Cracow Screen Festival

Traditionally, the first week of May is one of the most ecstatic times of the year for Cracovians. After the long Winter haul, Spring finally busts out in all its glory. There's even a public holiday - May 3rd - to help everyone get in the mood. What with the generally weird weather of recent times, we could all be up to our necks in snow this year - or perhaps that plague of mutant locusts will finally attack? But regardless of whether Spring goes off according to plan, there'll be a bonus besides the traditional birds tweeting and flowers blooming.

On the first weekend of May 2008 (2nd - 4th), Cracow's squares will be electrified by a ballistic blend of music and art. The 1st Cracow Screen Festival is on its way, and some big name stars are jetting in. Underworld, Neneh Cherry and eighties cheesemeister Bryan Ferry have all been confirmed, plus a panoply of Poland's best-loved bands. Famed artist and video director Floria Sigismondi (The Cure, The White Stripes) will be one of many talents overseeing the visual dimensions - the stage is set for a cracking weekend.

Above: Juliette and the Licks let rip

Besides the headliners we mentioned, the line-up counts Danish duet The Raveonnettes, Brit outfit Mattafix and Bavarian ballbusters Slut. But if you're new to the Polish scene, don't miss the chance to give some of the local bands a whirl. The Cracow Screen Festival has assembled a pirate fleet of top Polish bands. Rock rabble-rousers such as Wilki will be leading the assault, alongside Pudelsi and The Cool Kids of Death. For more alternative sounds check the ambient pop groove of Smolik or the hardcore reggae band Paprika Korps.

A key aspect of Cracow Screen Festival will be the visual dimension. Floria Sigismondi, one of the artistic directors, described her pop videos as "entropic underworlds inhabited by tortured souls and omnipotent beings." So you can expect that it won't be your bog standard strobe and dry ice affair. While the bands strut their stuff, the mansions and townhouses lining the squares will be bathed in streams of computer generated art.


Venues

1) Plac Jana Nowaka-Jezioranskiego (between the train station and Galeria Krakowska)
Artists: Bryan Ferry, Underworld, Slut

2) Plac Szczepanski (50m northwest of Main Market Square)
Artists: Juliette and the Licks, Mattafix, The Raveonettes, Cirkus with Neneh Cherry, Wilki, Pudelsi, Paprika Korps,

3)Maly Rynek (50 metres east of Main Market Square)
Artists: Unconfirmed


See the Cracow Screen Festival Official Site for more info