English info

About the idea

Kino Dzieci (Kids Kino) is an International Film Festival addressed mainly to the viewers at the age of 4-12 and their families & guardians. From the very begining, the idea behind the festival was to make valuable worthwhile movies available to the general public. All the productions have been carefully selected considering their educational, artistic and production values.

The audience of the Kids Kino IFF has grown to over twenty Polish cities, from the begining of the festival in 2014 till today. The viewers of each edition get acquainted with international productions nominated in the Main Competition that have not been presented to wider distrubition. The entire film program, grouped in sections, is displayed in Warsaw and Wrocław only, while the most important sections, led by the Main Competition movies, are also presented in the remaining eighteen festival cities.

The best Kids Kino IFF is always chosen by viewers from all over the country. Thanks to the festival, selected films appear on Polish cinema screens, including European and international productions – films, animations, documentaries and series for kids.

We believe that such actions have a significant impact on shaping young viewers as well as on the development of the film production market directed to the young viewers. However, Kids Kino IFF is not only about movie screening. Thanks to the workshops and accompanying events, the festival has become an opportunity for meetings and discussion. Kids Kino IFF goes beyond the actul week of the festival duration and it is present for the viewers throughout the following year, introducing the best films of the festival to theaters for the following months.

The 7th Kids Kino International Film Festival – dates unchanged, in a new form

The New Horizons Association is happy to invite you to the 7th Kids Kino International Film Festival – the autumn film celebration for the young (and the youngest) audiences. This year, the festival will take place from the 26th of September to the 4th of October in around 20 cinemas in Poland. What is more, for the first time in its history, Kids Kino will assume a hybrid form: apart from the screenings in cinemas, some of the films will be available online!

The 7th Kids Kino International Film Festival will take place on 26.09–04.10.2020. Like in the previous editions, we are going to invite our audiences to screenings in Warsaw, Wrocław, Poznań, and almost 20 other towns and cities.

The experience of the past months has made us appreciate the festival even more – the opportunity to meet and share film impressions is invaluable. During this year’s edition, we will place special emphasis on taking necessary precautions and ensuring safety on your visits at the cinemas. Taking the comfort of our visitors into consideration, and combining that with our mission of providing access to quality cinema for young viewers, we have decided to make some of the films available online this year. Thanks to that, the films presented at the 7th IFF Kids Kino will become even more accessible and, as we hope, they will give rise to a new format of the festival.

The programme of the 7th edition includes over 150 titles – feature films, shorts, animations, live action films, and documentaries selected for viewers aged 4 to 12.

As always, the films featured in the Main Competition will be judged by the jury (the Main Competition Jury, ECFA Jury, and SKSiL Jury) and by the spectators from Poland. The winners will receive the Fern Flower Award. In the Discoveries section, you will be able to see films displaying a variety of genres and styles.

The new sections in the programme are the European Documentary Films and Kids Kino on Upbringing. The first section presents a selection of documentaries discussing current issues and showing the life and world of young people. The other section includes films for adult audiences selected for their educational values helping to build parenting and upbringing competencies. The screenings in this section will be opened with a lecture by Bogdan de Barbaro entitled “Conversations with your close ones – how to talk to your family”.

Each year, Kids Kino Festival presents the cinematography of a selected region. Last year, we travelled to the Italian Peninsula, while in 2020 we will have a chance to watch the best films from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The section will be called By the Baltic Sea.

The 7th edition of the IFF Kids Kino will also feature the favourite sections of our regular audiences: Book Adaptations presenting the protagonists of classic and modern books adapted into films; Short Stories, which are sets of animated and live action short films showing the vivid adventures of numerous characters; Panorama, i.e. meetings with the highlights of the previous editions and with films for young audiences which have been released shortly before the festival. Kids Kino Classic is a section compiling the best films of the previous six editions – the audience’s absolute top of the tops. 

Once again, the festival will be accompanied by Kids Kino Industry (former Warsaw Kids Film Forum), this time online. The industry event is an international co-production forum for film and series projects for young audiences. It will take place from the 29th of September to the 2nd of October.

The 7th Kids Kino International Film Festival and Kids Kino Industry are organised by the Education Department of the New Horizons Association.

The event is co-financed by the Polish Film Institute, the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the City of Warsaw, and Creative Europe.

More information: kinodzieci.pl

Facebook: facebook.com/kinodzieci

Instagram: instagram.com/kino.dzieci

Kino Dzieci IFF Awards 2020 – english info

THE AUDIENCE AWARD

Fern Flower – the audience award

According to the audience across 21 cinemas, “Ella Bella Bingo”, directed by Frank Mosvold, Atle Solberg Blakseth wins the main competition!

The Jury of the Main Competition of the 7th Children’s Cinema International Film Festival consisting of Justyna Bednarek, Jacek Piotr Bławut, Martyna Harland, Dominika Janik and Anna Mirska-Czerwińska, awards the main prize to the film “H is for Happiness” directed by John Sheed.

We decided to award this particular film for its versatility and special artistic values: excellent acting, painting-like frames, an engaging script and good music. However, this production is by no means “art for its own sake”. In a very friendly form, accessible for young viewers, the film deals with difficult and extremely emotional topics, such as death and depression. Almost in counterbalance to the weight of the issues raised, the viewer is filled with positive energy and leaves the cinema convinced that the world can be a good, friendly place. An additional advantage is the fact that “H is for Happiness” crosses the age limits and allows both children and adults to have fun.

We also awarded a special mention to the film “All for One” by Johanne Helgeland – a war story with a significant educational “firepower”. Told from the perspective of a child, it warns against an evil that should never be repeated. It suggests that – regardless of age – anyone can make right or wrong choices, and a little person can have a stronger moral backbone than many adults. It is a film about friendship which goes beyond self-interest, about the power of the word “I’m sorry”, and about the fact that the ability to admit when you are wrong is more valuable than having no doubt at all. We also appreciated the artistic value of “All for One”, especially its play with conventions and symbols known from children’s literature, the presence of which helps the young audience face the subject of the Holocaust. Especially if after the screening they are able to talk to an open, supportive adult.

The Jury of the Discoveries Film Competition of the 7th Kids Kino International Film Festival, consisting of Iza Rutkowska, Katarzyna Walentynowicz and Piotr Guszkowski, is pleased to award the film “Bori” directed by Kim Jin-yu.

“Bori” is a film that focuses on how, even among people who are closest to you, you can feel “different”, and how despite being one family, people can sometimes live in different worlds. In our opinion, “Bori”’s message about the need for acceptance and belonging to a group is universal.

The special mention is awarded to the film “The Prince’s Journey” directed by Jean-François Laguioni and Xavier Picard. The fantasy world created in this animated film seems so distant, yet at the same time, we see in it a reflection of our own reality and its very current problems. It asks questions about the consequences of the lust for power, of fostering the fear of unknown, and of destroying nature, which eventually recovers what once was taken from it.

ECFA JURY (European Children’s Film Association) represented by: Marta Kraus, Johannes Lõhmus, Judita Soukupová

Main award
“Fritzi: A Revolutionary Tale” is a well done animation with a unique visual style. Through the eyes of a girl shows children and its audience understandably the difficult historical part full of political changes without a chance for freedom. Despite the topic, the tale gives positive emotions and the strong message that the friendship can get over any barriers…

Special mentions:
“The crossing”. The story proves that even in the face of great danger, kindness, courage and strong belief
what’s right and wrong can save innocent lives. Through historical context the film sends a universal antidiscrimination message.

“Binti”. A special mention has to be given to “Binti” for its unique blend of combining youthful and groovy visual style with topics that are extremely relevant. A film bursting with raw energy and smiles on all the characters’ faces.