YOUNG HORIZONS INDUSTRY 2024 Awards
Young Horizons Industry announces its award winners
- A handful of prizes have been given out in the Young Horizons International Film Festival’s industry section, including to the Finnish live-action series Sneakermania
The eighth edition of Young Horizons Industry is running from 30 September-2 October, and its awards ceremony was held on 1 October, hosted by Maciej Jakubczyk, director of the Young Horizons Festival, and Zofia Horszczaruk, head of Young Horizons Industry. The pitching and co-production forum featured 21 projects, spanning live action, animation and documentaries, and showcased feature films and series (see the news).
The first ORKA Award, valued at €7,000 in in-kind post-production and VFX services, went to the Finnish live-action series Sneakermania. Directed by Ima Iduozee and executive-produced by Mia Ylönen for Helsinki-filmi, the series follows Ola, a 16-year-old sneaker enthusiast determined to become a fashion influencer despite his financial struggles. With the help of his friends Amppari and Sulo, Ola faces off against his biggest rival, Jay, in the high-stakes sneaker world.
The second ORKA Award, valued at €3,500 and supporting fundraising efforts for co-producing with Poland, was presented to the German live-action/animated feature Lampie. Written and directed by Julia Keller and produced by Leitwolf Filmproduktion, the film tells the story of Lampie, the daughter of a lighthouse keeper, who embarks on a magical journey involving mermaids and pirates after a shipwreck that changes her life.
The FIXAFILM Award, worth €7,000 in post-production and VFX services, was awarded to the Polish animated series Mega Pals. Produced by François Lefebvre and Weronika Kasprzak, the show imagines a world where prehistoric creatures coexist with modern animals, as young Camille teams up with a world-renowned vet to protect these creatures from poachers.
The Wrocław Feature Film Studio Award, valued at €10,000, was given to the Polish live-action feature The Adventures of Baltazar Gąbka. Pitched by director Marta Karwowska and produced by Weronika Bałdyga for TV Working, the film follows the Wawel Dragon and his companions on a rescue mission to save Professor Baltazar Gąbka, imprisoned by a tyrant in a fantastical land.
Other prizes included the inaugural Animond Award, which provides an opportunity to secure gap financing through the Animond platform. This was awarded to the Austrian animated series Rainy Days, produced by Ani Antonova for Animadre Studio. The project also won the Audience Award for Best Pitching, with the prize including a free Young Horizons Industry accreditation for the pitching team. The No Problemo Music Award, offering a free music licence for songs from Audio Network’s library for both production and promotional materials without any restrictions, was given to the Polish-Spanish documentary in progress Ghetto Classic, co-directed by Katia Priwieziencew and Jakub Czerwiński, and produced by Dynamo Film in co-production with WKND.
The CEE Animation Forum Award, granting the team direct access to the Market at the CEE Animation Forum, went to the Norwegian animated series Ursa the Polar Bear, written by Natalia M Bratli and produced by Mária Môťovská (Upnorth Film). Lastly, the m:brane Exchange Award, providing direct access to the official selection during the m:brane event in Malmo, was awarded to the French stop-motion animated series Welcome to Vegetown, directed by Laure Clemansaud and produced by Xavier Truchon (TOKU).
Here is the full list of award winners at the eighth Young Horizons Industry:
ORKA Production Award – Services
Sneakermania (live-action series)
Producer: Helsinki-filmi (Finland)
ORKA Production Award – Fundraising
Lampie (live-action/animated film)
Producer: Leitwolf Filmproduktion (Germany)
FIXAFILM Award
Mega Pals (live-action series with CGI)
Producers: 20 Pictures to Midnight, RTBF, House Media Company, Coin Film, Digital Voodooh (Belgium/Luxembourg/Poland/Germany)
Wrocław Feature Film Studio Award
The Adventures of Baltazar Gąbka (live-action film)
Producer: TV Working (Poland)
Animond Award
Rainy Days (animated series)
Producer: Animadre Studio (Austria)
No Problemo Music Award
Ghetto Classic (documentary film)
Producers: Dynamo Film, WKND (Poland/Spain)
CEE Animation Forum Award
Ursa the Polar Bear (animated series)
Producer: Upnorth Film (Norway)
m:brane Award
Welcome to Vegetown (stop-motion animated series)
Producer: Toku (France)
Audience Award for Best Pitching
Rainy Days
Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.
