The European Festival for Religious TV and Online Programmes is expanding space for vital dialogue with its next edition, “Belief on Screen: Communicating Religion, Faith, and Ethics,” on 23–25 September in Copenhagen, Denmark.

“Being more alone in the world than for many years, Europe needs to understand its own values and its own faith. It is crucial for the continent that we keep on having conversations about our belief and values as part of our culture,” says Agnieszka Godfrejow-Tarnogorska, vice-president of Festival co-organizer WACC Europe.

The Festival, held approximately every three years in a different country in Europe since 1969, originally focused on TV programs that explored Christian beliefs. Over time, this expanded to include other world religions.

“Now the ambition is to open it even more, so that the Festival covers both religion and ethics,” Godfrejow-Tarnogorska says.

The scope of the intended audience for this 21st edition is wider too, she adds. Participants of previous editions of Belief on Screen were filmmakers, producers, and editors from TV stations and online outlets. The Copenhagen edition will be open to the public.

Space to share experiences, build collaboration

Godfrejow-Tarnogorska notes that, as well as showcasing TV programs from throughout Europe, the Belief on Screen festival acts as a key space for industry exchange and networking, opening doors for cooperation between national TV and broadcasting companies.

This is important “especially in a time when religious and ethical programs are not reaching as many TV viewers as in earlier years because online platforms have taken the place of many traditional TV programs.”

In this vein, the 21st edition of the Festival will bring together producers and editors of religion, faith, and ethics programming, both TV and online, by members of the European Broadcasting Union, for an initial meeting of a new network for collaboration and learning.

Religion & ethics as topics for mass communication?

Europe needs a festival that encourages discussions about religion and ethics as topics for mass media, according to Godfrejow-Tarnogorska.

“Some TV channels may not consider religious or ethical issues socially relevant; however, I think that even in secular societies, these topics remain timely and important,” she says.

Belief on Screen 2026 is organized by WACC Europe and the European region of SIGNIS (World Catholic Association for Communication), in cooperation with the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). Other partners include the Danish Film Institute (DFI), the Diocese of Copenhagen of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark, and the European Broadcasting Union.