As the variety of exciting discoveries in the line-up of the New Horizons Film Festival 2025 Competition was overwhelming, we really couldn't but give a Special mention in addition to the likewise unanimously chosen and so well deserved jury award. We are particularly pleased to recognize a film with deep Polish connections-in many senses. The remarkable ensemble cast is largely Polish; the second-time director has Polish ancestry; and the mystical horror genre she draws from has long been explored in Polish cinema. Finally, the heart of this mesmerizing story-following the life of a migrant working family in a remote French village-is intimately tied to the many identities and myths, paternal rituals, maternal curses, and ancestral roots of Polish culture.
