The jury praised the German film’s defence of human dignity and democratic values, highlighting its use of thriller, western and crime conventions.
Faraz Shariat’s Prosecution (Staatsschutz) has won the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the 22nd CineFest Miskolc International Film Festival in Hungary, with jurors commending its portrayal of resistance to extremism and its call for civic engagement.
The German film was recognised at the festival, which ran from 4 to 12 September 2026. In its award statement, the jury highlighted both the film’s defence of human rights and the cinematic techniques Shariat uses to convey the urgency of its themes.
“In this context, neutrality would mean accepting the current situation and is not a solution,” the jury said, describing the film as a portrait of Western societies facing threats from radical ideologies and violence.
The jurors singled out the protagonist as an example of someone willing to take action, uphold human dignity and defend democratic values and institutions. Their citation presented engagement as a central concern of the film, linking individual responsibility to the protection of those principles.
The statement also praised Shariat’s direction, pointing to his combination of thriller, western and crime conventions. These elements, the jury said, give cinematic expression to the gravity of the issues the film addresses, creating what it called “an intense and impressive movie”.
The Ecumenical Jury selects a film from CineFest’s international feature competition. This year’s four-member panel was chaired by Hungarian journalist and editor Beáta Kézdi, alongside fellow Hungarian Endre Dyekiss, France’s Adrien Fondecave and the Czech Republic’s Michael Otrisal.