The New Horizons IFF was founded by Polish cultural activist Roman Gutek, the creator of the Warsaw Film Festival and co-founder of the film distribution company Gutek Film. The event is managed and run by the New Horizons Association (Stowarzyszenie Nowe Horyzonty) that was created specifically for that purpose. The inaugural festival took place in Sanok, then the event moved to Cieszyn, and since 2006 the festival has been held in Wrocław.
The New Horizons Film Festival focuses on art house movies. In 2008, it was accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) as a competitive specialized film festival dedicated to avant-garde cinema.
The festival holds several film competitions, the most important one being the New Horizons International Film Competition. The New Horizons IFF strives to discover and present bold and unconventional artistic cinema that seeks new forms of expression – “the new horizons of cinema” – and pushes the boundaries of conventional filmmaking. The competition is open to uncompromising, often provocative premiere films from around the world.
The New Horizons Film Festival presents three main awards: the Grand Prix for the best film, the Audience Award, and the FIPRESCI Award bestowed by the International Federation of Film Critics. At the beginning the Grand Prix was an audience award, but since 2009 the winners have been chosen by the international jury. The first film to receive the Grand Prix awarded by the jury was Hunger by Steve McQueen.
Alongside the competition, the festival features an extensive non-competitive program that includes various sections such as Films on Art, Gala Screenings, Masters, Discoveries, Ale kino+, Retrospectives, Third Eye, Classics, Midnight Madness, Shortlist, Market Screenings at the city’s main square, Season, Special Screenings, Films for Children, and more. Besides, the New Horizons IFF hosts daily concerts and DJ sets at the Festival Club, exhibitions, and other events.
In 2020, the event was held online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Photo: nowehoryzonty.pl
