Ale Kino! Pro Programme

The Ale Kino! Pro 2026 programme will be published at a later date.

The Ale Kino! Pro 2025 programme included the following topics:

• Opening lecture – Miłosz Stelmach, Filmoteka Narodowa – Instytut Audiowizualny
• Film promotion: case study Flow – Karolina Sienkiewicz / case study 100 dni do matury – Anna Zychowicz
• Digital upbringing: Children and the Internet – Marta Puciłowska-Schielmann, Instytut Cyfrowego Obywatelstwa / Domestic Screen Rules – Joanna Kopycka, Fundacja Dajemy Dzieciom Siłę
• Inspirations: art mediation – Magdalena Kreis / theatre pedagogy – Agata Kędzia / VR experiences – Joanna Popińska
• Audience Design: introduction – Ewa Bojanowska / pitching Póki śmierć nas nie połączy – Nawojka Wierzbowska, Natalia Krawczuk, Zuzanna Maszka / pitching Samotny jeździec – Mateusz Białas, Barbara Palka / pitching Strażnik Źródła – Martyna Bochniak / pitching Skrzat i Bractwo Mchu – Krzysztof Komader, Dagmara Piasecka / pitching Karolcia – Krzysztof Komander, Dana Pohl
• Good practices of working with children on set: case study Matki Pingwinów – Magdalena Glapińska / case study Król Maciuś Pierwszy – Jaśmina Wójcik
• An exercise in seeing: screening of the film Człowiek Numer 4, dir. Miranda Pennell, United Kingdom 2024, 10’ / lecture Between visual structure and the meaning of the image – the traps of media communication – Prof. Marianna Michałowska, Adam Mickiewicz University

Descriptions of all presentations

Miłosz Stelmach

There are many histories of cinema for children, but perhaps it is time to consider what a children’s history of cinema might be. Any attempt to write it must begin with a change of perspective and a re-examination of film classics — and, more broadly, the surrounding film culture — through the eyes of a young audience. Such an approach should be grounded in children’s needs and their experience of the film medium, rather than in the age categories assumed by filmmakers for particular works.

Karolina Sienkiewicz

A story about how the film Flow stretched out, purred, and won the hearts of audiences. We will talk about reaching different audience groups, creative strategies, and how to show the promotional claws of the entire industry. A cat in a bag? Let’s find out together.

Marta Puciłowska-Schielmann

Digital hygiene in the age of short narratives. How can we support young people in building healthy habits, and why is it worth starting with ourselves? In a world overwhelmed by excess — including an excess of short-form information delivered through ubiquitous screens — it is worth finding ways to build a conscious and responsible relationship with technology. During the session, we will discuss why digital hygiene is an essential part of a healthy life and how participation in film culture can help support it.

Magdalena Kreis

Is it possible to transfer educational experiences from the field of visual arts into the realm of film? What distinguishes artistic education from cultural education? What is art mediation, and what could it become? During the presentation, I will introduce audience engagement methods that may serve as inspiration for film education.

Agata Kędzia

When we think about the educational function of art, whom do we want to educate, and towards what ends? Are there more similarities or more differences between film education and theatre education? And finally — how can theatre pedagogy inspire film educators? Let’s find out.

Ewa Bojanowska

What is Audience Design?

Audience Design is a creative way of thinking about film and its viewers — a process in which creators, from the very early stages of development, discover who they are making the film for and how they can build a relationship with their audience. This approach is particularly important in cinema for young audiences, where understanding viewers’ needs and sensitivities helps create films that truly resonate with them. This short introduction to the method will show why it is worth thinking about the audience from the very beginning of a film project and how to take the first step in this direction.

Joanna Popińska

In her presentation, Joanna Popińska will examine virtual reality as a tool for empathy, while offering her own critical and reflective perspective on the concept. Using VR as an artistic medium, she creates deeply emotional and thought-provoking experiences, positioning the viewer as both participant and observer. At the same time, she avoids simplistic “stepping into someone else’s shoes” tricks or the direct adoption of another person’s perspective. She will reflect on where the limits of the so-called “mythical empathy” that VR is said to offer actually lie, and how VR can become a space for genuine encounter and a tool for understanding others — rather than merely a simulation.

Joanna Kopycka

Available research shows that children are using screens and social media at increasingly younger ages. What are the consequences of this, and what kinds of content do the youngest users encounter? How are the film-viewing practices of children and families changing under the influence of widely accessible smartphones and streaming platforms? We will also discuss what distinguishes the traditional evening cartoon (wieczorynka) from contemporary animated content and why we need Domestic Screen Rules.

Anna Zychowicz

During her presentation, Anna Zychowicz — producer of the film 100 dni do matury — will discuss the strategy that enabled the production to attract over one million cinema viewers. Participants will gain insight into the film’s development process, promotional challenges, and the key decisions that translated into its box-office success, as well as practical knowledge on methods of precisely targeting a film to the right audience.

Magdalena Glapińska

During the discussion, I will talk about good practices for working with children on the set of the series Matki Pingwinów — how we prepare young actors for participation in filming and how we create a safe and supportive working environment. I will address standards for organising a film set, from the preparation stage, through the course of a shooting day, to post-work care. I will explain the conditions a set must meet to be safe for children, the training and roles of those working with young performers, and how to communicate with them in a sensitive and clear way. I will focus on cooperation between the director, child supervisors, and the crew, as well as on the importance of empathy, attentiveness, and good planning when working with the youngest actors.

Jaśmina Wójcik

How can one remain open to a process that may also include failures? How can one consistently follow groups of children and develop one’s inner child while simultaneously maintaining control over the entire filmmaking process — and why do these approaches not have to be mutually exclusive? An inspirational case study illustrated with rich visual material.

Marianna Michałowska

Presentation title: Between visual structure and the meaning of the image – the traps of media communication

Starting from Vilém Flusser’s assertion that photography does not so much contain meaning as point toward it, I analyse the path along which Miranda Pennell leads viewers — from an abstract, pixelated visual composition to a powerful documentation of an event. The artist follows a path opposite to that of Antonioni’s Blow-Up. It is not a close-up, but rather a distancing from the image that reveals its meaning.