The Ecumenical Jury, composed of members from INTERFILM (the international interchurch film organization) and SIGNIS World, has been a valued part of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic for 32 years, since its introduction in 1994.
This year’s jury included Achim Forst (Germany), Ida Tenglerová (Czech Republic), and Sr. Rose Pacatte, FSP (USA/Rome). From the twelve films in the main competition, the jury awarded the Ecumenical Prize to Rebuilding, directed by Max Walter-Silverman. The jury praised the film as “a beautiful, life-affirming story” of a rancher and his neighbors who lose everything in a devastating fire. “It is a film that offers hope in the face of hardship—both personal and environmental.”
The Ecumenical Jury awarded a Commendation to Gözde Kural’s Cinema Jazireh, recognizing its “exceptional potential to make the audience care about what is happening in the world.” This Turkish-Iranian-Bulgarian-Romanian co-production tells the powerful story of an Afghan mother who, after surviving the massacre of her family under Taliban rule, disguises herself as a man to search for her missing son. The jury praised the film as “a testament to hope, resistance to tyranny, and the power of profoundly human networks.” The film skillfully weaves urgent global issues—war, gender oppression, trafficking, and child abuse—into Leila’s courageous journey.