Here is your update on new films receiving ECFA Awards at the festivals, securing their place on the longlist for the yearly Award, edition 2026. Awards were given by ECFA juries in India, Sweden and France.
In New Delhi and several locations across India, the Smile International Film Festival celebrated its 11th edition with a unified ECFA Jury: Marta Kraus (Poland), Josep Arbiol (Spain) and Michael Harbauer (Germany), giving their award to GREETINGS FROM MARS (Germany). The festival was an overall victory lap for Sarah Winkenstette, as also the Professional Jury crowned her film as Best Feature for Children and she herself got to take home the Best Director prize.
The Professional Jury handed out notable awards for several Indian productions, including SOARING WINGS (by Palash Das, Best Story), BALLAD OF THE MOUNTAIN (by Tarun Jain, Best Short) and REBELL (by Rahul Dhanwate, Next Generation Award).
At the BUFF festival in Malmo, the ECFA Jury had good reasons to celebrate HONEY (by Natasha Arthy, Denmark – thumb photo): “This film is a tribute to togetherness, the pursuit of what brings us joy, and a focus on all the good that surrounds us. (…) It made us ask ourselves: what makes us happy? HONEY is a film that makes you grow.”
The ECFA Jury were Lotte Krag (Denmark), Maja Ogrizović (Croatia) and Isotta Regazzoni (Switzerland).
THE NIGHT BOOTS (by Pierre-Luc Granjon, France) was the winner of the ECFA Award at this year’s Ciné-Jeune de l’Aisne Festival. The jury were Lisa Haussmann (Germany), Juliána Johanidesová (Slovakia) and Tapio Riihimäki (Finland). Their motivation: “The film’s tender story and beautiful animation speaks the language of children. Through a wonderful play of light and shadow, the film takes us into a mysterious and warm nocturnal, where a special friendship helps to overcome small fears. The film shows that stepping into the scary unknown can sometimes open up a whole new world.”
With more than 10,000 visitors and several new cities joining this festival circuit, the 43rd (!) Ciné-Jeune de l’Aisne edition was a great success. Programming and workshops this year revolved around the theme ‘Living Nature’.