Regulations for the submission of films to the 44th Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival
§1 General Information
1. The 44th Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival (hereinafter referred to as the Festival) is organized by the Children's Art Centre in Poznań (hereinafter referred to as the Organizer or the Centre), a local government cultural institution run by the City of Poznań, entered into the Register of Cultural Institutions under number XII, identifying with the Tax Identification Number (NIP) 778-12-01-523, with its registered office at ul. Św. Marcin 80/82 in Poznań (Poland).
2. The aim of the Festival is the presentation and promotion of valuable films for children and youth.
3. The 44th Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival is organized from November 22 to November 29, 2026, in Poznań.
4. Information about the Festival can be found on its dedicated website: alekino.com.
5. The Festival Director is the director of the Children's Art Centre in Poznań. The Artistic Director of the festival is a person appointed to this function by the Festival Director, and their competence includes coordinating the work on creating the Festival program.
6. The Festival program consists of competition sections, thematic sections, as well as special and accompanying events. By the Organizer's decision, it is possible for a given film to be presented both in a competition section and a thematic section.
§2 Competitions
1. Films are presented in competition sections that take part in the following competitions:
a) International Feature Film Competition for Children (5-10 years)
b) International Feature Film Competition for Teenagers (11-13 years),
c) International Feature Film Competition for Youth (14+ years),
d) International Short Film Competition for Children and Teenagers (5-13 years),
e) International Short Film Competition for Youth (14+ years)
2. Only films produced between 2024 and 2026 can be qualified for the competitions.
3. Live-action, animated, and documentary films qualify for the competitions.
4. Films submitted for competition selection must meet the following criteria:
a) they are feature-length or short: live-action, animated, or documentary films produced after January 1, 2024,
b) films longer than 60 minutes are considered feature-length,
c) films shorter than 30 minutes are considered short films,
d) they constitute a separate artistic whole.
5. Competition films are evaluated by the following jury panels:
a) Professional international jury panels working in the following sections:
i. Jury of the International Competition of Feature Films for Children and Teenagers,
ii. Jury of the International Competition of Feature Films for Youth,
iii. Jury of the International Competition of Short Films.
b) Non-professional juries:
i. Children’s Jury of the International Competition of Feature Films,
ii. Teen Jury of the International Competition of Feature Films,
iii. Youth Jury of the International Competition of Feature Films,
iv. Teen Jury of the International Competition of Short Films,
v. Youth Jury of the International Competition of Short Films.
6. The jury panels are appointed by the festival director.
7. The director may also appoint additional jury panels awarding additional prizes or independently award their own prize, which is the organizer's prize, to be received by a film or a filmmaker. Additional jury panels and awards may be established in cooperation with the festival's partners.
8. The following awards will be granted at the festival:
a) awarded by professional juries:
i. Golden Goats for the Best Feature Film for Children,
ii. Golden Goats for the Best Feature Film for Teenagers,
iii. Golden Goats for the Best Feature Film for Youth,
iv. Golden Goats for the Best Short Film for Children or Teenagers,
v. Golden Goats for the Best Short Film for Youth;
b) awarded by non-professional juries:
i. Neon Goats for the Best Feature Film for Children,
ii. Neon Goats for the Best Feature Film for Teenagers,
iii. Neon Goats for the Best Feature Film for Youth,
iv. Neon Goats for the Best Short Film for Children or Teenagers,
v. Neon Goats for the Best Short Film for Youth.
9. Each award may be granted once during a single edition of the festival to one film. The granting of potential special mentions by the jury has only an honorary function and does not involve obligations on the part of the organizer.
10. The prize in each of the basic categories is the granting of the main award, a diploma, and a statuette with a value not exceeding 800 PLN.
11. All feature films from 2024-2026 presented in the competition and thematic sections participate in the audience plebiscite. The results of the audience plebiscite are announced up to 10 working days after the end of the Festival on the Festival's website.
§3 Selection
1. A film may be submitted to the Festival by an entity holding the right to such actions, simultaneously declaring that the submission does not infringe the rights of third parties. By submitting a film, the entity must accept the regulations.
2. Each film submission must be accompanied by:
a) filling out the online submission form (a form on the FilmFreeway platform) or through a form provided by the organizers via the Filmchief platform,
b) a preview copy in the English-language version or with English subtitles.
3. The call for films begins on February 2, 2026.
4. The selection of submitted films includes only films submitted on time and according to the rules specified in these Regulations.
5. The final deadline for submitting application forms and materials for competition selection under the open call is July 3, 2026. The organizers reserve the right to invite selected entities and films to submit after this deadline has passed.
6. The selection of films for the competition and the program is coordinated by the Artistic Director of the Festival, cooperating in this regard with a group of hired experts.
7. The decision on accepting a film to the Festival is made by the Organizer. This decision is final.
8. The responsibility for the legal right to submit a film to the Festival and dispose of it lies with the submitting entity or person.
9. The organizers will notify the submitting entity or persons of the selection results immediately after its completion.
10. If a film is qualified for screenings at the Festival, the following must be sent immediately:
a) information for the catalog (detailed information is provided by the Organizers),
b) a dialogue list in the language version agreed upon with the Organizer,
c) other promotional materials.
11. Materials should be sent to the appropriate email addresses:
a) for short films: fdrag@alekino.com,
b) for feature films: mjodko@alekino.com, mgrzesiuk@alekino.com.
§4 Festival Copy
1. The submitting entity or person commits to delivering a copy of the film qualified for the Festival by November 13, 2026, to the appropriate email addresses:
a) feature films: mjodko@alekino.com, mgrzesiuk@alekino.com,
b) short films: fdrag@alekino.com,
c) or to the Festival Organizer's address: Centrum Sztuki Dziecka w Poznaniu, Św. Marcin 80/82 pok.345, 61-809 Poznań.
2. The copy, appropriately labeled, should be recorded on a medium consistent with the submitted one, in the original version without subtitles, accompanied by a separate file with English subtitles (if the film is not in the English language version), and in good technical condition.
3. Films may be screened on the following media: DCP or others upon prior agreement with the Festival organizers.
4. The person sending the copy should follow the shipping instructions that will be provided to them by the Festival Organizer. The instructions will be provided along with the information about the selection results.
5. The return shipping costs are covered by the Festival, unless agreed otherwise with the submitting entity or person. The Festival commits to returning the film copy in a condition no worse than what results from normal use.
6. The insurance of physical copies, up to the value stated in the submission form, is covered by the Festival. It covers the period from handing over the copy to the Organizers by the delivering carrier to collecting the copy from the Organizer by the returning carrier.
7. The digital copy of the film will be destroyed after the Festival. The physical copy will be returned to the indicated address after the Festival concludes. The Organizer is not responsible for damages resulting from an incorrectly indicated address.
§5 Additional rights of the festival
1. The entity or person submitting the film grants the Festival the right to use:
a) the film copy for screenings in cinemas, under conditions agreed upon with the Festival,
b) the provided promotional materials for festival publications (prints, the Festival website, catalogs, the Festival program) and for the purpose of promoting the Festival in the media. The submitting entity or person consents to the editing of the sent materials by the Organizers,
c) fragments of the screened film in internet and television broadcasts related to the Festival (a trailer and a fragment up to 2 minutes from a feature film, and up to 1 minute from a short film, selected by the Organizers) and in activities related to the promotion of the film and the Festival.
2. The Organizer has the right to use film fragments and promotional materials to promote subsequent editions of the Festival under the rules described in §5 point 1 within the scope resulting from points 1b. and 1c. The submitting entity or person appropriately grants the Organizer a license or permits the Organizer to exercise derivative rights to the work free of charge.
3. The Organizer may invite selected creators of films qualified for the Festival, as well as outstanding creators, press representatives, distributors, producers, and people associated with audiovisual culture for children and youth. The details of the guests' participation are arranged with them individually, and the guest may accept or reject the invitation.
§6 Final Provisions
1. Submitting a film and participating in the Festival means acceptance of these regulations.
2. The Festival Organizer is not responsible for infringements of third-party rights arising in connection with the use of the submitted works, unless the infringement is solely the fault of the Organizer. In this respect, the entity or person submitting the film releases the Organizer from liability.
3. In case of doubt as to the interpretation of the provisions of the regulations, the Polish language version is decisive.
4. Matters not covered by these regulations are decided by the Festival Director.
