Overview
The TAURON New Horizons International Film Festival (Nowe Horyzonty) is Poland's leading art cinema festival. The 26th edition runs July 23 to August 2, 2026, in Wroclaw, with an online extension through August 9, 2026. The International Competition awards a Grand Prix of 10,000 EUR and an Audience Award of 7,500 EUR. The 2025 edition recorded 169,737 viewers, 271 films across 628 screenings, and more than 500 invited guests.
The festival programs formally adventurous cinema that pushes beyond conventional filmmaking. Submissions are free, with a deadline of March 15, 2026. Eligible films must be over 60 minutes, completed after March 1, 2025, and must not have been publicly screened in Poland. The festival does not accept international short film submissions.
Submission Details
Submissions for the 26th edition (2026) International Competition are open. Key details:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Submission Deadline | March 15, 2026 |
| Submission Method | Email to submissions@nowehoryzonty.pl |
| Submission Fee | Free |
| Minimum Runtime | Over 60 minutes |
| Completion Date | After March 1, 2025 |
| Poland Premiere Requirement | Must not have been publicly screened in Poland |
| Short Film Submissions | Not accepted (international shorts are disregarded) |
| Notification | Before festival program publication (July 7, 2026) |
| Festival Dates | July 23 to August 2, 2026 |
| Online Festival | July 23 to August 9, 2026 |
The submission email must follow this format:
- Subject: FILM SUBMISSION: Title of Film, Name of Director, (Year)
- Body: Film title, director name, country of production, year of production, runtime, production company, contact information, screening link, and a brief synopsis
Only entries submitted by the deadline will be considered. The festival does not use FilmFreeway or other submission platforms. All submissions go through direct email.
Key Sections
New Horizons International Competition
The festival's flagship section, dedicated to artistic cinema that challenges conventional form and expands the boundaries of the medium. Eligible films must be over 60 minutes, completed after March 1, 2025, and must not have been publicly screened in Poland. The festival prioritizes world, international, and European premieres.
The 2026 International Competition selection includes 12 films from directors including Sompot Chidgasornpongse, Sandra Wollner, Aleksandre Koberidze, Manuela Martelli, and Ivan Ostrochovsky. Films are chosen by the festival's programming team based on artistic merit and formal innovation.
Shortlist Section
A separate section for shorter-format work. The Shortlist section has its own submission process with a deadline of April 2, 2026. This section is distinct from the International Competition and has different eligibility criteria.
Non-Competitive Programs
The festival also programs:
- Retrospectives - comprehensive programs dedicated to major adventurous filmmakers, often spanning multiple screenings
- Thematic Programs - curated selections exploring specific cinematic themes or movements
- Polish Cinema - new Polish films, both features and shorts
- Special Screenings - curated sidebars and one-off events
Past Winners
The Grand Prix is the festival's top juried prize. Recent winners:
| Year | Grand Prix Winner | Director | Audience Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Dry Leaf | Alexandre Koberidze | La Gradiva (Marine Atlan) |
| 2025 | Punku | J.D. Fernández Molero | The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) (Ernesto Martínez Bucio) |
| 2024 | Explanation for Everything | Gábor Reisz | - |
| 2023 | The Delinquents | Rodrigo Moreno | - |
| 2022 | See Friday, Robinson | Mitra Farahani | - |
The 2025 jury consisted of Marija Kavtaradze, Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Damian Kocur, Yorgos Krassakopoulos, and Barbara Wurm. The jury awarded a Special Mention to Badz wola moja (Julia Kowalski), a Polish-French co-production about a modern witch hunt.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
The festival has programmed directors before they achieved widespread international recognition. Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Pedro Costa, and Miguel Gomes all screened at New Horizons early in their careers.
The Delinquents (Rodrigo Moreno, 2023 Grand Prix winner) went on to play at Cannes' Un Certain Regard and secured US distribution. Explanation for Everything (Gábor Reisz, 2024 Grand Prix winner) premiered at Venice before winning at New Horizons. Punku (2025 Grand Prix) world premiered at Berlinale Forum 2025 before taking the Wroclaw prize.
Steve McQueen's Hunger won the first jury-awarded Grand Prix in 2009, before McQueen became an Academy Award-winning director.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
The programming team actively seeks formally challenging work that would not fit mainstream festival sections. Slow cinema, essay film, and experimental narrative have a strong track record here. If your film takes structural risks or blends documentary with fiction, New Horizons is more receptive than most European festivals.
The 60-minute minimum is strictly enforced. The festival explicitly states that international short film submissions will be disregarded. Filmmakers with short films should target the Shortlist section (deadline April 2, 2026) instead.
The Poland premiere requirement means filmmakers should plan their festival circuit to avoid Polish screenings before New Horizons. The July timing places it after Cannes (May), Berlin (February), and Rotterdam (January). Films that premiered at those festivals remain eligible as long as they have not screened in Poland.
The email-only submission process requires careful preparation. Include all required information in the specified format, or the submission may not be considered.
Industry Reputation Notes
New Horizons occupies a specific niche in the European festival circuit. It programs more formally adventurous work than Karlovy Vary or Warsaw, its closest Central European peers. Industry professionals compare it to Rotterdam and Locarno for its commitment to experimental and art cinema.
The festival does not hold FIAPF accreditation and does not operate a formal film market. However, international programmers, critics, and distributors attend to discover challenging work. The industry program includes panel discussions, project presentations, and networking events, though smaller in scale than Warsaw Film Festival or Berlin.
The 169,737-strong audience in 2025 makes it one of the best-attended art cinema festivals in Europe. The Audience Award carries credibility in the art cinema world because of this large, knowledgeable audience.
Awards / Accreditation
The 26th edition awards the following prizes:
- Grand Prix - 10,000 EUR, awarded by an international jury to the best film in the New Horizons International Competition
- Audience Award - 7,500 EUR, awarded to the film receiving the most audience votes in the International Competition, sponsored by TAURON
- Special Mentions - awarded at the jury's discretion
- Zuzanna Jagoda Kolska Award - for emerging Polish talent
The Grand Prix and Audience Award are the festival's primary competitive prizes. Additional side prizes may be awarded by partner institutions and independent juries.
The festival does not hold FIAPF accreditation. It does not qualify films for Academy Award consideration.
Watch
What Filmmakers Should Know
For filmmakers working in art cinema, essay film, or experimental narrative, New Horizons is one of the most receptive festivals in Europe. The free submission model removes a financial barrier for low-budget productions. The email-only process requires careful preparation but avoids platform fees. The 60-minute minimum is strictly enforced, and international shorts are disregarded. The Poland premiere requirement means you should plan your circuit to avoid Polish screenings before July. The 10,000 EUR Grand Prix and 7,500 EUR Audience Award are substantial for an art cinema festival. The festival does not operate a formal market, but international programmers and critics attend. The online extension gives films additional exposure across Poland. The key trade-off: you get a large, engaged art house audience and critical attention, but limited industry infrastructure compared to Warsaw or Berlin.
See Also
Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. Estimate your acceptance probability with the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For the Warsaw Film Festival, see Warsaw International Film Festival. For European film markets and international sales, see International Film Markets. For festival circuit strategy and planning, see Film Festival Strategy. Submit through the New Horizons official website.
