The start of October heralds, among other things, the opening of the call for submissions for documentary and short films for next year’s edition of the Krakow Film Festival, which will run from 31st May to 7th June. The selection committee, alongside new artistic director Anita Piotrowska, eagerly awaits films from across the globe. Approximately 200 titles will be selected from these submissions for the final programme of the festival’s 66th edition.
We’re looking for powerful, professional films with a distinctive voice. We aim to honour the finest traditions of the Krakow Film Festival, so we’re particularly interested in documentaries and short forms that make bold artistic statements and offer meaningful insights about ourselves or the world around us, remarks Anita Piotrowska, Artistic Director of the Krakow Film Festival.
The selection committee, led by Artistic Director Anita Piotrowska, welcomes documentary films (50 minutes and longer) and short films (up to 30 minutes) from around the world. Submissions for the four competitions will be accepted in two phases: until 30th November 2025 for films completed before 31st October 2025 (for both international and Polish films), and until 31st January 2026 (for international films) or 15th February 2026 (for Polish films) for those completed after 31st October 2025.
From among these entries, approximately 200 titles will be chosen for the festival programme. The selected films will be showcased across three international competitions: documentary, short film, and the DocFilmMusic music documentary competition, as well as the National Competition, which stands as Poland’s premier platform for presenting the latest local productions, or within several thematic sections.
Submitted films are going to compete for the Golden Hobby-Horses (for best productions in the National competition), the Golden Dragons (for winners of the international short film competition), the Golden Horns (for titles from the international documentary competition) and the Golden Heynal (for music documentaries from the DocFilmMusic competition).
As every year, all competing films will be making their Polish debut at the festival, with many enjoying their world and international premieres on Krakow Film Festival’s prestigious screens.
Regulamin i formularz zgłoszeniowy znajdują się na stronie www.krakowfilmfestival.pl
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Krakow Film Festival is on the exclusive list of film events qualifying for the Academy Awards® in short film categories (fiction, animation, documentary) and feature-length documentary, the European Film Awards in the same categories, and serves as a qualifying event for the BAFTA Awards.
The Krakow Film Festival is organised with financial support from the City of Krakow, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Polish Film Institute, and the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme. The Polish Filmmakers Association serves as co-organiser.
The 66th Krakow Film Festival will be held in cinemas from 31 May to 7 June 2027 and online on KFF VOD from 5 June to 19 June 2026.