{"id":72715,"date":"2026-01-23T12:18:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T11:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.krakowfilmfestival.pl\/kim-longinotto-a-documentary-filmmaker-championing-womens-voices-to-receive-the-dragon-of-dragons-award\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T07:37:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T06:37:40","slug":"kim-longinotto-a-documentary-filmmaker-championing-womens-voices-to-receive-the-dragon-of-dragons-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.krakowfilmfestival.pl\/en\/kim-longinotto-a-documentary-filmmaker-championing-womens-voices-to-receive-the-dragon-of-dragons-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Kim Longinotto, a Documentary Filmmaker Championing Women’s Voices, to Receive the Dragon of Dragons Award"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

She has made over 20 films exploring women\u2019s lives across different continents. Her documentaries have opened major film events and received widespread acclaim at international festivals. This year, she will join the Krak\u00f3w 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.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cI 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 T\u0159e\u0161t\u00edkov\u00e1 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 Krak\u00f3w,\u201d \u2013<\/span><\/i> Krzysztof Gierat, Chair of the Programme Council of the Krak\u00f3w Film Festival<\/b>, justifies the decision.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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Kim Longinotto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n

Kim Longinotto<\/b> 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 Krak\u00f3w Film Festival. She began her career with <\/span>Pride of Place<\/span><\/i>, a critical portrait of her former boarding school, followed by <\/span>Theatre Girls<\/span><\/i>, documenting life in a hostel for homeless women. Since then, she has consistently explored women\u2019s experiences across cultures and social systems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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 \u2013 figures working for change within their communities and striving to improve the lives of those exploited or marginalised. <\/p>\n\n

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 cin\u00e9ma v\u00e9rit\u00e9. As she has said in one of her interviews: \u201cI film people in situations where they forget I\u2019m there.\u201d 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. \n<\/p>\n\n

Her camera follows women into places rarely seen by outsiders \u2013 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.<\/p>\n\n

The director will come to Krak\u00f3w to lead a special masterclass, accompanied by a comprehensive retrospective of her work \u2013 from early films to the internationally recognised titles that have secured her position as one of the most important contemporary documentary filmmakers.<\/p>\n\n

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Rough Aunties, dir. Kim Longinotto,<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Dream Girls, dir. Kim Longinotto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Dreamcatcher, dir. Kim Longinotto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Day I Will Never Forget, dir. Kim Longinotto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Divorce Iranian Style, dir. Kim Longinotto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Salma, dir. Kim Longinotto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Shooting the Mafia, dir. Kim Longinotto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n

I\u2019m delighted to be coming to Krak\u00f3w this year. I\u2019m very much looking forward to meeting the audience and hearing their responses to the films we\u2019ll be showing.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be leading a masterclass at the festival and hope there will be plenty of comments, questions, and reflections to share. See you in June!\u201d \u2013 comments the winner, <\/span><\/i>Kim Longinotto.<\/b><\/p>\n\n

Kim Longinotto Retrospective:<\/p>\n\n