Chosen by people – not an algorithm
The New Horizons International Film Festival has been synonymous with brave, original and innovative cinema for over 20 years, setting new trends and development paths in cinema. Similarly, the Kids Kino International Film Festival has been proving since 2014 that films for young viewers can simultaneously entertain and convey important values, and that contact with interesting cinema can begin at an early age. After the success of last year's online versions of both New Horizons and the Kids Kino IFF, the organisers decided to make the most of the positive energy from the festivals and offer film fans the opportunity to watch movies with the New Horizons stamp of quality throughout the whole year.
The films available in the NH VOD offer are not the result of calculations carried out by impersonal algorithms. All the titles have been personally selected by experienced curators who have been preparing the programmes of the New Horizons Association's events for years, selecting films from the most important festivals around the world, including Cannes, Venice, Toronto and Berlin. Among the titles available on the NH VOD platform from 26th February there are dozens of films that have already won recognition from the viewers, critics and jurors of the New Horizons International Film Festival, including three winning films from recent editions that are unavailable on other VOD platforms – Catarina Vasconcelos' “The Metamorphosis of Birds”, “Bait” by Mark Jenkin and “Holiday” by Isabella Eklöf. Also available on the platform is the big hit from the last edition, which also won an award in Berlin – Ilya Khrzhanovsky and Jekaterina Oertel's “DAU. Natasha”.
The titles covered by the Kids Kino IFF are also a selection of the best films for young viewers which have been presented and awarded at international festivals, including Berlinale and Cinekid.
Masters of cinema
Awards and recognition garnered at leading international film festivals are not the only barometer of the quality of the NH VOD offer. The high level of the films on offer on the platform is best evidenced by the names of the masters of cinema whose works are available online from today: Agnieszka Holland, Pedro Almodóvar, Xavier Dolan, Jim Jarmusch, Céline Sciamma, Ari Aster, Joon-ho Bong, Gaspar Noé, Paolo Sorrentino, Michael Haneke and Alice Rohrwacher. The catalogue of films will be regularly expanded, with about 500 different titles due to be on offer by the end of this year. NH VOD features movies from Gutek Film and other Polish arthouse film distributors, as well as festival gems – in many cases available exclusively on the New Horizons platform.
A unique offer for young viewers
NH VOD features dozens of films for younger viewers, including international hits presented as part of the Kids Kino IFF and big-screen adaptations of best-selling books. The children's catalogue will stand out for the way the titles are matched to specific age groups – a solution that viewers will not find on any other online platform. The offer is designed to meet the needs and perceptual abilities of children of specific ages: therefore, productions aimed at four-year-olds do not overwhelm them with quick editing or complicated multi-threaded plots, while nine-year-olds don’t have to worry that they will just find content for younger children. Each film in the offer is a guarantee of fun for the whole family, and also a starting point to talk about important topics.
The titles for younger viewers includes: three parts of “Basia”, based on the books by Zofia Stanecka and Marianna Oklejak; as many as seven parts of the adventures of “Casper and Emma”; films from the series about “The Whodunit Detective Agency” (The Lasse and Maja Detective Agency); “Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs”; and Oscar-nominee “Mirai”, as well as cinema classics inspired by the works of Astrid Lindgren.
How to use the platform?
All you need to do is go to the website nowyhoryzonty.pl/vod, choose a movie, create a free account (or log in to your existing one on the New Horizons website) and buy access. The cost of a single access starts from PLN 7.90, with new premiere titles costing just PLN 9.90 and other films available exclusively on NH VOD costing PLN 12.90. You can start watching the purchased movie at any time (the screening must be completed within 48 hours from clicking the "Watch" button). You are able to purchase a single access directly on each movie’s page.
Promotional sets
Good cinema likes company. That’s why we have also prepared a special offer to mark the launch of the platform: PLN 49 for a set of 15 films, or PLN 89 for a set of 30 films. When buying a set, you can choose from the 216 titles covered by the promotion. Once the special introductory promotion has finished, a permanent promotion will be introduced, enabling you to purchase 5 films from the entire catalogue for just PLN 40. All titles covered by the promotion will be specially marked on the NH VOD platform.
Direction: development
The website is fully functional for film fans from the very first day, with the individual mechanisms of the platform also being improved over time.
News from the Kids Kino Industry:
- Next week Maciej Jakubczyk, the Head of the Education Department of the New Horizons Association together with Katarzyna Janiak, Project Manager and Viola Gabrielli, Head of Programme from Kids Kino Industry are virtually heading to Berlinale. Are you getting ready for Berlinale? Let us know!
- Save the date! We are buttoning up the last confirmation for the next KKI Talks – more information and registration starts next week! The webinar is scheduled on 22 March.
The Kids Kino Industry is co-financed by the Creative Europe-MEDIA, Polish Film Institute, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and City of Warsaw.
