A Czech composer, a flamenco dancer, and a Hungarian rapper – protagonists from vastly different worlds, cultures, and generations, united by an uncompromising passion. We are pleased to unveil the first titles selected for the DocFilmMusic competition at the 66th Krakow Film Festival, where music serves as the narrative axis for stories of emotion, ambition, and determination. Although this is merely a foretaste of the music documentaries that will be competing for the Golden Heynal, we can reveal one thing already – festival audiences are in for an intense journey through extreme experiences and profoundly moving stories.
These three films share something that runs deeper than music. The creative force of their protagonists is backed by years of rigorous practice, daily discipline, and decisions that have often placed considerable strain on their closest relationships. Whether the subject is the heritage of flamenco, the story of a pre-war composer, or contemporary rap, art proves to be both a sanctuary and a source of tension – a place of fulfilment, but also of risk.
A Score of Remembrance
In Kaprálová, Petr Záruba restores the memory of Vítězslava Kaprálová – a Czech composer and conductor who, in 1937, at the age of just twenty-two, left for Paris to study at the prestigious conservatoire and make her mark in the male-dominated world of classical music. It was then that she began creating her most important compositions, their rhythm shaped on one hand by love and on the other by the spectre of approaching war. However, her brilliantly promising career was cut short by illness. Kaprálová passed away, leaving behind an impressive body of work born of a life that was as brief as it was intense.
The film reconstructs her story through archival materials and letters to her family, whilst simultaneously reviving the music itself – Kaprálová’s compositions are interpreted by contemporary artists including Adam Plachetka, Steven Isserlis, and conductor Alena Hron. Her portrait thus becomes a meditation on memory, legacy, and the place of women in the history of music, weaving together the biographical angle with themes that still resonate today.
Dancing Out Emotions
Farruquito: A Flamenco Dynasty, directed by Santi Aguado and Reuben Atlas, portrays Juan Manuel Fernández Montoya, known as Farruquito – one of the most outstanding contemporary flamenco dancers, hailing from a legendary Romani family of artists. The filmmakers, however, do not stop at merely showing his stage charisma and technical virtuosity.
The film traces the protagonist’s life from international triumphs – when, as a young man in his twenties, he captivated audiences across the globe – to a dramatic turning point: a car accident resulting in the death of a pedestrian and a prison sentence. Simultaneously, the documentary reveals his family tree, depicting a lineage in which flamenco is inherited – with all its passion, fervour and the weight of a famous name. Other family members appear on screen next to Farruquito, among them his grandfather Farruco, a reformer of the dance, and his son El Moreno, who is trying to carry the burden of tradition. It is a story of heritage, guilt, and redemption, but also of an art form that can serve as both refuge and millstone.
A Rebel by Choice
In Oliver Mark Toth’s Meant to Be, that same energy – the need for expression and the fight for one’s own voice – assumes a contemporary, raw form. The protagonist is Marci, a teenager from rural Hungary who, blessed with a remarkably deep voice, quickly becomes a rap sensation. His tracks reach millions of listeners, his concerts draw vast crowds, and he reaches the status of a Gen Z idol.
The camera accompanies him over three years, documenting the price of this ascent – the increasingly difficult task of balancing a career with school, family relationships, and everyday life of a teenager. Growing fame brings with it pressure and addictions that take their toll on the protagonist’s mental and physical health. The film refuses to idealise success – instead presenting it as a state of perpetual overload, tempered only by the support of those closest to him.
Listen to the usic of DocFilmMusic’s protagonists
In these three films, music and dance are not mere backdrop but a test of character – a trial of resilience, relationships, and the limits of one’s own endurance. The protagonists of this year’s DocFilmMusic selection often pay a very real price for their talent, and the camera captures their triumphs and the fractures that typically remain outside the frame with exceptional precision.
Selected titles in the DocFilmMusic competition:
Farruquito, a flamenco dynasty, dir. Santi Aguado, Reuben Atlas, Spain, USA, 90’, 2025
- Kaprálová, dir. Petr Záruba, Czechia, 70’, 2025
Meant to Be, dir. Oliver Mark Toth, Hungary, 84’, 2026
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.