Competition – the Heart of the 43rd Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival

The competition is the central event of the 43rd Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival, taking place in Poznań from November 23 to 30, 2025.

As part of the competition, carefully selected feature-length and short films will be presented, showcasing the latest trends in children’s and youth cinema. The lineup includes animated, live-action, and documentary films, primarily created for children, teenagers, and young adults.

The international competition features films from around the globe—diverse in both theme and form—crafted with an understanding of young audiences’ needs, sensitivity, and varied life experiences. The competition is divided into two main categories—feature films and short films—and three age groups: children (up to age 10), early teens (ages 11–13), and youth (14+).

Feature Film Competition – Children

• King Matt the First, dir. Jaśmina Wójcik
• Boong, dir. Lakshmipriya Devi
• Brightly Shining, dir. Ida Sagmo Tvedte
• The Secret Floor, dir. Norbert Lechner
• Pixie. The New Beginning, dir. Krzysztof Komander
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, dir. Mailys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Elephant, dir. Meikeminne Clinckspoor

Feature Film Competition – Teens

• Dancing Queen in Hollywood, dir. Aurora Gossé
• Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake, dir. Irene Iborra
• Xibalba Monster, dir. Manuela Irene
• Karla, dir. Christina Tournatzés
• The Mountain, dir. Rachel House
• Larp, dir. Kordian Kądziela
• Arco, dir. Ugo Bienvenu

Feature Film Competition – Youth

• DJ Ahmet, dir. Georgi M. Unkovski
• I Shall See, dir. Georgi M. Unkovski
• Christy, dir. Brendan Canty
• Jahia’s Summer, dir. Olivier Meys
• The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, dir. Diego Céspedes
• Decorado, dir. Alberto Vázquez
• The Altar Boys, dir. Piotr Domalewski
• When This Summer Is Over, dir. Jang Byung-ki
• Kids, dir. Kani Lapuerta
• Sunshine, dir. Antoinette Jadaone
• Edge of Summer, dir. Lucy Cohen

Short Film Competition – Children and Early Teens

• Kajsa Kavat Saves Christmas, dir. Yaprak Morali, Are Austnes
  (to be seen in the set: Towards the Sky. Short Animations)

• Once Upon a Time in Dragonville, dir. Marika Herz
  (to be seen in the set: Towards the Sky. Short Animations)

• Tuu Tuu Til, dir. Veronica Solomon
  (to be seen in the set: Towards the Sky. Short Animations)

• Dancing in the Rain, dir. Chao-chun Yeh
  (to be seen in the set: Towards the Sky. Short Animations)

• First Flight, dir. Adrian Jaffé
  (to be seen in the set: Towards the Sky. Short Animations)

• The Weather’s Hot Today, dir. Liv Ronzon
  (to be seen in the set: Warm and Cold. Short Films)

• When I Get Rich, dir. Lucas Camps
  (to be seen in the set: Warm and Cold. Short Films)

• A Pain in the Butt, dir. Elena Walf
  (to be seen in the set: Warm and Cold. Short Films)

• Down in the Dumps, dir. Vera van Wolferen
  (to be seen in the set: Warm and Cold. Short Films)

• We Made a Film, dir. Tota Alves
  (to be seen in the set: Polyphony. Short Films)

• Soap Box, dir. Jimmy G. Pettigrew
  (to be seen in the set: Polyphony. Short Films)

• The Refusers, dir. Wiep Teeuwisse
  (to be seen in the set: Polyphony. Short Films)

• Solos, dir. Yuang Zhong
  (to be seen in the set: Polyphony. Short Films)

• Grandpa Has a Broken Eye and Mom Is an Adventure, dir. Marita Mayer
  (to be seen in the set: Between Silence and Noise. Short Films)

• Hushes and Phonics, dir. Piotr Krzysztof Kamiński
  (to be seen in the set: Between Silence and Noise. Short Films)

• UPS!, dir. Galvão Bertazzi, Luís Canau
  (to be seen in the set: Between Silence and Noise. Short Films)

• Dragfox, dir. Lisa Ott (they/them)
  (to be seen in the set: Between Silence and Noise. Short Films)

• Wolfie, dir. Philippe Kastner
  (to be seen in the set: Between Silence and Noise. Short Films)

• The Night Boots, dir. Pierre-Luc Granjon
  (to be seen in the set: Between Silence and Noise. Short Films)

• Driving Lesson, dir. Anastassya Angelova
  (to be seen in the set: Suspended. Short Films)

• Autokar, dir. Sylwia Szkiłądź
  (to be seen in the set: Suspended. Short Films)

• Jump!, dir. Michał Cysewski
  (to be seen in the set: Suspended. Short Films)

• Out for Ice Cream, dir. Rachel Samson
  (to be seen in the set: Suspended. Short Films)

• HOLY SHIT, dir. Taxiarchis Deligiannis, Vasilis Tsiouvaras
  (to be seen in the set: Suspended. Short Films)

Short Film Competition – Youth

• Everything Between Us, dir. Ilgın G. Korugan
  (to be seen in the set: Monsters Among Us. Short Films)

• Little Rebels Cinema Club, dir. Khozy Rizal
  (to be seen in the set: Monsters Among Us. Short Films)

• Little Monsters, dir. Pablo Leridon
  (to be seen in the set: Monsters Among Us. Short Films)

• The Beetroot, dir. David Šourek, Jáchym Štulíř
  (to be seen in the set: Monsters Among Us. Short Films)

• Clear Sky, dir. Marcin Kundera
  (to be seen in the set: Monsters Among Us. Short Films)

• Dad’s Not Home, dir. Jan Saczek
  (to be seen in the set: Absences. Short Films)

• No God No Father, dir. Paul Kermarec
  (to be seen in the set: Absences. Short Films)

• I Am Not Here Anymore, dir. Nawojka Wierzbowska
  (to be seen in the set: Absences. Short Films)

• Barbed Wire, dir. Gustavo de Carvalho
  (to be seen in the set: Absences. Short Films)

• My Teenage Blackout, dir. Basile Khatir
  (to be seen in the set: Absences. Short Films)

• Birds of Paradise, dir. Tomasz Ducki
  (to be seen in the set: Burning Desires. Short Films)

• Wish You Were Ear, dir. Mirjana Balogh
  (to be seen in the set: Burning Desires. Short Films)

• Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites, dir. Chheangkea
  (to be seen in the set: Burning Desires. Short Films)

• Come, Come, My Little Lamb, dir. Kinga Anna Garncarz
  (to be seen in the set: Burning Desires. Short Films)

• Majonezë, dir. Giulia Grandinetti
  (to be seen in the set: Burning Desires. Short Films)

• RANDAGHI, dir. Enrico Motti, Emanuele Motti
  (to be seen in the set: Burning Desires. Short Films)

• Fangs and Claws, dir. Julia Marlena Wojtanowska
  (to be seen in the set: Sense, Nonsense, and the Void. Short Films)

• My Paws Are Soft, My Bones Are Heavy, dir. Garry Christian
  (to be seen in the set: Sense, Nonsense, and the Void. Short Films)

• How to: Laugh When U Get Hurt, dir. Jan Cisiecki, Bartosz Stankiewicz
  (to be seen in the set: Sense, Nonsense, and the Void. Short Films)

• Monument, dir. Maksim Avdeev
  (to be seen in the set: Sense, Nonsense, and the Void. Short Films)

• My Brother, My Brother, dir. Abdelrahman Dnewar
  (to be seen in the set: Sense, Nonsense, and the Void. Short Films)

• Hippopotami, dir. JJ Lin
  (to be seen in the set: Sense, Nonsense, and the Void. Short Films)

Awards presented in the competition

Each competition category includes two main awards:

• Golden Goats – awarded by an international jury of critics, filmmakers, and film industry professionals.

• Neon Goats – awarded by a youth jury of children, teenagers, and young adults.

Additionally, the Platinum Goats are a special award presented by the Festival Organizers. This year, they go to Magdalena Nieć and Mariusz Palej for their outstanding contributions to youth cinema.

As part of this section, the following films will be screened:

• Behind the Blue Door, dir. Mariusz Palej
• The Black Mill, dir. Mariusz Palej
• Detective Bruno, dir. Magdalena Nieć
• Detective Bruno. The Baltic Gold, dir. Magdalena Nieć
• The Dog Who Traveled by Train, dir. Magdalena Nieć
• The Travelling Dog 2, dir. Magdalena Nieć

Why Is the Competition So Important to Ale Kino!?

The competition gives audiences access to the newest film productions from around the world. Most of this year’s titles were made within the last two years.

We encourage you to follow the festival program, create your own viewing path, and discover fresh, moving, and unexpected stories.

The full festival program is available in the Program section on our website.