We know the dates for this year’s festival. See what happened at the 12th TAURON Young Horizons IFF!
Over 170 films, 16 thematic sections, competitions, special events, and thousands of young viewers across Poland – the 12th TAURON Young Horizons International Film Festival has gone down in history. Ten days of intense cinema celebration brought together generations of people, emotions, and unforgettable film experiences. Check out the dates for the next edition!
The 12th edition of the festival, held for the first time with the title partner TAURON Group, took place from 26 September to 5 October 2025 in Warsaw, Wrocław, and 18 other cities, followed by an online edition until 26 October. The festival retained its hybrid formula and national scope, reaching a wide audience.
Cinema and everything else
The program opened with Arco, awarded at Annecy, and the competitions showcased the most exciting new live-action, animated, and documentary films for audiences of all ages. Among the most talked-about titles were Pixie. The New Beginning, Little Amelia, Maya, Give Me a Title, Space Cadet, and the documentary King Matt the First. Competitions were complemented by both long-standing and brand-new sections – from the beloved The Kingdom of Anime, through Timeless Titles featuring classics from Timeless Film Festival Warsaw, Julia Donaldson’s Stories for the youngest audiences, to the New Horizons section with discussion cycles organized in collaboration with “Newsweek Psychologia Dziecka” and “Newsweek Psychologia Nastolatka”.
The festival also featured a rich program of off-screen activities. The interactive MediaLab at Zachęta – National Gallery of Art attracted great interest, operating for nearly three weeks as a creative playground for new technologies, VR, and film education. Young festival-goers took part in numerous workshops organized by, among others, JuraPark, Giganci Programowania, MakiMaki and Friends, as well as photography workshops with Instax and creative activities in collaboration with the National Museum in Warsaw – including the At the Museum film section.
There was no shortage of special events – including a secret screening with Bedoes2115, inspiring introductions to films hosted by Aneta Chmielińska (Dzikoprzygody), representatives of PZPN Women’s Football, and Konrad Skotnicki, as well as numerous meetings with artist such as Krzysztof Komander, Grzegorz Wacławek, and Justyna Bednarek. The festival program was also enriched by new and ongoing partnerships – with Młode Głowy, SEXED.PL, and Teatr Guliwer (theater workshops).
A finale full of cinematic emotions
The festival culminated in a gala held at Warsaw’s Kino Muranów, where competition awards were presented and the results of the audience vote were announced. The Young Horizons Main Competition Award for best Polish production, as well as the ZAiKS Authors’ Association Award, went to Pixie. The New Beginning. The Audience Award was won by the animation Miss Moxy, and the winner of the Main Competition was I Accidentally Wrote a Book. In the Discoveries Competition, the animation Little Amelia received an award, along with the Young Jury’s special distinction for Space Cadet. The Documentary Competition Award went to the moving film Just Jools.
Mark your calendars!
The 12th edition of the festival is behind us, once again delivering exceptional cinematic experiences. And now, we turn our eyes to the next edition! This year’s festival will take place from 25 September to 4 October 2026. We’ll see you in less than ten months – in the meantime, we encourage you to follow festival recommendations in regular cinema programs. Miss Moxy – last year’s audience favorite – is now in cinemas.
