European Young Audience Award, an award dedicated to European films for young audiences (ECFA)

Boris Bakal Appointed to the Jury Board of the 2026 European Film Awards

Boris Bakal is a member of the board for the European Film Awards 2026, which will take place on 17 January 2026 at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (House of World Cultures) in Berlin.

The European Film Academy (EFA) has announced the composition of the nomination committees for the upcoming edition of the European Film Awards, and among those selected is Croatian director and actor Boris Bakal, president and founder of the artistic organization Shadow Casters (Bacači sjenki). Bakal has been invited to join the committee for the European Young Audience Award, a prize dedicated to European films for young audiences, as a representative of the ECFA (European Children’s Film Association) network.

The European Film Academy was founded in 1989 at the initiative of Ingmar Bergman and a group of prominent European filmmakers with the aim of advancing the interests of the European film industry. Since then, the Academy has established itself as a leading institution that fosters key debates within the European audiovisual community, supports and connects more than 5,000 members, and works to promote and preserve Europe’s film heritage.

The Academy’s central event is the European Film Awards, the pinnacle of the European awards season. In recent years, increasing emphasis has been placed on work with young audiences, primarily through the European Young Audience Award. It is within this context that Bakal’s appointment carries particular significance, as this category connects film professionals with young viewers and helps shape the future generation of European film enthusiasts.

The European Young Audience Award committee consists of representatives from various countries and professions—directors, producers, educators, festival experts, as well as young members of film clubs from across Europe. The full list of members of all European Film Academy award committees is available HERE.

Bakal’s selection represents another international recognition of his long-standing work in film, performing arts, and participatory cultural projects, as well as his valuable representation of Croatian cinema within the European Film Academy.

All who cannot join us in Berlin can follow the European Film Awards Ceremony online – please do also spread the word that there is a livestream of the Awards Ceremony available:

Saturday, 17 January 2026,

at 18:00 CET
on the European Film Awards website:
for the livestream please proceed directly to
European Film Awards Ceremony 2026

Boris Bakal is a director, actor, and intermedia artist who has been creating theatre and film projects, performances, and multimedia installations for more than forty years. His work has been presented or produced by festivals and events in over twenty countries worldwide. As a guest lecturer, he has spoken at numerous universities, symposia, conferences, and public forums. Since 2001, he has led Shadow Casters (Bacači sjenki), an international artistic platform that has received numerous awards and recognitions in Croatia and abroad.