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.
“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,” says Mikołaj, 20 years old, from Bochnia about his experience participating in the workshop.
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 Netflix to continue its partnership with the Polish Producers’ Alliance.
This year, the streaming giant will be 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.