Culture Minister Bogdan Zdrojewski said the agreement was for five years but he promised the ministry's share in the project will grow.

The initiative represents a return to the idea of film groups which competed with each other in making films in the 1950s, and when the outstanding directors of the time mentored their young successors.

"The studio will guarantee to young filmmakers not only artistic development but also financial aid," said Agnieszka Odorowicz, director of the Polish Film Institute (www.pisf.pl), which is a financial supporter of the school founded by the Polish Filmmakers Association. "This studio should contribute to faster debuts, but first of all to increase the artistic level (of young filmmakers). This formula will allow debut filmmakers to liberate themselves from market limitations."

In 2006-2007 the institute set aside 22 million zloties (€6.2 million) for young artists, and 10.8 million zloties is available in 2008 for these young artists.