People's Jury at Five Flavours

photog. Natalia Poniatowska

People's Jury is a unique project in which not cinema specialists, but cinephiles who are passionate about the art of cinema evaluate the competition films and decide on which of the festival titles will receive the Grand Prix. We now know this year's line-up – nine Asian cinema enthusiasts from Poland and across Europe who will meet in Warsaw in November to choose the winner of the New Asian Cinema competition at the 20th Five Flavours.

Meet the People's Jury of the 20th Five Flavours!

People's Jury of the 20th Five Flavours

This year's call brought applications from all over Europe – thank you to everyone who shared their essays, video essays and podcasts with us. Having read, watched and listened to all the entries, we have selected nine people who will form the People's Jury of the 20th Five Flavours:

Xiang Hu (Finland / China)
Heeyeon Park (United Kingdom)
Irene Bakola (Greece)
Hanhee Oh (Germany / South Korea)
Gaia Ferrazzano (Italy)
Weronika Murek (Poland)
Mikołaj Drobczyński (Poland)
Julia Kobielska (Poland)
Igor Kaj (Poland)

Congratulations – see you in Warsaw!

About the project

Five years ago, we decided to expand the possibility of participation by inaugurating the People's Jury project. This year, we have once again invited Asian cinema enthusiasts from all over Europe to Warsaw.

The idea behind the People's Jury is simple – 9 Asian cinema buffs from all over Europe will meet in Warsaw at the 20th edition of the Five Flavours Film Festival to watch and discuss titles of the New Asian Cinema competition section, and choose its winner. The jury deliberations will be accompanied by festival programming & criticism workshops.

During an 8-day intense stay in Warsaw, Jury members have a chance to widen their film horizons, hone their film criticism skills, learn about festival landscape, and participate in the dynamic festival life.

Participation in the People's Jury is a unique opportunity to get to know the Five Flavours Film Festival inside out, as well as to discover Asian culture, discuss art, politics and challenges of the contemporary world. It is also a unique chance to delve into the programme of over forty films from East and Southeast Asia over eight days and analyze them in an international group, under the guidance of experienced mentors.

The call

The call for the People's Jury 2026 was open from July 9th to August 31st. Applicants were asked to answer the following question in English: What themes and emotions are you looking for in Asian cinema? The recruitment task could take the form of a written essay (1500-2000 characters with spaces), a video essay (up to 5 minutes), or a podcast (up to 7 minutes), and the application also included a short cover letter. Rather than learning about the applicants' knowledge, first and foremost, we wanted to get to know them!

Candidates had to be at least 18 years old (there was no upper age limit), be fluent in English and have residency in Europe. Experience in film criticism or programming was not required. For the duration of the festival, Five Flavours provides Jury members with accommodation (November 10-18), meals, accreditation, and transportation within Poland. Jury members from outside of Poland arrive in Poland at their own expense.

Important dates

Call for applications: July 9th – August 31st, 2026
Jury line-up announced: September 14th, 2026
People's Jury workshops and deliberations: November 10 – 17, 2026

Terms and Conditions

To participate in the People's Jury you need to accept the Terms and Conditions:

People's Jury Terms and Conditions