This award is given to a work in the ON THE RISE competition that demonstrates high artistic quality and expresses a human point of view that is in line with the Scriptures or encourages an examination of the biblical tradition and sensitises the audience to spiritual, social or ethical values.
This award is presented by the Ecumenical Jury, which consists of five members of the inter-church film networks INTERFILM and SIGNIS. Mannheim is one of the first film festivals ever to establish a church jury: The church jury has been present at the film festival in Mannheim (and later Mannheim-Heidelberg) since 1963, initially under the name INTERFILM, and since 1995 together with the Catholic partner organisation SIGNIS as the Ecumenical Jury.
Ecumenical Award
This is our Ecumenical Jury 2026!
Andreas Engelschalk (Germany)
Andreas Engelschalk was pastor for the Protestant Parish of Naunheim (Wetzlar) and the Protestant Student Chaplaincy (ESG) in Gießen till 2020. Till 2023 member he participated in the Jury der Evangelischen Filmarbeit (Jury of Protestant Film Work). The committee regularly selects the "Film of the Month" till 2025. He has been a member of INTERFILM since 1996 and a jury member at several festivals (Yerevan, Warsaw, Locarno, Cannes).
Florence de Tienda (France)
Florence de Tienda is a retired teacher. Her highest diploma is a thèse de doctorat du troisième cycle de Lettres modernes obtained in Besançon University in 1988, and, after the concours called C.A.P.E.S, she has passed the one called Agregation of Modern Letters. Her career took her from France to Belgium (Lycée français de Bruxelles) and ended in Lyon in 2019. Her interest for cinema began with Film et Vie, founded by her uncle and aunt, well known at Interfilm, Henri and Mady de Tienda, when she was a student. It never ceased since, and now a member of the Lyon's group of Pro-Fil, she participated to an ecumenical jury in Fribourg Festival in 2023.
Magali Van Reeth (France)
Film reviewer for SIGNIS, member of Fipresci and board member of the Union des journalistes de cinéma (France) since 2000. She has been leading a cinema retreat with the Jesuits since 2017. Secretary General of SIGNIS France (2006-2017), President of SIGNIS Europe (2013-2017) and Chair of the SIGNIS World Cinema Desk (2017-2023). She has been a jury member at several festivals (Karlovy Vary, Berlin, Locarno, Amiens, Cannes, Toulouse, Yerevan, Teheran, Venise).