The 66th International Film Festival for Children and Youth, held in the Czech city of Zlín from May 28 to June 3, 2026, brought together films from around the world for one of the oldest and most respected festivals dedicated to young audiences. Among the awards presented, the Ecumenical Jury Prize — conferred jointly by SIGNIS and INTERFILM — recognized work that speaks to questions of spiritual, conscience, identity, and the meaning of a life honestly lived.
The Altar Boys, directed by Piotr Domalewski (Poland, 2025), received this year’s Ecumenical Jury Award. In its citation, the jury praised the film for raising the timeless question of what it means to do good — without moralizing, without sentimentality, and without narrowing its message to the religious context from which it draws. The main characters are Polish Catholic altar boys, yet the jury noted that the film’s core preoccupations extend well beyond any specific tradition: the difficulty of becoming a good person, the misunderstanding that often accompanies that effort, and the necessity of leaving behind comfortable structures in order to live with authenticity. The jury described the film as one that gives courage on that path and affirms its meaning.
A Commendation was also awarded to Gugu’s World, directed by Allan Deberton (Brazil, 2026). The jury cited the film’s exploration of identity and the importance of self-expression in a world where belonging is never guaranteed. Surrounded by loved ones who encourage rather than constrain, the film’s young protagonist embodies something the jury hoped would travel beyond Brazil’s borders — a message about the beauty of being seen and encouraged to be oneself, addressed to young people everywhere.
The jury was composed of Peter Dietz (Switzerland), Maria Dobre (Romania), and Petr Hasan (Czech Republic), appointed by SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication, and INTERFILM, the International Interchurch Film Organisation.