Eight new Polish projects aimed at kids will be presented May 15 as part of the Forum of Documentary Film for Young Audiences at the 20th Audiences Millennium Docs Against Gravity (Poland). The projects have been developed over the past year within the LET’S DOC. DOCUMENTARY IDEAS LAB organized by Andrzej Wajda Centre For Film Culture.
“We have a dream that in Polish cinemas, on TV, in educational programs there will be Polish documentaries for children about young people whom viewers can meet at school, in the yard, developing their interests. For this to happen, we need to produce documentaries for children in Poland, and the institutions and organizations that can support this process must see the potential in it and also perceive this as their mission,” note Karolina Śmigiel and Diana Gaik, authors and program coordinators of the LET’S DOC program and Forum of Documentary Film for Young Audiences.
MDAG Industry Head Anna Szczypińska adds: “Kids’ documentary films can [develop] audiences in a number of ways, they can be an effective educational tool that helps children to learn about new topics and concepts. By presenting information in a visual and engaging way, documentary films can help to capture a child’s attention and spark their curiosity. What we love about kids documentary films is that they can also help children to develop empathy and understanding for others or appreciate diversity.”
LET’S DOC PROJECTS 2023
Casting for Parent by Monika Bysina. Production stage: development. Total budget: €25,000. Estimated production end date: December 2024. Estimated duration: 30 minutes. Looking for: producer, co-producer, funding, tv broadcaster. Children raised in foster care, while sharing their traumatic experiences, answer questions about an ideal parent and compile a list of features that an adoptive guardian for one of them should have.
#FRANC527 by Mateusz Pawełczyk. Production stage: development. Total budget: €25,000. Estimated production end date: November 2024. Estimated duration: 15-20 minutes. Looking for: producer, co-producer, funding, tv broadcaster. 11-year-old Franek is an avid speedway rider. He wants to become a champion and… have fun. Apart from beating rivals, he has to deal with school and other responsibilities. Fortunately, he has the most loyal supporter and mentor – his father.
Sometimes It Just Has To Be Like This by Laura Sonik. Production stage: development. Total budget: €20,000-25,000. Estimated production end date: October 2024. Estimated duration: 30 minutes. Looking for: producer, co-producer, funding, broadcaster. When Leon can no longer meet his father every day, he tries to understand the new situation. Together with his dad, he discovers the value of shared moments, learning what love and acceptance mean after his parents’ separation.
Patchwork by Piotr Wołodźko. Production stage: early development. Total budget: €40,000. Estimated production end date: June 2024. Estimated duration: 15 minutes. Looking for: producer, funding, broadcasters. In this animated documentary we join three children on a storybook adventure, filled with pirates, jungle cats, and giant moon craters, as they each try to adjust to their new lives – split between two parents and two different homes.
How Nice It Would Be by Krystyna Dobrzańska. Production stage: early development. Total budget: €26,000-30,000. Estimated production end date: January 2025. Estimated duration: 30 minutes. Looking for: producer, funding. Moving out of home is a boundary point – saying goodbye to the past that has shaped us. It was particularly difficult for Natalia; orphanage, reformatory, traumas. Will having a place of her own finally allow Natalia to deal with the past?
A Day In My Life by Kasia Prus. Production stage: early development. Total budget: €20,000-30,000. Estimated production end date: December 2024. Estimated duration: 30 minutes. Looking for: producer, co-producer, funding, broadcaster. Two teens with ADHD talk about themselves through vlogs. Their lives are very different, but they share a sense of alienation and otherness. Despite the physical distance, the characters begin to build a friendship in a world that is alien to them.
Muddled Mind by Tomasz Porębski. Production stage: development. Total budget: €20,000-25,000. Estimated production end date: December 2024. Estimated duration: 20-25 minutes. Looking for: producer, co-producer, funding, broadcaster. Liza, 12, fled Ukraine for Poland just after the war broke out in February 2022. Despite its evil, the war in one respect turned out to be an opportunity for Liza – she can live away from her father, with whom she was not happy in Odessa.
Julian by Laura Sonik Production stage: development. Total budget: €120,000. Estimated production end date: May 2025. Estimated duration: 70 minutes. Looking for: co-producer, funding, broadcaster. Julian is 20 years old. He decided to come to Warsaw from a small village. He left the family home, fearing how his father might react to his secret. He still has the name “Julia” written in his identity card. In the language of trans people, it is his dead name. Wanting to take his first shot of testosterone, he had to move out. Once his body will change, he will be ready to meet father. He still longs for his acceptance.
Prize winners of the MDAG Industry inaugural Progress Pitching event, held May 12, are:
- CANAL+ Poland Award for the best pitch: €3,000 euros. Winner: Forest Director: Lidia Duda. Producer: Patryk Sielecki
- SMAKJAM Award – color-correction service worth 15,000 PLN. Winner: Keepers of the Ruins Director: Mariia Shevchenko. Producers: Mirosław Dembiński, Ella Shtyka
- DAE Award – mentoring consultations and free DAE membership for 12 months for the project producer. Winner: I Am One Of Them Director: Nadim Suleiman. Producer: Adrianna Rędzia
- SFP Award – a stay at the SFP House of Creative Work. Winner: Keepers of the Ruins Director: Mariia Shevchenko. Producers: Mirosław Dembiński, Ella Shtyka
