She has made over 20 films exploring women’s lives across different continents. Her documentaries have opened major film events and received widespread acclaim at international festivals. This year, she will join the Kraków Film Festival to receive the Dragon of Dragons statuette, and to conduct a special masterclass. The event will be accompanied by a retrospective showcasing her most moving and inspiring film portraits of everyday heroines.
“I am proud that our most important award will go to an outstanding artist who has consistently placed women at the centre of her work, often well ahead of contemporary trends. She is the second documentary filmmaker after Helena Třeštíková to receive the Dragon of Dragons. Their working methods differ, but they are united by a deep respect for their subjects. It is a great pleasure to welcome her to Kraków,” – Krzysztof Gierat, Chair of the Programme Council of the Kraków Film Festival, justifies the decision.
Kim Longinotto is a graduate of the National Film and Television School in London and a recipient of numerous awards, including honours from Cannes, Sundance, the Berlinale, and the Kraków Film Festival. She began her career with Pride of Place, a critical portrait of her former boarding school, followed by Theatre Girls, documenting life in a hostel for homeless women. Since then, she has consistently explored women’s experiences across cultures and social systems.
What distinguishes her work is her choice of protagonists and her solidarity with them. Longinotto films women affected by systemic injustice yet avoids casting them as main protagonists. Instead, she puts women who are active and engaged in the foreground – figures working for change within their communities and striving to improve the lives of those exploited or marginalised.
As a documentary filmmaker, Longinotto remains almost invisible. She allows life to unfold before the camera without staging or interference, following the purest tradition of cinéma vérité. As she has said in one of her interviews: “I film people in situations where they forget I’m there.” She achieves this intimacy through trust built with her protagonists, often having spent only several weeks together, however doing so in complete focus, listening with genuine attention to their incredibly intimate stories.
Her camera follows women into places rarely seen by outsiders – from divorce courts in Tehran to Kenyan villages, from homeless shelters to Japanese wrestling schools. There, she uncovers recurring themes of rebellion, courage, and the struggle for one’s dignity.
The director will come to Kraków to lead a special masterclass, accompanied by a comprehensive retrospective of her work – from early films to the internationally recognised titles that have secured her position as one of the most important contemporary documentary filmmakers.
I’m delighted to be coming to Kraków this year. I’m very much looking forward to meeting the audience and hearing their responses to the films we’ll be showing. I’ll be leading a masterclass at the festival and hope there will be plenty of comments, questions, and reflections to share. See you in June!” – comments the winner, Kim Longinotto.
Kim Longinotto Retrospective:
- Dream Girls, dir. Kim Longinotto, United Kingdom, 50’, 1994
- Shinjuku Boys, dir. Kim Longinotto, United Kingdom, 53’, 1995
- Divorce Iranian Style, dir. Kim Longinotto, Iran, United Kingdom, 80’, 1998
- The Day I Will Never Forget, dir. Kim Longinotto, United Kingdom, 90’, 2002
- Rough Aunties, dir. Kim Longinotto, United Kingdom, 105’, 2008
- Salma, dir. Kim Longinotto, India, United Kingdom, 90’, 2013
- Dreamcatcher, dir. Kim Longinotto, United Kingdom, USA, 98’, 2015
- Shooting the Mafia, dir. Kim Longinotto, Ireland, USA, 97’, 2019
The Dragon of Dragons Award, presented this year for the 30th time, is the highest honour bestowed by the Programme Council of the Kraków Film Foundation, organiser of the Kraków Film Festival. It recognises an outstanding contribution to world cinema in the fields of documentary and animation. Previous recipients include Werner Herzog, Priit Pärn, Kazimierz Karabasz, Bohdan Kosiński, Bogdan Dziworski, Allan King, Albert Maysles, Jonas Mekas, Helena Třeštíková, Stephen and Timothy Quay, Raoul Servais, Jerzy Kucia, Paul Driessen, Caroline Leaf, Michael Dudok de Wit, Jacek Petrycki, Godfrey Reggio, and Jean-François Laguionie.
Insider Passes for the 66th Krakow Film Festival are now on sale!
The 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.