The New Horizons International Film Festival (pl: Międzynarodowy Festiwal Filmowy Nowe Horyzonty) is a film festival held annually at the end of July in Wrocław, Poland since 2001. It is the biggest and most popular film festival and cultural event in the country and region.
The festival focuses on arthouse cinema. Its programmes include retrospectives of avant-garde and experimental filmmakers, showcases of national cinemas, a panorama of auteur films of the season, as well as curated thematic sections. The most important of several competitions is the New Horizons International Competition, which aims to present uncompromising films searching for bold forms of expression i.e. the new horizons of cinema. Awards in the competition include the Grand Prix, Special Mention(s), and the Audience Award.
New Horizons is an interdisciplinary festival, where visual arts and music are presented alongside cinema. Filmmakers whose works are shown at New Horizons tend to cross the boundaries of traditional cinema and enter the experimental field of visual and performing arts. The festival's Artistic Stage, organised in cooperation with BWA Wrocław, and presenting film forms in the so-called extended field as part of exhibitions in Wrocław galleries, is a natural extension and complement to the film programmes.
Accessible to all, the festival combines various types of initiatives, including film screenings, educational activities, and industry meetings. In 2026, 283 films from 92 countries (including 43 Polish productions and co-productions), 240 features and 43 shorts were screened.
Festival history
The event is organized by the New Horizons Association (Stowarzyszenie Nowe Horyzonty). The founder and moving spirit of the festival is . Marcin Pieńkowski held the position of Festival Director 2021-2025. Dorota Lech has been the Festival Director since 2026.
In recent years, the festival has organised retrospectives of Chantal Akerman, Wang Bing, Bertrand Bonello, Lee Chang-dong, Alice Diop, Bruno Dumont, Jean-Luc Godard, Lucile Hadžihalilović, Wojciech Has, Joanna Hogg, Agnieszka Holland, Jonas Mekas, Anne-Marie Miéville, Laura Mulvey, Andrzej Munk, Nagisa Ōshima, Satyajit Ray, Anka Sasnal & Wilhelm Sasnal, Angela Schanelec, Albert Serra, Terayama Shūji, Yvonne Rainer, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Glauber Rocha, Ulrich Seidl, Alain Tanner, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Glauber Rocha, Brothers Quay, and Krzysztof Zanussi.
After the first edition in Sanok, the Festival was moved to Cieszyn, where it was held between 2002 and 2005. Since 2006, the event has taken place in Wrocław and has evolved significantly. It is frequented by a growing number of cinephiles and hosts many notable guests each year, including Lisandro Alonso, Theo Angelopoulos, Šarūnas Bartas, Leos Carax, Nick Cave, James Benning, Dardenne brothers, Lav Diaz, Claire Denis, Bruno Dumont, Asghar Farhadi, Abel Ferrara, Terry Gilliam, Amos Gitai, Jean-luc Godard, Miguel Gomes, Peter Greenaway, Hal Hartley, Agnieszka Holland, Kim Ki-duk, Radu Jude, Naomi Kawase, Abdellatif Kechiche, Kim Ki-duk, Andrey Konchalovskiy, Marie Kreutzer Nadav Lapid, Sebastián Lelio, Lou Ye, Dušan Makavejev, Tsai Ming-liang, Nanni Moretti, Cristian Mungiu, Gaspar Noé, Ulrike Ottinger, Jafar Panahi, Carlos Reygadas, Carlos Saura, Béla Tarr, Alexander Sokurov, Peter Tscherkassky, Agnès Varda, Andrzej Wajda, Vincent Ward, and Andrzej Żuławski.
Since 2008, it has been accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers' Associations (FIAPF) as a competitive, specialized festival with an "avant-garde status", recognizing its focus on bold and unconventional cinema.
Between 2010 and 2017, a FIPRESCI Award was awarded.
In 2016, when Wrocław was named the European Capital of Culture, the festival included events related to this occasion including a special section called Masters of European Cinema.
New Horizons International Competition 12 films selected in the section compete for the Grand Prix and the Audience Award. Grand Prix
At the beginning the festival's Grand Prix was an audience award, but since 2009 it is given by the International Jury. The first main prize selected that way was awarded to Steve McQueen's Hunger.
YearTitleDirectorCountrynotes 2002 Paradox Lake Przemysław Reut / chosen by audience 2003 Dolls Takeshi Kitano chosen by audience 2004 A Common Thread (Brodeuses) Éléonore Faucher chosen by audience 2005 Tarnation Jonathan Caouette chosen by audience 2006 The Sacred Family (La sagrada familia) Sebastián Lelio (as Sebastián Campos) chosen by audience 2007 Potosi, le temps du voyage Ron Havilio / chosen by audience 2008 Rain of the Children Vincent Ward chosen by audience 2009 Hunger Steve McQueen / the first Grand Prix chosen by International Jury 2010 Mundane History Anocha Suwichakornpong 2011 Attenberg Athina Rachel Tsangari 2012 Thursday Till Sunday Dominga Sotomayor Castillo / 2013 Celestial Wives of the Meadow Mari Aleksei Fedorchenko 2014 White Shadow Noaz Deshe / / 2015 Lucifer Gust Van den Berghe 2016 In the Last Days of the City Tamer El Said / / / 2017 Western Valeska Grisebach / / 2018 Holiday Isabella Eklöf / / 2019 Bait Mark Jenkin 2020 The Metamorphosis of Birds Catarina Vasconcelos event held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 Theo and the Metamorphosis Damien Odoul 2022 See You Friday, Robinson Mitra Farahani / / / 2023 The Delinquents Rodrigo Moreno / / 2024 Explanation for Everything Gábor Reisz / 2025 Punku J. D. Fernández Molero , 2026 Dry Leaf Alexandre Koberidze ,
Audience award
Since the main prize became jury-selected in 2009, the Audience Award became a separate recognition, the second in importance. Three films managed to win both Grand Prix and Audience award: White Shadow in 2014, Bait in 2019 and The Metamorphosis of Birds in 2020.
YearTitleDirectorCountry 2009 Oxygen Ivan Vyrypaev 2010 Le quattro volte Michelangelo Frammartino 2011 Brownian Movement Nanouk Leopold 2012 Donoma Djinn Carrénard 2013 Floating Skyscrapers Tomasz Wasilewski 2014 White Shadow Noaz Deshe / / 2015 Goodnight Mommy Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz 2016 All These Sleepless Nights Michał Marczak 2017 Photon Norman Leto 2018 An Elephant Sitting Still Hu Bo 2019 Bait Mark Jenkin 2020 The Metamorphosis of Birds Catarina Vasconcelos 2021 Death of a Virgin and the Sin of Not Living George Peter Barbari 2022 107 Mothers Péter Kerekes / / 2023 Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry Elene Naveriani / 2024 Hoard Luna Carmoon 2025 The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) Ernesto Martínez Bucio 2026 La Gradiva Marine Atlan
Festival programmes 2009 Opening gala – Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon Closing – Martin Provost's Séraphine New horizons international competition Films on art international competition New Polish films competition Polish short films competition European short films competition Panorama Special screenings Documentaries / Essays Third eye Midnight madness: ozploitation Cinema of Canada Cinema of Sweden Golden era of Hungarian cinema Retrospective: Tsai Ming-liang Retrospective: Jennifer Reeves Retrospective: Krzysztof Zanussi Retrospective: Piotr Dumała 60 years of WFDiF From Polański to... New horizons of film language: editing Season 2008/2009 Films for children Silent films with live music Screenings at the market square Concerts Exhibitions
2010 Opening gala – Xavier Beauvois' Of Gods and Men Closing – Francis Ford Coppola's Tetro New horizons international competition Films on art international competition New Polish films competition Polish short films competition European short debuts competition Panorama Special screenings Documentaries / Essays Third eye Midnight madness: Philippe Mora; samurai cinema Cinema of Turkey Retrospective: Jean-Luc Godard Retrospective: Brothers Quay Retrospective: Klaus Maria Brandauer Retrospective: Laura Mulvey Retrospective: Wojciech Jerzy Has Retrospective: Daniel Szczechura New horizons of film language Season 2009/2010 Screenings at the market square Concerts Exhibitions
2011 Opening gala – Asghar Farhadi's A Separation Closing – Pedro Almodóvar's The Skin I Live In New horizons international competition Films on art international competition New Polish films competition Polish short films competition European short debuts competition Panorama Documentaries / Essays Third eye Special screenings 'Round midnight Behind the pink curtain Red westerns Norway expanded New horizons of film language: production design Hommage: Anja Breien Retrospective: Bruno Dumont Retrospective: Werner Nekes Retrospective: Jack Smith Retrospective: Terry Gilliam Retrospective: Andrzej Munk Retrospective: Mariusz Wilczyński Season 2010/2011 Films for children Screenings at the market square Concerts Discussion panels, workshops Exhibitions
2012 Opening gala – Michael Haneke's Amour Closing – Walter Salles' On the Road New horizons international competition Films on art international competition Polish short films competition European short films competition Panorama Special screenings Gdynia in Wrocław Documentaries / Essays Third eye: The Happy End. Images for the end of the world Midnight madness: From stage to screen Mockumentaries New horizons of film language: sound The Karol Irzykowski Film Studio Films for children The Cinema of Mexico Retrospective: Carlos Reygadas Retrospective: Ulrich Seidl Retrospective: Dušan Makavejev Retrospective: Peter Tscherkassky and Eve Heller Retrospective: Witold Giersz Season 2011/2012 Screenings at the market square Concerts Discussion panels, workshops Exhibitions
2023
23rd mBank New Horizons International Film Festival was held in Wrocław from 20 July to 30 2023. 251 films including 196 features and 55 shorts were screened.
Grand Prix award: 2023 heist comedy-drama The Delinquents by Rodrigo Moreno. Special Mention: After (France) by Anthony Lapia Audience Award: Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry (Switzerland, Georgia) by Elene Naveriani.
2024
Grand Prix award: Explanation for Everything by Gábor Reisz.
2025
Grand Prix award: Punku by J. D. Fernández Molero Audience Award:: The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) by Ernesto Martínez Bucio. 2026 The 26th edition the film festival was held in Wrocław from 23 July to 2 August.
Grand Prix award: Dry Leaf by Alexandre Koberidze Audience Award:: La Gradiva by Marine Atlan
See also List of film festivals American Film Festival (other film festival held in Wrocław organized by Stowarzyszenie Nowe Horyzonty)
References
External links New Horizons Film Festival Official website (en)