INTERNATIONAL JURY / FEATURE FILMS FOR CHILDREN

• Stéphane Berla
  An animation and live action director. He directed several commercials and music videos and, together with Mathias Malzieu, is the co-director of the animated feature film ‘Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart’. The film was sold in more than 30 countries, screened at Berlinale and nominated to César and European Film Awards. In 2014 at Ale Kino! Festival ‘Jack’ won the awards of the Teachers’ Jury and of the ECFA Jury.
• Yoon Ga-eun
  She studied at the Korea National University of Arts in Seoul and majored in film directing. She also lectured at film clubs in middle and high schools throughout Seoul, as well as worked as an educator for children and youth at the Korean Film Museum. Her short film ‘Sprout’ won Crystal Bear Award at 2014 Berlinale. At 2016 Ale Kino! Festival her film ‘The World of Us’ won Golden Goats Award for the best feature film for children.
• Mariusz Palej
  

A graduate of the Academy of Photography in Warsaw and of the Łódź Film School. He gained experience as a director working on music videos and TV series. His debut as a feature film director was ‘Behind the Blue Door’, a film for children and family audiences. It won prizes at numerous international film festivals, including for the best debut at last year’s Ale Kino! Festival. Mariusz is currently working on two more films for young audiences – ‘The Black Mill’ and ‘The Chakram of Power’.


INTERNATIONAL JURY / FEATURE FILMS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

• Beata Gårdeler
  Her feature debut, ‘In Your Veins’, was highly praised by critics. She has directed several TV series including ‘Spung’ and the award-winning ‘30 Degrees in February’. Her second feature, ‘Flocking’, won the Crystal Bear at Berlinale in 2015 and, in the same year, the Golden Goats Award for the best feature film for young people at Ale Kino! Festival. Her work explores themes like fear and exclusion in our present society.
• Marcin Pieńkowski
  Film expert and cinema historian, graduate of Łódź University. Since 2016, the artistic director of T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival. In 2011–2015, the press spokesman and marketing and PR manager of T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival, American Film Festival and New Horizons Cinema. The founder of Storyteller PR agency, promoting Polish cinema in Poland and abroad. In 2008–2011, the coordinator and programme director of the national film education programme “Lessons in the cinema”.
• José Luis Rugeles
  He has directed a significant number of commercials and music videos, winning awards at numerous advertisement film festivals. In 2007 he directed the award-winning short film ‘The Comodo Dragon’. He made his feature debut with ‘García’ from 2010. His film ‘Alias Maria’ won the Golden Goats Award for the best feature film for young people at last year’s edition of Ale Kino! Festival.

INTERNATIONAL JURY / SHORT FILMS

• Daniel Duranleau
  A Canadian filmmaker based in Montreal. Over the past twelve years, he has honed his skills in the camera department of many film sets. In 2016, his first short film, ‘Mizbrük’, won him the Golden Goats Award at Ale Kino! for best short film for children. Since then, he has been hard at work on his first feature film, as well as his next short, ‘Winkies’.
• Agnieszka Piechnik
  Agnieszka is a producer of games, animations and special projects. She started her career at Ale Kino! Festival (2006–2009), later on she joined Platige Image (2009–2016). Since 2016, she has been cooperating with CD Projekt RED. She was a cinematics producer in ‘Witcher 3: Blood and Wine’ (CD Projekt RED, 2016) and the producer of ‘Dark Knight Flight’ (Studio City, Warner Bros., 2015) as well as of ‘E-textbook’ (Polish Ministry of Education, 2014). Currently she leads technology production for the ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ game.
• Tatiana Poliektova
  Tatiana Poliektova and her twin sister Olga were born in Saint Petersburg, Russia. After graduating from the University of Cinema and Television they started to work together as a duo of film directors and animators. They made several short animations which were screened at more than 200 worldwide festivals and earned over 80 awards. In 2015 at Ale Kino! Festival their short animation ‘My Grandfather Was a Cherry Tree’ won Marcinek prize awarded by the Children’s Jury. Currently, the sisters are making a new animation based on the Georgian book ‘The Swimmer’.

ECFA JURY

• Elisa Giovannelli
  Elisa has been in charge of the Educational Activities and Young Audience Programming at Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna since 2008. She manages and organises the film literacy project “Schermi e Lavagne”, which has become now a structured department developing programmes for schools and families, including such activities as lessons about film history and language, school screenings, practical workshops, short film competitions, special programmes for toddlers, teachers’ courses. Elisa Giovannelli is a member of the Board of ECFA (European Children’s Film Association).
• Mateusz Możdżeń
  First and foremost a film expert, then a librarian, cooperating with New Horizons Association for the past six years. He began from working at organizing T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival and American Film Festival. Later on he conducted classes on film education in the Warsaw cinema Muranów. Currently, the head of distribution in the Education Department of New Horizons Association. He also worked for three years in National Film Archive – in the Iluzjon cinema and in the Film Documentation Department.
• Markéta Pášmová
  She graduated from the Philosophical Faculty of Masaryk University in Brno. In 1999, Markéta began working as a programme organiser at Zlín International Film Festival for Children and Youth. In 2004 she became the head of the programme department and since 2013 she has been the artistic director of the festival. She is focused on European cinema and is active in the field of educational programmes for children and youth. She is also a board member of European Children’s Film Association.

YOUNG PEOPLE'S JURY / SHORT FILMS

• Igor Domaradzki
  An amateur American football player, participant of Oxford-style debates and co-owner of a clothing brand, Igor is in love with postmodernism and surrealism. A devoted fan of Edgar Wright’s comedies, David Fincher’s films as well as mockumentary series, animated films for adult audiences and the work of Riley Keough.
• Kinga Grablis
  She combines her interest in cinema with a passion for writing and art in a broad sense. Her passions evolve and grow up with her – from Disney’s animations to European productions, from wall scribbles to visiting foreign museums and entering as well as being awarded at literary contests. Winner of the Skrytykuj! film reviewing competition.
• Wojciech Siwik
  Passionate about art in general, and especially about music and film. For the past eight years an amateur music composer, he has been making films and writing soundtracks to them, as well as staging theatre performances based on his own texts. In cinema he values originality and creativity, particularly works reaching out to the viewers and reducing the distance between the art and the audience. Winner of the Skrytykuj! film reviewing competition.

YOUNG PEOPLE'S JURY / FEATURE FILMS

• Olga Bejm
  A first-year-student of intermedia at the Academy of the Arts in Poznań. Ambitious and hard-working, she constantly tries to broaden her knowledge and deepen her skills in arts and film. Her favourite genres include psychological, biographical and experimental films.
• Julia Bohr
  This year Julia was in the Young Jury of Toruń Film Festival Tofifest. She is constantly searching for her favourite film genre and director. As she enjoys writing and talking about movies, she is a passionate film critic. In her free time Julia explores the world of culture, photography and literature, as well as learns foreign languages. Winner of the Skrytykuj! film reviewing competition.
• Jan Brzozowski
  A winner of the Wielkopolska Region Film Knowledge Contest, Jan cooperates with Muza cinema as its Young Ambassador. He is fascinated with work of such directors as François Truffaut, Alfred Hitchcock, Nicolas Winding Refn and Terrence Malick. Among his favourite actors there are James Dean and James Stewart. Winner of the Skrytykuj! film reviewing competition.
• Filip Mikołajczak
  A young man of many talents and interests. Filip cannot imagine life without music and his photo camera. Interested in TV and film production, he sees his future career in television. He loves talking with people and he has already interviewed actor Andrzej Seweryn and journalist Magda Mołek. He especially enjoys films triggering positive emotions.
• Wojciech Sławnikowski
  A student of High School no. 2 in Poznań in a class with an IB Diploma Programme. Apart from history and geography, he is interested in literature and film, being especially keen on artistic films touching upon philosophical issues. Among his favourite directors he lists Tarkovsky, Bergman and Jarmusch.

CHILDREN'S JURY / SHORT FILMS

• Emilia Kulczyńska
  A student of the 7th grade of Primary School in Baranowo, near Poznań. She is in love with dance, film and music. In her free time she pursues her passions and meets friends.
• Tymoteusz Mączyński
  He enjoys adventure and science-fiction books and films. A fan of ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. A football player both on a pitch and on a computer screen. He loves pizza, popcorn and green colour, and hates getting up early.
• Tosia Szwarc-Bereżecka
  She is passionate about dance and creating her own animations. She enjoys watching films, especially adventure films and amazing stories. What she loves about cinema is that it gives her a chance to enter a different world and get emotionally involved in the story of the characters.
• Zosia Żurawska
  For three years she has been training fencing at the AZS-AWF club in Poznań. She loves adventure books and films. Zosia sings in a choir and plays the piano. She lives in Śródka, which she considers the most beautiful district of Poznań.

CHILDREN'S JURY / FEATURE FILMS

• Tymoteusz Bączkowski
  He loves football and playing the cello. A fan of cinema, especially action movies, comedies and animations. In his free time Tymoteusz reads adventure stories and experiments in the kitchen. He sees his future as a film music composer.
• Maja Chocaj
  She loves freedom and bravery, likes punk music, and most of all, enjoys reading and drawing. Maja derives her strength and courage from judo. She was born deaf, but this does not stop her from enjoying life and dreaming about studying medicine to help others in the future.
• Jaśmina Findling
  Chief editor of the school magazine “Szkolny Donosiciel” (“School Notifier”). She has many interests, including sports, contemporary dance, as well as fantasy, anime and adventure films. Her favourite character is Yato.
• Amelia Klimiuk
  Twice the holder of the scholarship of the Mayor of Hajnówka, Amelia graduated last year from the Children’s University at the Białystok University of Technology. She is curious of the world around, likes learning new information, places and words. In love with films and fantasy books.
• Jagoda Lecińska
  Jagoda likes spending her time in an active manner – she is a fan of roller skating, cycling, swimming, and scouting excursions. Interested in photography and film, she is particularly keen on detective stories, films for youth and nature movies. A great enthusiast of hiking in Bieszczady mountains.

TEACHERS' JURY

• Hanna Brange
  A teacher of Polish language in the Primary School with Integration Programmes no. 10 in Tczew. Passionate about mountains, literature, eco-friendly philosophy and her profession, an enthusiastic tourist and mushroom picker. For years she has been cooperating with the New Horizons of Film Education. A winner of numerous awards and honours: the Award of the President of the City of Tczew, the Award of Pomerania Authority for Education, the Medal of Commission of National Education as well as the Homeland Teacher Medal.
• Natalia Durán-Garal
  A teacher of Spanish language and coordinator of Spanish bilingual sections in the Junior High School no. 72 in Warsaw. She studied Indology and Spanish Philology at the University of Warsaw as well as graduated from a programme at the Warsaw Film Academy. She loves travelling, getting to know new cultures and spending time with her students in a creative manner, for example participating in the New Horizons of Film Education project.
• Kinga Malik-Gunia
  A graduate of the Pedagogical Academy in Cracow. A special education teacher working in the Special Education School Complex no. 103 in Poznań. She believes students learn from her and she learns from them, as for her education is all about exchange: of thoughts, insights, experiences, impressions. Together with Ewa Woźniak she founded nieCodzienność Foundation as well as designed and organized Festiwal Filmów nieCodziennych (Non-Everyday Film Festival).
• Anna Słonka-Moskwa
  She graduated from the Department of Sculpture at the Academy of the Arts in Poznań. Her works have been presented at nine individual and over fifty collective exhibitions in Poland and abroad. In 2005 Anna founded ‘Niezależni’ (‘Independent’) group with the goal to support the work of young artists in various domains of art. Currently she works as a visual artist, teaching in the Primary School no. 2 in Luboń for the past 12 years.
• Emila Żuber
  A teacher of German language in the Technical Schools Complex in Janów Lubelski, leader of School Film Archive and winner of the Polish Film Institute Award in the category of Young Audience Education (2015). Emila Żuber has also created lesson scenarios in the field of film education for the Centre for Citizenship Education and the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw. She is a mentor and supervisor of the School Film Archive Club and Work Group at her school.

ARTHOUSE CINEMAS NETWORK JURY

• Bolesław Drochomirecki
  

  For the past 15 years, he has been in charge of the Studio cinema in Opole. Co-organizer of the Zero Nudy Children’s Film Festival. Since 2011, on behalf of the New Horizons Association, he has been coordinating the New Horizons of Film Education project in the city of Opole, as well as Opole New Horizons project in several towns of the Opole region. In 2015 he was nominated for the Polish Film Institute award in the field of the education of young audiences.

• Agnieszka Piotrowska-Prażuch
  

  A graduate of Film Studies from the Jagiellonian University. For 14 years, deputy head of the Amok, an art house in Gliwice. She has initiated and currently runs many projects in the field of broadly understood cultural education – with particular emphasis on film education for children and youth – such as Preschool Film Academy and Children’s Film Club.
  

• Marcin Skorek
  

  PhD Holder in Humanities, film expert, graduate of Cultural Studies from the University of Silesia, author of education programmes in the fields of film and media. He specialises in audiovisual cultural communication, manipulation and persuasion in media. He employs his knowledge from the domain of culture to research the educational needs of teachers and students. Tutor at the Polish Film Institute.
  

• Joanna Zabłocka-Skorek
  A film expert and educator, Joanna has been specialising in media and film education for children and adults since 2001. In 2011 she created “KinoSzkoła” – a national interdisciplinary media education project, now having nearly 300 thousand participants from over 70 cities and towns in whole Poland. In 2014 she received the Polish Film Institute Award in the category of Young Audience Education.