Aicha by ELIJAH CHAMBERLAIN

Aicha (short film) ELIJAH CHAMBERLAIN JUN 13, 2025 Review: Aicha Coming in at a perfect 24 mins Aicha is a delicate, sorrowful short film that captures the aching distance between a mother and daughter and what happens when time runs out to close that gap. We find a 17-year-old girl, caught in the emotional void left by a mother who seems unable or unwilling to connect. But when tragedy strikes, the film shifts inward, exploring not just loss, but the quiet desperation to feel something in its wake. What makes Aicha so affecting is its restraint. The story unfolds with a calm, almost meditative pace, allowing us to feel the emotional weight of every unspoken word, every withheld gesture. After her daughter’s death, the mother turns to a mystic ceremony not out of faith, necessarily, but need. The ceremony is strange and intimate, rendered with a sense of quiet awe. It's less about the supernatural and more about the rawness of unresolved love. The cinematography is beautiful: static shots, muted color palettes, and lingering close-ups that rarely offer relief. The closing shot of the film is worth the watch alone. This one won’t be for everyone but I highly recommend you check it out!

Cosmic Balance by ANDREAS JOHNSEN in FFK Krakow

The young Indonesian musician Anggi was given away as an infant and grew up among musicians practicing the traditional music phenomenon Reak. Reak is practiced in West Java and is a spiritual cultural form where both musicians and audiences go into trance and are possessed by the spirits of their ancestors. Now a young man, Anggi is set to become the new leader of his Reak group. But suddenly his competitors begin to question his ability to lead, as he is not related by blood to the group’s previous leaders. And as if that was not enough to deal with, there’s also trouble with his future in-laws who won’t let him marry their daughter because he has neither a proper education nor a respectable job. In the midst of all this, the insecure and sensitive Anggi turns to Reak culture, hour-long trance sessions and helpful shamans. And suddenly he finds himself in Denmark where he will perform outside his village for the first time at Roskilde Festiva

Laureates of FFK film festival 2025

Fryderyk Lutyński, Aleksandra Chmielewska, Aleksander Pankowski vel Jankowski, Dominika Czajkowska-Ptak, and Jan Sanejko. The Young Talent Award was won by Mikołaj Gąsiewski, a Polish composer. In addition, the START program of the Foundation for Polish Science recognized Jakub Zakrzewski (Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Faculty of Chemistry), Sebastian Borówka (University of Warsaw, Center for New Technologies), and Stanisław Kurdziałek (Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw). Finally, the Fulbright Graduate Student Award 2025-26 was awarded to Daniel Jensen (University College London), Agata Meszka (AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków), and Igor Sadalski (Imperial College London).

Klezmer Hoise visit

Klezmer Hoise is a famous restaurant where filmmakers like Steven Sperberg,Alan Parker and actress Juliette Binoche have visited . Today, we have to honor to visit it along with Festival Director Krzysztof Gierat and other international filmmakers participating in his Krakow film festival 2025 . Moroccan short film "Aicha" directed by Sanaa El Alaoui ( سناء العلاوي in Arabic ) and produced by Piotr Kaczorowski's Native Line company will have it's world premiere at the Krakow Film Festival in Poland on 27th of May 2025 . This is the first time a Moroccan film has been featured at this prestigious film event, which is considered one of the festivals qualifying for Oscars. Aicha is also selected to South by Southwest London film festival on 4th and 7th of june 2025. Fryderyk Lutyński, Aleksandra Chmielewska, Aleksander Pankowski vel Jankowski, Dominika Czajkowska-Ptak, and Jan Sanejko. The Young Talent Award was won by Mikołaj Gąsiewski, a Polish composer. In addition, the START program of the Foundation for Polish Science recognized Jakub Zakrzewski (Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Faculty of Chemistry), Sebastian Borówka (University of Warsaw, Center for New Technologies), and Stanisław Kurdziałek (Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw). Finally, the Fulbright Graduate Student Award 2025-26 was awarded to Daniel Jensen (University College London), Agata Meszka (AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków), and Igor Sadalski (Imperial College London).