keep returning to this festival, and along the way, I have made many friends, both within and outside the film music industry, resulting in many fantastic memories over the years. I am glad I was able to thank him personally at the festival, and I wish him all the best.

Agata Grabowiecka will take over from Piaskowski as the new artistic director. I am confident that the FMF is in good hands, as I also met her back in 2011, when she was working directly under Piaskowski as a manager for the FMF, and we have kept in touch ever since during several festivals. I wish Grabowiecka good luck, and I am excited about what she will bring to the FMF.

Conclusion

If you read my reports from previous editions, excluding the COVID-19 ones, you will notice a trend. As I mentioned in my introduction, there were fewer big concerts and even fewer important guests present at this edition. However, during this edition of the festival, numerous amazing encounters and opportunities arose, in addition to the excellent concerts, making this edition one of the best. I was able to hear exciting stories from Gabriel Yared, hand out an IFMCA Award to Dirk Brossé, and interview Gustavo Santaolalla. When I wasn’t doing these things, I was spending time with many people attending the festival, catching up, eating food or having some drinks. The Krakow FMF is, with its outstanding and experienced team, still one of the best places to be if you work in the film music industry or are a soundtrack enthusiast, and it will  continue to be, now with Grabowiecka at the helm, one of the best for many years to come.

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