25 Aug 2026 On the Screen (MD 2026/3)
Oberhausen (Germany) 2026
At the 72nd International Short Film Festival Oberhausen 28 April to 3 May 2026 two ecumenical juries, appointed by INTERFILM and SIGNIS, awarded prizes in the International Competition and the International Children’s and Youth Film Competition. The Prize in the International Competition is endowed with € 2,000 and the prize in the Children’s and Youth Film Competition with € 1,500 donated equally by the Protestant Church District of Oberhausen, and Katholische Filmarbeit in Germany.
The Ecumenical Jury of the International Competition awarded its Prize to Hei Dong Dong (Dark Channel) directed by Yu Zhe (China, 2025).
Motivation: Film theorist Siegfried Kracauer once used the phrase “ordinary invisible things” to describe aspects of reality that are technically visible, but usually go unnoticed in everyday life. Cinema at its best captures these fleeting, everyday, seemingly mundane moments we tend to overlook or ignore. The Ecumenical Jury would like to award its prize to a film that is at the same time seemingly simple and incredibly poetic, layered and emotionally involving. The filmmaker creates a filmic space, uses light to reflect on light and makes it a lifeline or, if you wish to see it, the spiritual presence of the flow of life.
In addition, the jury awarded a Commendation to wolno, szybko, wolno (slow, fast, slow) directed by Jagoda Czarnek (Poland, 2025).
Motivation: Speaking about subverting expectations: it is very rare to find a young filmmaker who has such a feeling for timing and dark humour that she can show both Memento Mori and Carpe Diem in just four shots and 1 minute.
The Ecumenical Jury of the Children’s and Youth Film Competition awarded its Prize to Just Jools directed by Ezra Verbist (Belgium, 2025).
Motivation: A documentary that tackles a difficult subject in a deeply loving way, managing to make a particular issue feel universal. The main character finds her strength in settling into herself and feeling the dance, rather than in the gaze and judgment of others. The film portrays this journey through authentic characters and a storyline that almost gives the documentary the feel of bordering on a fictional drama. The director’s gentle eye ensures it remains personal without getting too private. The dance comes to life for the girl not just through the music, but in collaboration with the dance teacher, in nature, and through her imagination.
In addition, the jury awarded a Commendation to Jésus Marie Joseph directed by Patxi Meerman (France, 2025).
Motivation: At once a deeply loving, handheld film and razor-sharp in its exploration of life’s fundamental “why” – a question just as valid for a 3-year-old boy running through a Greek village as for an old man. It manages to tell a full story in 3 minutes without explaining or oversimplifying.
Members of the 2026 Jury in the International Competition: Rinke Dellebeke-van Hell (Netherlands), Iva Folajtárová (Czech Republic), Daniel Hercenberger (Germany). Members of the Jury of the Children’s and Youth Film Competition: Irina Grassmann (Germany), Lars Karmark Obel (Denmark), Balázs Szövényi-Lux (Hungary).
Cannes (France) 2026
At the 79th Cannes Film Festival (12-23 May 2026), the Ecumenical Jury, appointed by INTERFILM and SIGNIS, awarded its Prize to Fjord directed by Cristian Mungiu (Romania, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, 2026).
Motivation: The Jury chose a film that, above all, stands out for the artistic excellence of its cinematic form in every respect. We believe that the award-winning film serves as a powerful warning against the risks posed by the ideological drift of both faith and the necessary denunciation of any form of violence against the most vulnerable. Both are hopeful approaches which can become corrupted when, reduced to a mere set of rules, they prevent us from seeing the humanity of others – and perhaps our own.
In its exploration of the central conflict between different convictions, the award-winning film not only questions the boundaries between the public and private spheres but does so with great narrative skill, interweaving the individual stories of complex and profound characters. Finally, it should be noted that this is a film that raises many questions and appeals to the viewer’s experience to answer them, thus constituting a rich work of art for debate and reflection.
Members of the 2026 Jury: Adrian Baccaro (Argentina); Catherine Escrive (France); Annette Gjerde-Hansen (President of the Jury, Norway); Jakob Hoffmann (Germany); Vincent Miéville (France); Ruben de la Prida Caballero (Spain).
Zlin (Czech Republic) 2026
At the 66th International Film Festival for Children and Youth in Zlín (28 May to 3 June 2026), the Ecumenical Jury appointed by INTERFILM and SIGNIS, awarded its Prize to The Altar Boys directed by Piotr Domalewski (Poland, 2025).
Motivation: The ecumenical jury awarded its prize for the way the film raises the timeless question of what it means to do good. The film approaches this theme with lightness, authenticity, and without narrow-minded moralizing. Although the main characters are Polish Catholic altar boys, the film’s universal message will resonate with audiences regardless of their religious, national, or other identities.
The story reminds us that the path to becoming a good person is often arduous, meets with misunderstanding, and requires leaving behind comfortable structures. However, if we want to live authentically and take our lives seriously, it is a necessary journey. The film gives us courage on this path and affirms its profound meaning.
In addition, the jury awarded a Commendation to the film Gugu’s World directed by Allan Deberton (Brazil, 2026). Motivation: We would like to award a commendation to a film that taught us about identity and the importance of being ourselves in a world where we don’t always fit in. Being surrounded by loved ones who encourage us to express ourselves is part of the beauty of life, and we hope that the message from this film will go beyond Brazil’s borders and into the souls of young people everywhere around the globe.
Members of the 2026 Jury: Peter Dietz (Switzerland), Maria Dobre (Romanie), Petr Hasan, (Czech Republic).
Cluj-Napoca (Romania) 2026
At the 25th Transylvania International Film Festival (12-21 June 2026), the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, endowed with € 1.000 by INTERFILM and SIGNIS, was awarded to Truly Naked (Gol Golut) directed by Muriel d’Ansembourg (Netherlands, Belgium, France, 2026).
Motivation: The film sharply distinguishes between sex abuse, pure love and tenderness. It successfully unmasks the porn universe while following the ambivalent relation of one father and his son. The film leads to transformative perception of the explicit photos and videos in which we see – often desperate – human beings.
At the heart of the film lies a profound reflection on the difference between performance and authentic encounter, between observing intimacy and truly experiencing it. Through its sensitive and deeply human storytelling, the film reminds us that genuine connection cannot be manufactured or performed, but grows through trust, vulnerability, and mutual encounter and recognition. The film invites to look beyond labels, prejudice, and social stigma in order to recognize the dignity of every human person.
The Ecumenical jury recommends this film for screening and debates specially with young people to enhance their discernment concerning what is proposing in the online media.
Members of the 2026 Jury: Olimpia Melinte, president, Romania; Heinz-Martin Krauss, Germany; Gianna Urizio, Italy; Stanislav Zeman, Czech Republic.
Karlovy-Vary (Poland) 2026
At the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (3-11 July 2026), the Ecumenical Jury, appointed by INTERFILM and SIGNIS, awarded its Prize to The Lion at My Back (still below) directed by Tonia Mishiali (Cyprus, Luxembourg, Greece, 2026).
Motivation: In dense, realistic imagery that turns metaphorical at key moments, the film tells the story of eighteen-year-old refugee Mariama and the forty-year-old Cypriot woman Stella, with whom she forms an ever-closer bond. Surprisingly, Mariama becomes a Christ figure for Stella and others who, by their own strength alone, cannot find their way out of destructive domination.
Synopsis: Mariama, an asylum-seeker from Senegal, has just turned eighteen. Stella, at first glance a withdrawn woman in her forties, has recently decided to break free from the clutches of addiction and to give her life a fresh start. Members of the 2026 Jury: Lukáš Jirsa (Czech Republic, Jury President); Hans-Martin Gutmann (Germany); Valérie de Marnhac (France).