ECFA Short Film Award

ECFA Short Film Award

Since 2020, the IFF Dortmund+Cologne has been presenting this award for the best short film for children. The ECFA Short Film Award, which carries no cash prize, is awarded by a three-member jury to a European short film for children. Films from the programme for kids and young adults with a runtime of up to 30 minutes are eligible for nomination.

Even though the award is not monetary, it enjoys a high international reputation because it is presented by experts in European children’s film. The winning film is then nominated for the competition for the best European children’s film of the year, which is awarded as part of the Berlinale.

In 2026, “our” winning film from 2025 won at the Berlinale: Hannah and the Krokodil by Lore Mechelaere.

In cooperation with the European Children’s Film Association.

Jury

Sina Musche

Sina Musche is currently interim director of doxs! documentaries for children and youth. She works in media and film education and is particularly interested in innovative educational formats. A special focus of her work lies in documentaries and short films. Previously, she worked at several film festivals, especially in the field of children’s and youth films, with an emphasis on programming and educational work. Her other activities and interests span media studies and museum education.

Samira Zaïbat

Samira Zaïbat is a cultural project manager and film education specialist based in Brussels. She is the founder and director of Le MOUV’, a bilingual, itinerant cinema project dedicated to accessibility, youth audiences and media literacy. Active in European film and cultural networks, she regularly coordinates children’s and youth juries, workshops and community film screenings. Alongside her cultural work, she has professional experience at the European Parliament and with EU-funded cultural programmes.

Florence Dupont

Florence Dupont studied English and film studies and has worked as a programming director at children’s film festivals since 1998. After working with the Laon International Film Festival for Children and Young People (now Ciné-Jeune de l’Aisne), she helped found the Plein la Bobine festival and Mon Premier Festival in Paris. Since 2018, she has co-organised school and cinema projects for children aged 3 to 10 in Paris, alongside her work at Mon Premier.