We are pleased to anounce the Youth Jury of Cinekid Festival 2026. They will decide which film will take home the CJP Youth Jury Award this year.
Meet Boaz, Ivy, Pippa, Teyler, Valerie and Zakariya! Who are they and why do they want to judge films?
Hi, I'm Boaz, 13 years old. I love playing football and watching funny movies, but I'm not the biggest fan of horror films! I also love good music, in movies too.
Hello, I'm Ivy. I'm 13 years old and I'm now in my second year at the IVKO, a very creative school where we also have drama and film as subjects. I'm also in the preparatory dance programme at the University of the Arts, where I dance four days a week. Besides dance, I really love acting too, and this summer I got to play one of the lead roles in the film Vampier in de school (Vampire at School), which will be in cinemas at the start of next year. I think it would be really fun to watch the films with other kids, and I'm curious to see if we can pick the winner together! Being on the Youth Jury is a wonderful experience either way.
Hey, my name is Pippa! I'm 14 years old and I really love watching films and series, but I also enjoy watching plays, theatre and musicals. What I love most is performing in them myself, though that doesn't always work out. I've already had some fun roles as an (featured) extra, and once a nice supporting role. The coolest thing I've been able to do so far was being part of the children's cast of 40-45, De Musical.
Being on set has taught me so much that I honestly can hardly watch anything without being critical about it anymore, sometimes to my mother's irritation, hahaha. So being a member of the Youth Jury at the Cinekid Film Festival is really absolutely fantastic for me. My critical eye, which is often a positive one, will come in very handy here.
Hi! I'm Teyler. I'm 13 years old and I live in Haarlem. I love playing football and tennis, and going to the cinema. I'm a big fan of action films like Mission Impossible with Tom Cruise, but also of silly comedies like Borat and De Tatta's. I still think Hoppers is a great children's film, and the Minions still make me laugh every time. I thought Superkrachten voor je hoofd was a really nice Dutch children's film. I think it would be great fun to be on the youth jury, because I've always enjoyed giving films a rating and debating about them.
My name is Valerie and I just started high school this year. I'm creative. I also love dancing. And I think music is really great too, like pop and K-pop. I'm a huge fan of the girl group Katseye. I love going to the cinema. It's a fun outing, because for a while you're completely inside the film. And you can't think about anything else for a moment. I go with my friends. Or, for example, with my dad, who also loves films a lot.
I'm 12 years old and I enjoy being together with others and discovering new things. In my free time I love football, animals, gaming and watching films. I have some acting experience in films myself. That's why I find it extra interesting to see how films are made and to share my opinion about films. I'm someone who likes to speak their mind, but who also listens carefully to others. That's why I think it would be really fun to join the Youth Jury and judge films together with other kids!
These five films are this year’s nominees for the Youth Jury Award:
Whichever film the Youth Jury selects as the winner, it will be screening at 16 October at 12:30, so if you to watch an award-winning film, get your ticket now!