A delegation of young people from Chisinau took part in the 2026 Giffoni Film Festival, held in Italy from July 17 to 25. The event is one of the world’s oldest and largest film festivals dedicated to children and young audiences. This year’s 56th edition brought together more than 5,000 young jurors from 35 countries.
The Moldovan participants served as jurors in the 13+ and 15+ competition categories. The delegation included Laura-Sofia Scobioala, Amelia Vasilasco, Petra Lozovanu and Alex Rotaru.
During the festival, they watched the films competing for awards and took part in meetings with film industry professionals, including DreamWorks animator Sean Sexton.
“Educating young people through cinema is essential to helping them become informed and open-minded citizens,” said Sergiu Scobioala, the coordinator of the Moldovan delegation. “We hope that one day Moldova will also host an international film festival dedicated to young audiences.”
A total of 104 films from dozens of countries competed at this year’s festival. The event opened with the premiere of Sunny Dancer, starring Bella Ramsey, followed by preview screenings of L’Isola dei Ricordi (DreamWorks), Oceania, and KPop Demon Hunters (Disney).
At the closing ceremony, the Polish film The Altar Boys won the award in the 13+ category, while Morten, a co-production between Estonia and Lithuania, received the top prize in the 15+ category.
The participation of the Chisinau youth delegation was organized by the Studio Creativ Media Association and financially supported through the Chisinau Municipal Co-Financing Program for Youth Projects, Civil Society Initiatives, Volunteerism and Institutional Partnerships, implemented by the General Directorate for Education, Youth and Sport of the Chisinau Municipal Council.