The Last of Us, The Girl with the Needle, Brokeback Mountain and The Talented Mr. Ripley are just some of the soundtracks that will resound at this year’s 18th FMF. The guests include Academy Award and Golden Globe winners: Justin Hurwitz, Gustavo Santaolalla and Gabriel Yared. The theme of this year’s festival is City of Stars.
Between Monday 26 May and Sunday 1 June, Kraków’s concert halls will resound with beautiful music written for films, TV series and video games. The varied programme of the 18th FMF includes a screening of The Saragossa Manuscript with live accompaniment, marking the centenary of the birth of the film’s director Wojciech Jerzy Has, and a concert featuring music from children’s favourite bedtime TV cartoons. The main event of the festival will be La La Land in Concert at TAURON Arena Kraków, with the composer Justin Hurwitz leading the Beethoven Academy Orchestra and the Kraków Philharmonic Choir.
Legends of film music
“This year’s FMF is held under the banner of City of Stars – we want the entire city to experience the festival’s breathtaking atmosphere. We will be visited by true legends of film music, including Gabriel Yared – a composer known for working with some of the finest filmmakers in Europe and the US. The English Patient, City of Angels, The Talented Mr. Ripley and Cold Mountain are just some of the award-winning films he composed soundtracks for. Yared created a unique musical landscape for every one of them”, says Carolina Pietyra, director of the Krakow Festival Office that organises the FMF alongside the City of Kraków and RMF Classic.
The monographic concert The Music of Gabriel Yared will be held on Thursday 29 May at the Kraków Philharmonic Hall performed by Sinfonietta Cracovia and the Kraków Philharmonic Choir under the baton of Dirk Brossé – one of the most acclaimed European conductors working today. A highlight of the concert will be Gabriel Yared himself performing solo on piano.
International gala
On Saturday 31 May, the festival brings the FMF International Gala to the ICE Kraków Congress Centre. We will hear music by Bartosz Chajdecki and Paweł Lucewicz arranged specially for the FMF. Fans of video games will enjoy Brunon Lubas’ synth composition for the adventure game The Invincible, based on Stanisław Lem’s novel of the same title. We will also hear Frederikke Hoffmeier’s moving soundtrack to the Danish-Polish-Swedish drama The Girl with the Needle. The rest of the concert will be dedicated to Gustavo Santaolalla – one of the most important composers of contemporary film music.
“In the late 1960s, the artist was a pioneer of Argentine rock and rose to fame at the turn of the millennium for creating soundtracks rooted in folk, alternative and Latin American music. He is the man behind the incredible musical atmosphere of the game series The Last of Us and the multi-award winning Brokeback Mountain. The gala will be the perfect opportunity to see and hear the composer performing solo parts in selected pieces,” explains Magdalena Wojewoda-Mleczko, music director of RMF Classic.
The diverse repertoire will be performed by musicians of the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra and the Polish Radio Choir conducted by audience favourite Diego Navarro. The programme also includes the announcement of the winners of the Polish Soundtrack of the Year 2024 award and the FMF Young Talent Award 2025.
Centenary of Wojciech Jerzy Has
An important element of this year’s festival will be the special screening of one of the most influential films of Polish cinematography: The Saragossa Manuscript directed by Wojciech Jerzy Has. The adaptation of the novel by Jan Potocki features unforgettable performances by great stars of Polish cinema: Zbigniew Cybulski, Beata Tyszkiewicz, Gustaw Holoubek and Iga Cembrzyńska. The digitally remastered film with live music accompaniment will be shown on Monday 26 May at the Kraków Philharmonic Hall.
“Wojciech Jerzy Has was born a hundred years ago in Kraków. In accordance with the resolution of the Senate of the Republic of Poland he is a patron of 2025, so we couldn’t have imagined the 18th FMF without at least one of his works. The Saragossa Manuscript was the obvious choice, featuring a soundtrack by another great Cracovian Krzysztof Penderecki. The maestro intertwines elements of classical music with electroacoustic experiments to create a unique atmosphere abounding with grotesque and mystery. The extraordinary compositions will find a new dimension through the performance by Małe Instrumenty (Small Instruments) – one of the most interesting Polish ensembles specialising in experimental music,” promises Robert Piaskowski, director of the National Centre for Culture Poland, co-organiser of the concert alongside the FMF. The event is a part of the programme of Poland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. Partners: the 65th Krakow Film Festival and the Documentary and Feature Film Studios.
Cinema Chorale, bedtime stories and much, much more
We have a treat in store for fans of cinematic classics: the concert titled Cinema Chorale: Choral Extravaganza. Young artists from the Nazareth University Treble Choir from Rochester, US, are joined by soloists to present themes by such composers as Harold Arlen, Ennio Morricone and John Williams. Cinema Paradiso, The Wizard of Oz and Scent of a Woman are some of the films whose soundtracks we will hear on 28 May at the Hall of the Blessed Jacob at the Franciscan Church.
The festival closes with a multimedia concert FMF4Kids: Iconic Bedtime Stories. The beloved tradition of short TV cartoons features protagonists such as the young brothers Bolek and Lolek and the intrepid terrier Reksio. The unforgettable musical motifs will be performed by an ensemble of accomplished musicians, and the hosts of the event will reveal secrets behind these classic animations and demonstrate how sound and vision intertwine to move and entertain. All this – of course – on Sunday 1 June, Children’s Day, at the CKF_13 Fabryczna Conference Centre.
The FMF programme also includes the Audiovisual Forum – a cycle of meetings with experts from the music and film industries, outdoor screenings and children’s workshops. This year, the Festival Centre is being developed jointly with Fabryczna 13 – a state-of-the-art service and recreation centre in the Grzegórzki district. Accompanying events will take place at the Galeria Kazimierz shopping centre. More information about the programme of the 18th FMF coming soon.
More information on the FMF website and on the RMF Classic radio.
The Krakow Film Music Festival is organised by the City of Kraków, KBF and RMF Classic.
Co-organiser: Fabryczna 13.
Main Partner: Galeria Kazimierz.
Media patron: Wyborcza.pl.
Co-organiser of The Saragossa Manuscript – Film with Live Music: National Centre for Culture Poland; partners: the 65th Krakow Film Festival and the Documentary and Feature Film Studios; the event is a part of the programme of Poland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union.
La La Land in Concert ®, ™ & © 2025 Lions Gate Entertainment Inc. and related companies.
All rights reserved.
The public task is financed by the City of Kraków.
