7th KRAKOW FILM MUSIC FESTIVAL – 25-28 SEPTEMBER 2014

Seven is a lucky number for the Krakow Film Music Festival. With great satisfaction, we wish to announce the main program for this year’s edition of FMF, which will take place September 25^th – 28^th, 2014. Four large-scale concerts make up the program: the Polish-Norwegian co-production Kon-Tiki: Live in Concertwithcomposer Johan Söderqvist; classic music from the James Bond series performed by Polish pop stars and the orchestra; a screening of five-time Academy Award winner Gladiator, featuring the music of composer Hans Zimmer, with a live performance by co-composer/vocalist Lisa Gerrard; and as the centerpiece of the Krakow FMF, an International Film Music Gala celebrating the 100^th birthday of ASCAP, featuring an array of the most important film music composers in Hollywood. The first guest to accept our invitation to the Gala is two-time Academy Award winner Gustavo Santaolalla.

September 25^th 2014

Kicking off the 7th edition of the Krakow Film Music Festival, the FMF-commissioned project Kon-Tiki: Live in Concert will premiere with a screening of the Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated filmKon-Tiki (2012, dir. Joachim Roenning, Espen Sandberg).The largest film production in the history of Norwegian cinema will be presented to the audience in a live concert.Kon-Tiki is an adaptation of the bestselling book by the Norwegian ethnographerThor Heyerdahl, who wished to prove his theory that it was possible to settle Polynesia in pre-Columbian times by crossing the Pacific by raft. With breathtaking execution, outstanding acting, special effects and captivating music by Johan Söderqvist, this will be a riveting event.The premiere, emanating from cooperation with the International Film Festival Kosmorama in Trondheim, will be attended by the filmmakers themselves.Concert is a part of EKO FMF segment and supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants and co-financed by the Polish funds.

September 26^th 2014

The first James Bond feature film came out in 1962, with special agent 007 played by Sean Connery. In the 50+ years since its release, each installment in the series has introduced a famous song performed by one of pop music’s biggest stars, including Shirley Bassey, Tina Turner, Jack White and Alicia Keys, Duran Duran, Paul McCartney & Wings, and Adele. For the 7th edition of the Krakow Film Music Festival we present The Best of James Bond – a symphonic concert of the best-known Bond themes from Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die, Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice, Nobody Does It Better, GoldenEye, Skyfall and From Russia With Love, plus fragments of audio tracks by composers David Arnold, John Barry, Monty Norman and Paul Epworth. The concert features the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra, led by the much-adored Spanish composer and conductor Diego Navarro. This one-of-a-kind spectacle will also include performances by popular artists from the Polish music scene, including Justyna Steczkowska, Zbigniew Wodecki, Aga Zaryan and Monika Borzym, as well as three talented winners of The Voice of Poland: Damian Ukeje, Mateusz Ziółko and Natalia Nykiel. The great Spanish singer Esther Ovejero will also grace the stage. This concert is the product of joint cooperation with the Tenerife International Film Music Festival (Fimucité).

September 27^th 2014

One of the most spectacular and long-awaited film music events in FMF history finally touches down in Krakow to satisfy eager audiences! A screening of Gladiator(2000, dir. Ridley Scott) will be accompanied by live music, with all the pomp and circumstance it deserves. This awesome production tells the story of the Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius, who loses everything he loves and must fight in the gladiator ring to win it back. This story won the hearts of millions around the world, revolutionized the historical film genre and won five Academy Awards in the process. For 14 years, Gladiator has inspired filmmakers, musicians, writers and audiences to explore ancient history, to the extent that the phenomenon is known as “the Gladiator effect.” The success of the film owes much to its score, written by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard, which was awarded a Golden Globe Award and nominated for an Academy Award. On the stage of the Krakow Arena – a sort of modern Colosseum – Gerrard will sing some of the classic music she co-composed for the film.

September 28^th, 2014

Closing out the Festival is the International Film Music Gala, celebrating the 100th birthday of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). The society was founded in 1914 to protect the rights of music creators. It has in its ranks more than 500,000 composers, songwriters, lyricists and music publishers. During the ASCAP birthday gala, we will hear the most beautiful film suites of the last century, including music from Gone With the Wind, Spartacus, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Last of the Mohicans,Babel, Brokeback Mountain and many others. The concert will be graced by the presence of many of the great composers of film music today. The first special guest to accept FMF’s invitation is Gustavo Santaolalla– winner of two Academy Awards for his scores to Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Babel (2006). The concert will be performed by the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra and Choir, conducted by Diego Navarro.

Accompanying Events at the Krakow Film Music Festival:

An international competition for young composers (FMF Young Talent Award), meetings with composers, a children’s orchestra playing film music, a segment dedicated to EKO FMF, independent music as part of our new program Alter FMF, panel discussions, workshops for children, Game ZONE, indoor and outdoor film screenings and workshops for young composers, organized in tandem with Alvernia Studios – these are just some of the many events on the Film Music Festival program. This time our featured master class will be led by Richard Bellis – composer, Emmy award winner, former director of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, ASCAP Board member and former president of the Society of Composers & Lyricists. 

Special guests

Elliot Goldenthal | Dario Marianelli | Gustavo Santaolalla | Garry Schyman

Richard Guérin | Robert Townson | Julie Taymor | Daniel Carlin | Nancy Knutsen

Michael Todd | Simon Greenaway | Ray Bennett | Johan Söderqvist | Matthijs Kieboom

Aage Aaberge | Maggie Rodford | Bartosz Chajdecki | Petter Skavlan | Shawn LeMone