INTERNATIONAL JURY / FEATURE FILMS

• Esben Toft Jacobsen
  

  He graduated from the National Film School of Denmark as animation director in 2006 with the graduation film entitled ‘Having a Brother’ – a story about a hedgehog named Morten, who wants to get rid of his baby brother. Since 2008, Esben has been firmly associated with Copenhagen Bombay film studio, directing such titles as the short ‘Kiwi & Strit’ and the feature ‘The Great Bear’, which was qualified for competition for Berlinale’s Generation Kplus. In 2014 his film ‘Beyond Beyond’ won the Golden Goats at the Ale Kino! Film Festival.
  
  
  

• Mitsuo Tahira
  

  In 1992 he organised the first edition of Tokyo Kinder Film Festival to show films from the entire world to kids in Japan. There were only 5 viewers that year, but due to his efforts as organiser, the festival grew to a big event with the attendance of more than 50 000 people each year. This August, under the name of Kineko International Children’s Film Festival, the event had its 23rd edition.
  

• Magdalena Łazarkiewicz
  

  Film and theatre director and screenwriter. She graduated from cultural studies at the University of Wrocław and directing studies at the University of Silesia in Katowice. Since 2011 she has been the artistic director of the Jewish Motifs International Film Festival in Warsaw. In 1985 she made the award-winning television film ‘By Touch’. She also garnered awards for her features ‘The Last Schoolbell’ (1989, Grand Prix of the Young and Film festival) and ‘Departure’ (1991, Special Jury Award at the festival in Gdynia).
  
  
  

INTERNATIONAL JURY / SHORT FILMS

• Paul Driessen
  

  He has been drawing cartoons since early childhood. In 1964 he graduated from the Art Academy in Utrecht and three years later he was invited to London to work on ‘The Yellow Submarine’. In 1970 he emigrated to Canada and started a freelance animation career. Since 1976 he has also animated and directed many films for independent producers in the Netherlands. His short film ‘3 Misses’ earned him an Oscar nomination in 2000. Until 2005 he taught animation at the university of Kassel in Germany. Under his guidance his students won two Oscars.
  
  
  
  

• Katarzyna Kasica
  

  Director, writer, visual artist. She debuted as a director in 2004 with the play ‘Scar’ written by Marzena Broda in the Studyjny Theatre in Łódź. She collaborated with the Copernicus Science Centre as a co-author of the screenplay and storyboard for ‘A Dream to Fly’ – the first Polish film in fulldome technology, allowing to project the film on the screen surrounding the audience from all sides. She is a supervisor of directing workshops and she is involved in video-art, fashion, photography and contemporary dance projects.
  
  
  

• Michael Lavelle
  

  Award-winning writer, director and cinematographer. He graduated from the National Film School in Dublin. He won the World Cinematography Award for Documentary at Sundance 2010 for ‘His & Hers’. Michael was also the cinematographer on the European Academy Award winning short film ‘Undressing My Mother’, as well as wrote and directed a number of other highly acclaimed short films. He has just completed shooting ‘Cardboard Gangsters’ – his eighth feature film as a cinematographer.
  
  
  

ECFA JURY

• Judita Soukupová
  

  Her long-lasting interest in films (above all the cinematography of 1939–1945) together with her passion for organising cultural events brought her to film festivals for children and youth. First it was the Filmák Film Festival (2004–2006), then she and her colleagues established a new film festival called Juniorfest. She has been the director of the latter since 2008. As a hobby, she prepares film-related exhibitions in the castle of Horšovský Týn and organises tennis tournaments with the participation of actors and filmmakers.
  
  
  

• Kamila Tomkiel-Skowrońska
  

  A graduate of cultural studies at Warsaw University. She also studied organisation of film production at the Warsaw Academy of Film and Television and management of NGOs at Collegium Civitas. Since 2006 she has worked with New Horizons Association. She is responsible for activities for young viewers – she coordinates film distribution and the New Horizons of Film Education project, which is being implemented in more than 40 cinemas in Poland. The Director of Films for Kids Film Festival, whose second edition took place in autumn 2015 in 18 Polish cities.
  
  
  

• Elise Van Beurden
  

  Before receiving her teaching degree she studied at film schools in Belgium and the UK. She is a coordinator of the education department at Jekino, a Belgian based children’s film company. She is involved in all kinds of educational projects, from creating teaching resources to active workshops. Her specialty area lies with film and media in the early childhood years.
  

YOUNG PEOPLE'S JURY / FEATURE FILMS

• Bartosz Góral
  

  A searching artist, hoping to become a filmmaker. The author of the short story ‘Sperm with a Paradigm’. In love with Russian literature and Czech cinema. From a film (especially a Polish one) he expects nothing but honesty. Currently, he is impatiently waiting for Charlie Kaufman’s latest film, ‘Anomalisa’. Winner of the Skrytykuj! competition.
  
  
  

• Daria Grabarek
  

  One day she fell in love with the Tenth Muse and since then she cannot imagine life without cinema. Questions like “What would you recommend watching?” or “What is your favourite film?” annoy her. She appreciates the variety of forms and themes. She could spend  whole days, months and even years watching new and old film productions. Winner of the Skrytykuj! competition.
  
  
  
  

• Hanna Kilińska
  

  High school senior. Fascinated by the magic of cinema – not only addicted to watching, but also to creating feature films, documentaries, collages and music videos. This way she gradually heads towards a film school.
  
  
  

• Paulina Tomczak
  

  She has been an active member of the Voluntary Fire Brigade in Radzewice for the last nine years. In films she pays attention to cinematography, editing, special effects and stunts. She enjoys watching documentaries and travel films. Passionate about the cuisine and culture of Japan.
  
  
  

• Jakub Wilk
  

  Since his very childhood he has loved going to the theatre, and over time he began performing on stage in theatrical groups. He discovered another lifelong passion in high school. It was the Tenth Muse: film art. It gave him the idea of what he wanted to do in life – learn, work and live with film.
  
  

YOUNG PEOPLE'S JURY / SHORT FILMS

• Anna Elisabeth Bloem
  

  Born in the Netherlands, for the past seven years she has lived in Poland. She is interested in art, especially theatre and film, she dances and participates in Action Animation – a team involved in the making of animated films. She likes and collects all kinds of films. Fluent in four languages.
  
  
  

• Marta Iwaniuk
  

  Passionate about travelling, literature and art (especially photography, film and graphic design). She adores new experiences, and is in love with the local cultural landscape of Podlasie. In the future she would like to work on its preservation, and within the next few years – graduate from studies abroad.
  
  
  

• Łukasz Kiełpiński
  

  He loves the cinema and works of Oscar Wilde. The cinema is for him a source of new experiences. He is looking for a director’s unique style and emotions – and this can always be found in films by Kubrick, Kieślowski and Dolan. He values breaking taboos. For him, the form of a film is more important than the content. Winner of the Skrytykuj! competition.
  
  
  

• Joanna Krygier
  

  Searching for new inspirations, she belongs to a theater group and is interested in culture and arts, in a broad sense. From film art she expects not only entertainment, but also an interesting form and addressing difficult topics that do not allow you to stay indifferent. Member of the Youth Jury of the 8th edition of the PKO Off Camera Festival. Winner of the Skrytykuj! competition.
  
  
  

• Natalia Olszewska
  

  Student of graphic design at the University of Arts in Poznań. She is passionate about mountain hiking, culture and all social activities, at the same time being a careful observer of everyday life. In films she appreciates authenticity and pays attention to camera work, lighting and narration.
  
  
  

CHILDREN'S JURY / FEATURE FILMS

• Ola Balcerowiak
  

  She has two cats and a dog, which always give her a good laugh. She loves going to the cinema. Always fascinated by the fact that, thanks to films, she can find herself in a different world full of magic and adventures of the characters.
  
  
  

• Maria Chudy
  

  She loves films that allow a person to discover the Earth or Heaven, dream and touch the reality. Such films teach empathy. She enjoys spending time in museums and exploring the mysteries of ancient times. In her free time she sews and plays sports.
  
  
  

• Aniela Jankowska
  

  She is interested in art, music and film. Her art works have been presented at the National Museum, the House of Brittany, and at the Poznań City Hall. Film art has been present in her life from an early age. She enjoys animation and fantasy films.
  
  
  

• Marysia Stawicka
  

  She is passionate about books, movies, horse riding and drawing. In her spare time she loves hanging out with friends and going to the cinema. Above all, she enjoys dramas.
  
  
  

• Jan Woźniak
  

  An enthusiast of aikido, science fiction and fantasy. He loves ‘The Lord of the Rings’, ‘Star Wars’ and the films about Harry Potter and Indiana Jones.
  
  
  

CHILDREN'S JURY / SHORT FILMS

• Zuzanna Gruszka
  

  She adores animals, books and family trips to the seaside. She loves going to the movies, because in the cinema you can experience things twice as intensively. Action movies, adventure films, animations and biographies, as well as comedies and dramas are among her favourite genres.
  
  
  

• Mikołaj Keczyński
  

  He loves reading books, especially fantasy, and drawing comic stories. He has great passion for board games – both playing and creating them. A scout, in his spare time he trains swimming. His favourite films include ‘The Secret of Kells’, ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Forrest Gump’.
  
  
  

• Aleksandra Prusinowska
  

  Cheerful and extremely energetic, always busy doing something. As she doesn’t like staying in one place, she is constantly discovering new spaces for herself. In love with dogs and horses. In the cinema she enjoys laughing, getting emotional and getting transferred into the world of the characters, and avoids the films that arouse fear.
  
  
  
  

• Dobrochna Walczak
  

  She devours books and movies, and loves particularly the thought-provoking ones, with a clear and strong message.
  
  
  

• Marianna Wasiak
  

  She likes taking photos, reading books, travelling and horse riding, as well as watching adaptations of her beloved books. From an early age she has participated in the Ale Kino! Festival. Her favourite movies are ‘The Book Thief’ and ‘The Hunger Games’.
  
  
  

TEACHERS' JURY

• Jarosław Basaj
  

  Teacher of Polish language and film education, the leader of School Film Library in Mazowieckie Region. He lives and works in Radom. In 2015, he has been honoured with the Award of the Polish Film Institute in the field of film education. He organises and conducts workshops in film and journalism for young people. Particularly interested in documentaries. Working with creative youth is his passion.
  
  
  

• Katarzyna Czubińska
  

  A graduate of Polish studies at the Adam Mickiewicz University and stART! postgraduate programme at Warsaw Film School. The leader of the School Film Library. She conducts film workshops in drama, documentary and stop-motion animation – both for adults and for children. Starting from 2013, she has been organising the Film City Games in Poznan, Konin and Turek, three of which were related to last year’s edition of the Ale Kino! Festival. This year Polish Film Institute has honoured her with the award in the category of young audience education.
  
  
  

• Aldona Komur
  

  Polish teacher in Primary School no. 91 in Wrocław. Eager to participate in film education projects together with her students. In her work she uses new technologies to encourage students to learn actively, and teaches good citizenship and social behaviours by leading the student council. For the last two years she has been also implementing a number of educational projects in the AMS Active Small School, a private primary school in Wrocław.
  
  
  

• Katarzyna Oracz
  

  She graduated from the first edition of the New Horizons Academy for teachers in Warsaw. Since 2004 she has worked as a teacher of elementary education in Polish at the Canadian Primary School no. 84 in Warsaw. With her students, she participates in two film programmes: New Horizons of Film Education and Documentary Academy. For several years, she also has been running film workshops for students in her school.
  
  
  

• Elżbieta Łukaszyk
  

  Polish language teacher and deputy director at UNICEF Primary School No. 4 in Oborniki. She is particularly interested in film education of children and youth – for years she has led cyclical classes giving her students a chance to get to know the art of film. Faithful to the principle of “saying no to boredom”. Propagator of film-related activities in primary school. Since 2004 she has actively participated in the Film Academy for Youth.