Film Festival for Children and Youth wrapped Sunday with Paul Negoescu’s “Atlas of the Universe” taking best feature film and Celia Catunda’s “My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin” winning best animated feature. The jury described “Atlas of the Universe,” a Romanian-Bulgarian coming-of-age drama about a 10-year-old boy whose errand to buy school shoes becomes a journey toward independence, as “the essence of this festival.” Brazilian animation “My Grandfather Is a Nihonjin,” about a Japanese-Brazilian boy exploring his family history and cultural identity, was recognized for its treatment of tradition and “the difficulty of starting a new life in a foreign place.” Areej Alghamdi’s Saudi film “The Path of Memory, Between the Lands of Jasmine and Basil,” which explores cultural memory and heritage through a young girl and her mother, won best documentary. Abdulrahman Al Madani’s Emirati film “Oug,” about a childless couple confronting family pressure and gendered blame surrounding infertility, took best Arabic short.
Shweta Parakh and Rakesh E Nair’s “Little Big Dreams” won best international short. The film follows a girl in Ladakh, India, who uses a wheelchair and is determined to pursue her education and be seen with “pride rather than pity.” The jury praised it for portraying “resilience, friendship and the power of the human spirit.” Thai narrative feature “Gohan,” directed by Chayanop Bunprakob, Baz Poonpiriya and Atta Hemwadee, won the festival’s inaugural Audience Award. The film, which follows a stray dog through the lives of three owners over more than a decade, also received a special mention from the feature film jury.
Other winners included South Korea’s “The Monster” for best child and youth-made film, and “Raeda” for best student-made short. Saudi documentary “Marjooj” received a special mention. The festival screened 71 films from 38 countries, selected from 1,802 submissions from 72 countries, with Italy serving as Country of Honor.
Beyond the prizes, this year’s edition reflected SIFF’s growing focus on industry development, regional connections and even greater participation from its young audiences. Here are five takeaways from this year’s festival. SIFF Is Building a Pipeline, Not Just a Festival SIFF continued to expand the ways young people can participate beyond watching films, with programs introducing them to different parts of the industry.
Its Junior Jurors program puts young participants on festival juries, while the Festival Ambassadors program gives them experience representing and covering the annual event. The Industry Hub connects emerging filmmakers with established professionals through panels, workshops and other activities. The Industry Hub also addressed how festivals make selection decisions.
During one panel, programmers discussed how acceptance or rejection is not necessarily a verdict on quality, with decisions shaped by lineup balance, geography and audience. The Pitching Platform Is Growing Into a Bigger Industry Tool SIFF doubled its pitching platform in its second year, selecting six projects compared with three in 2025. Rather than offering a cash prize, the platform connects filmmakers with industry professionals who could provide financing, production support or other forms of collaboration.
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