Taking 2nd Place in the «Patriotic Film» category (No Age Limit) was the documentary-animation almanac Memorial Complexes of Belarus — Part 2. This profound visual journey explores five unique memorial complexes dedicated to the harrowing events of the Great Patriotic War. The film serves as a digital monument, telling the stories of the «Masyukovshchina» memorial (honoring the victims of Stalag-352), «Khatyn», the Ozarichi death camp, the «Brest Hero Fortress», and the «For Our Soviet Motherland» («Katyusha») memorial.

Meanwhile, the 3rd Place in the «Animation» category (Adults for Children) was awarded to the beloved animated series Proper Rules. Centered on a relatable, cheerful family—mom, dad, two children, and their mischievous orange cat—the series masterfully translates everyday family mishaps into vital life lessons. Through engaging and accessible storytelling, each short episode teaches children the fundamentals of polite, responsible, and attentive behavior at home, on the street, at school, and in society.

The Grand Prix

The absolute pinnacle of the festival, the GRAN PRIX, was awarded to the full-length feature film Blood Type (Russia, Triks Media Film Company, supported by the Cinema Foundation). Directed by Maxim Brius and starring Karina Andolenko, Petar Zekavica, Andrey Rudyka, Eva Williams, and Daniil Rubashevsky, the film also took 1st Place in the «Full-Length Feature Film» category. Its lead actors, Eva Williams and Daniil Rubashevsky, were individually honored with Special Diplomas for Best Acting.

Russian cinema dominated several other key categories. In the Youth Short Film category, 1st places were shared by Book Romantics (Nikolai Chernobaev), I’m Giving Birth (Vlastopulo Medea), and the Iranian entry Baitora (Faraj Salehi).

The Adults for Children (Short Film) category saw top honors go to Order (Maxim Gabula) and the Iranian film Dandelion Girl (Azadeh Masihzadeh).

In the realm of Non-Fiction and Social Cinema, the Youth Non-Fiction 1st Place went to Despite Childhood (Ulyana Panchenko), while the Youth Social Film 1st Place was claimed by Eighty, produced by the RT TV channel’s Youth Broadcasting Directorate. The Orthodox Film category was topped by the feature film Lizonka (Mikhail Gushchin), and the Patriotic Film category saw 1st places awarded to the feature Dot-Dash (Kaleriya Kotova) and the non-fiction film Brothers (Dmitry Semibratov).

International Winners

The festival truly lived up to its international mandate, with outstanding works from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa taking the stage.

Asia & The Middle East

• Iran was a major force, with Baitora (Youth Short, 1st place), Dandelion Girl (Adults for Children Short, 1st place), and The Path We Took (Youth Animation, 2nd place) earning top-tier placements.

• Armenia celebrated victories with the music video You Better Run (Youth Video Clip, 1st place) and the short film Seagulls over Golgotha (Youth Short, 2nd place).

• China took 3rd place in Youth Shorts with Set Sail (Shunliang Shen).

• Syria and the UAE were recognized for Talk to Me (Youth Short, 3rd place) and Orange Road (Adults for Children Short, 2nd place).

• Indonesia and Pakistan rounded out the Asian contingent with Resonating Silence (Youth Social, 2nd place) and Clash (Youth Short, 3rd place).

• The Philippines reached the finals with I Rarely Look at the Stars (Harvey Gozado).

Europe

• France brought home awards for the Youth Short TIC and TAC (François Le Gen) and the Youth Animation The Bear and the Hunter (Gustave Ballard).

• Turkey secured 1st place in Adults for Children Animation with Blue Companion (Farzane Ghabadi).

• Portugal tied for 1st place in Youth Animation with Two Ships (McKinley Benson).

• Latvia took 2nd place in the Experimental Film category with Tales of Old Riga (Egor Gordeev).

• Italy was named a finalist in the Patriotic Film category with The Goalkeeper (Salvatore Lizzio).

Latin America & Africa

• Brazil earned 3rd place in the Youth Social Film category with Do It Yourself (Fábio Biondo).

• Colombia took 2nd place in the TV Program/Reportage category with Alma Sucreña / Soul of Sucre (Fabián Paternina Herazo).

• Chile/Argentina reached the finals in Youth Non-Fiction with Frenesí (Diego Alejandro).

• Kenya and Angola represented the African continent, with Ndoto (Omar Hamza Hassan) taking 3rd place in Adults for Children Shorts, and Community with Responsibility for Sustainable Development (Moises Suane) taking 3rd place in Youth TV Reportage.

Special Prizes and Thematic Honors

Beyond the standard placements, the jury awarded several highly coveted special prizes:

• The «Shores» (Berega) Project Prize (named after Darya Dugina) was awarded to the Gran Prix winner Blood Type, the Youth Non-Fiction film Mom, annie, anna, and the Orthodox Film winner Lizonka.

• A Special Prize from renowned animator Alexander Petrov (a painting by the artist) was awarded to the Youth Animation Knitting Lesson (Viktoria Maksimova).

• Unique Jury Commendations included a special diploma for «raising the issue of fake Christianity» awarded to Vasily Okhlobystin for the Orthodox film Soul, and a special diploma for «best work by production designers» awarded to the team behind the Youth Short DO.

The 16th «Light to the World» festival has once again proven that cinema is a universal language. From the solemn remembrance of Belarusian memorials to the vibrant, diverse voices of youth from over twenty nations, the festival has successfully illuminated the screen with stories that matter.