Film Your Future: Netflix and Polish Producers’ Alliance Open Doors for Young People to a Career in the Film Industry

The film and television industry is not only an exciting creative journey, but can also be a fascinating choice as a professional career. Unfortunately, it is often difficult for young people that are about to enter the labor market to know how to embark on this career path.

In a recent survey conducted by the Polish Producers’ Alliance - KIPA, nearly 90% of young people indicated that lack of connections makes it difficult for them to start in the film industry. Another barrier can be the fact of living outside the main urban centers and the lack of specialized education in secondary schools. The lack of new cadres and employees entering into the Polish film industry is quickly becoming a growing challenge for those creating films and series - the number of productions in Poland is growing dynamically from year to year. According to the Olsberg SPI report prepared for KIPA, the Polish film industry already creates an equivalent of 21,000 full time jobs each year.

That's why last year, Netflix and KIPA launched the "Film Your Future" project, addressed to young people from various regions of Poland who are thinking about a career in the film industry. During the 2-day summer workshops, 136 people aged 18-26 from seven voivodeships learned the secrets of working on a film set, what are the various professions in the industry, and also worked on their very own film production. For the most committed workshop participants, Netflix funded scholarships enabling them to participate in a week-long event - the annual Film Spring Open workshops  in Kraków.

This is what participants of last year's workshops said about their experience:

“For me, the "Film Your Future" project was certainly an extraordinary event that changed my view of the film industry and the opportunities it offers by 180 degrees. (...) From a person who considered the film industry to be a kind of unattainable environment for me, I have reached the point where I know what doors to open and I am already taking the first steps towards it” - Mikołaj, 20 years old, from Bochnia (Małopolskie voivodeship).

“The "Film Your Future" workshop turned out to be one of the most important events that happened to me. Thanks to them, I met great, talented, young people with enthusiasm for work, with whom we still want to create new film projects. (...) My stay at the Film Spring Open as part of the KIPA and Netflix workshops gave me the green light to continue working towards creating films. Now I know that I have opportunities that once seemed much more distant to me" - Magda, 20 years old, from Paprotnia (Łódzkie voivodeship).

“There is a belief that places such as the film industry are not available to "ordinary people". The "Film Your Future" workshops showed me that this is not true. (...) It was an adventure - an adventure from which I came back full of joy, ideas and hope" - Oliwia, 18 years old, from Gdańsk (Pomorskie voivodeship).

“I came to the workshop with a vague dream that seemed very distant to me. (...) Meanwhile, I returned home with a specific plan, contacts to people interested in further cooperation and the feeling that in every corner of Poland there are friendly people with whom I can make films" - Aleksandra, 24 year old, from Katowice (Śląskie voivodeship).

The positive reception of the workshops, giving young people not only the opportunity, but also the knowledge and skills for a better start in the film industry, led us to continue our partnership with the Polish Producers’ Alliance. 

This year, we are reopening the door to a professional career in the production of films and TV series thanks to the second edition of the "Film Your Future" program. This time, during the upcoming summer holidays, the workshops will be held in the following voivodeships: Podlaskie, Lubelskie, Podkarpackie, Świętokrzyskie, Opolskie, Lubuskie and Wielkopolskie. The program is held under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and applications last until May 31 on the KIPA website.