The Young Horizons Main Award and the ZAiKS Award for the Best Polish Film at the 12th edition of Festival!

Polish films are again competing for awards at the 12th TAURON Young Horizons IFF! The Young Horizons Main Award will go to the director and producer of the winning production, and the scriptwriter will receive the ZAiKS Award.

These notable accolades support the development of Polish cinematography and promote filmmakers focusing on young audiences.

Since the very beginning of Young Horizons, we have supported the development of quality Polish productions. At this year’s festival, the audience will be able to watch 12 Polish films – out of these, seven will compete for the Young Horizons Main Award and the ZAiKS Award. Once again, we are going to reward a director, a scriptwriter, and a producer.

Awards for a filmmaker trio

Both awards have been created to celebrate Polish films of value: productions that attract young viewers, at the same time helping them understand themselves and the world around them. The Young Horizons Main Award for the best Polish production (PLN 30,000 net) will go to the director and producer of the winning film, and the ZAiKS Award (PLN 15,000 net) will go to its scriptwriter.

The winners are selected by a jury consisting of film experts, journalists, and creators, committed to promoting Polish cinema for young audiences. This year, the jury members are: Marek Piestrak – director and scriptwriter, representative of ZAiKS; Mikołaj Pokromski – producer and actor; and Tina Mackic – film director, known for JerryMaya’s Detective Agency.

There are seven Polish candidates for the awards:

• Kitty Kotty Has a Baby Brother (3–6; dir. Marta Stróżycka; Poland 2025) – in the latest production based on Anita Głowińska’s bestselling books, the children’s beloved cat has new exciting adventures with her baby brother at her side, exploring her garden and a big airport.
• The Amazing Adventures of Lost Socks 2. The Socks Rock! (5–9; dir. Janusz Martyn, Piotr Giersz, Barbara Koniecka, Agata Mikina, Marta Stróżycka, Anna Wróblewska-Dzwoniarek; Poland, Portugal 2025) – in this adaptation of Justyna Bednarek’s books, the brave cotton socks set out into the big world to become actors and athletes.
• Pixie. The New Beginning (7–14; dir. Krzysztof Komander; Poland, Czechia 2025) – this adventure-filled story about the power of friendship and self-belief will move the hearts and inspire the imagination of all viewers, from kids to adults.
• King Matt the First (10–∞; dir. Jaśmina Wójcik; Poland 2024) – a free-spirited and barefooted expedition into the nature of childhood, exploring what the world would look like if kids ruled it.
• Lampo. The Travelling Dog 2 (6–10; dir. Magdalena Nieć; Poland 2025) – the sequel of a box office hit (with attendance reaching 750,000 viewers) is a paw-some search-and-rescue story with a happy ending
• The Boy at the Edge of the World (6–10; dir. Grzegorz Wacławek, Marta Szymańska; Poland, Turkey, Spain 2025) – in this emotional journey, two brothers try to save their sister’s soul from the grip of a sea monster, and learn to get on with one another along the way.
• Oskar, Patsy, and Baltic Gold (6–10; dir. Magdalena Nieć, Mariusz Palej; Poland 2025) – the sequel to Detective Bruno is a summer seaside adventure filled with mysteries, hidden treasures, and unexpected twists.

The festival will take place from 26 September to 5 October in Warsaw, Wrocław, and 18 other Polish towns and cities.

Other Polish films that will be screened as part of the festival programme are:

• Fleak (6–10; dir. Jens Møller; Finland, Poland, France, Malaysia 2025)
• Hug Me. Honeyseekers (4–6; dir. Anna Błaszczyk; Poland, China 2022)
• Diplodocus (6–12; dir. Wojtek Wawszczyk; Poland, Czechia, Slovakia 2024) – for the first time, cinema goers will be able to watch the director’s cut of the film
• Even Mice Belong in Heaven (6–9; dir. Jan Bubeniček, Denisa Grimmová; Czechia, France, Poland, Slovakia 2021)
• The Goose Is Cooked (7–10; dir. Joanna Zdrada; Poland 2019)

From 9 to 26 October, selected films will be available as part of the online festival programme at festiwal.mlodehoryzonty.pl

A space for Polish family films

Supporting the development of Polish films addressing young audiences is one of our main objectives at Young Horizons. Many productions are conceived at the Young Horizons Lab workshops for filmmakers developing their scripts. Next, these films become part of the festival programme, and then, they get distributed in Polish cinemas. As part of the Young Horizons Industry international co-production forum, we offer filmmakers an opportunity to pitch their projects and build partnerships. Some of the productions that were originally presented at the forum are: Pucio, Pixie. The New Beginning, Kitty Kotty, and Lampo. The Travelling Dog. The next edition of YHI will take place from 29 September to 1 October.