Let’s Doc Lab
The LET’S DOC LAB program is an innovative educational experiment designed for creative individuals who aspire to create documentary films and have ideas for stories about the world of children or young people. It was established in response to the need for media that supports meaningful conversations with children and youth, especially during times of crisis.
LET’S DOC LAB. Documentary ideas lab
In countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and across Scandinavia, documentary films for young audience enjoy great popularity. They are featured at festivals, included in educational programs, and aired on television. Since 2020, the SKOK W DOK program has been working to develop this genre in Poland. As part of the project, we organize an annual Documentary Film Forum for Young Audience, where film ideas are presented to Polish and international film industry professionals.
A creative space for filmmakers and young audience
Each edition of the program spans approximately one year. During this time, adult participants—filmmakers, educators, animators, or parents—work on ideas for documentary films aimed at children and young people. The process unfolds in a creative, experimental environment, guided by mentors with extensive experience in the film industry.
One of the program’s unique features is its intergenerational collaboration. Young viewers aged 12–16, acting as young experts, learn the basics of documentary filmmaking, develop critical film analysis skills, and actively evaluate the ideas presented by adult participants. This exchange of perspectives helps create content that resonates with today’s youth.
From concept to production
Throughout several full-day sessions, participants develop their film ideas, create treatments and teasers, and present them to international experts during the Documentary Film Forum for Young Audience, held as part of the Millennium Docs Against Gravity festival. The program aims to foster the production, funding, and distribution of documentary films for children in Poland.
Why get involved?
Creating meaningful content for children and young people is a unique opportunity to reflect their everyday reality and perspective on the world. Working with documentary films cultivates empathy and a deeper understanding of others, serving as a powerful tool for building stronger connections. Experimenting in the field of filmmaking opens up new possibilities, enables the acquisition of valuable skills, and provides a chance to tell your story in a unique way.
Who is LET’S DOC LAB for?
- For adults: filmmakers, artists, teachers, educators, animators, parents, and anyone who wants to develop ideas for documentary films for young audience.
- For young experts: aged 12–16, who are eager to start their journey with documentary cinema.
The LET’S DOC LAB program is a unique space for film creativity, building bridges between generations, and advancing a new standard in Polish documentary cinema for children and youth. Join us and create a film that will inspire the next generation!
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Lecturers
Katarzyna Lesisz
A graduate of directing from the Film School in Łódź. The author of the short documentary film “Tańczę dla ciebie” (2018), which won the main prize at the IDFA festival in the Kids & Docs Competition. A recipient of the Małopolska Film Award at the Gdynia Film Festival and the Grand Prix at the Ca’ Foscari Short Film Festival in Venice for the film “Saszka” (2018). She is the author of short documentary films such as “My Brother’s Life”, “A New Tomorrow”, and the feature film “Taka nasza gra”, which have been shown at numerous international and national festivals.
Jaśmina Wójcik
A visual artist, director, and author of participatory socio-artistic actions focused on listening. She works on incorporating and granting subjectivity to communities deprived of visibility and the ability to express themselves. Director of the full-length creative documentary “Symfonia fabryki Ursus” (2018). For several years, she has been engaged in empathic education by developing her own practices in creating artistic expressions for children. She empowers and acknowledges children’s agency, treating them as co-creators and inviting them to dialogue. Currently, she is mainly focused on grassroots educational practices, with her new film based on Janusz Korczak’s novel “Król Maciuś Pierwszy” being a result of this work.
Maciej Cuske
A graduate of the Master’s School of Film Directing of Andrzej Wajda in Warsaw. He began as an amateur (“I co wy na to, Gałuszko?”, “12 000 kilometrów”) and during his studies participated in the making of “Cisza” (2003). “Kuracja” (2004), “Antykwariat” (2005), and “Elektryczka” (2007) were awarded at the Krakow Film Festival. He is also the author of documentary films such as “Ahoj” (2006), “Katyń. 60 dni na planie” (2007), “Na niebie i na ziemi” (2007), and “Daleko od miasta” (2011). A laureate of festival awards in Győr, Paris, Cieszyn, Łagów, Wrocław, and Toruń. For his film “Wieloryb z Lorino”, which he made in Chukotka over many years, he received the Polish Film Award Orzeł in 2021 and numerous awards at festivals in Poland and abroad.
Program Author and Coordinator:
Karolina Śmigiel
A film producer, project manager, board member of UNI-SOLO Studio, where she produced the documentary “Wiosna Smoków” (dir. Jarosław Wszędybył), member and co-founder of the Dziki Bez Film Association, co-creator and coordinator of the Abstract Thought Festival, expert and cultural animator, a graduate of cultural studies at the University of Warsaw, postgraduate studies for cultural managers at SGH, and philosophy at Collegium Civitas in Warsaw. She lectures at the Warsaw Film School at the Department of Film Production Organization (Film Promotion and Distribution). For many years, she has been involved in film education and producing film events. She is the artistic director of the International Film Festival “Kino w Trampkach” and coordinator of the media education program at the Society for Creative Initiatives “ę”. She worked for several years in the Education Department of the New Horizons Association (as project coordinator and deputy director of the department), where she co-created, among other things, a film development program for young audiences aimed at screenwriters and producers, as well as the Kino Dzieci Film Festival. As a curator, she created an original collection of Polish films for children for the National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute. She has collaborated with the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, the Film Archive, and the Muranów Cinema. She produced the “Art&Science” exhibition at the Przemiany Festival 2018 at the Copernicus Science Centre.
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