I Was Just a Child, a film made in Bosnia about the horrors visited upon children in Yugoslavia during World War II, was awarded the Golden Beggar prize for best local television program. It was made by Radio-Television Republika Srpska in Banja Luka. Its director is Branko Lazić.
The Piano, a French-Armenian film set in the ruins of the 1988 Armenian earthquake, won the Golden Beggar for best production company film. The coproducers are Shant TV, Boa Films, and France Televisions.
Long-Haired Men, a film about why some men wear their hair long, won the Golden Beggar for best young author. It was produced by Agnes Dimun.
Some 70 films from were entered in this year's competition. An international jury from seven different countries - Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, France, Italy, Serbia and the United States - made the prize decisions.
The festival brought to Košice participants from 22 different countries, ranging from Belarus on the east to Spain on the west. In all, more than 130 registered participants took part in the festival.
In addition to its program competition, the festival consisted of a series of cinema screenings. One of the films, projected at City Cinemas day and night, was accompanied by its director. Jacob Berger, a Swiss director, showed One Day, and after its projection answered questions from the cinema audience. Also as part of the festival, Berger conducted an intensive workshop with young Slovak filmmakers. The result of their work was shown at the awards ceremony on Saturday night.
The festival also saw a video presentation by the well known French photographer Alain Willaume, which combined still and motion photography.
In its panel discussions, this year's festival put emphasis on volunteering - 2011 is the European Year of Volunteering - and considered the 20 years of the Visegrad 4 countries, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.
The festival, which has been held annually in Košice since 1995, is organized by the City TV Foundation, which. The president of the foundation and principal organizer of the festival is Eva Dekanovská.
A full list of winners follows:
GOLDEN BEGGAR for the best local television program
"I Was Just a Child" (Bosnia-Herzegovina). Directed by Branko Lazic, Radio-Television Republika Srpska.
GOLDEN BEGGAR for the best production company film
"The Piano" (Armenia-France). Directed by Lévon Minasian, a coproduction of Shant TV, Boa Films, and France Televisions.
GOLDEN BEGGAR for the best young author‘s film
"Long Haired Men" (Slovakia). Directed by Agnes Dimun.
A PRIZE given by the Journalists‘ Association of Serbia „Zora"
"Pit Hole" (Estonia-Czech Republic). Directed by Jiří Stejskal.
A PRIZE of the Slovak Council for Broadcasting and Retransmission for the Best Slovak Film
"The story of soldier Betjukov" . (Slovakia). Directed by Peter Ďurišin.
Chosen for having uncovered one of the small but important stories that marked the life of ordinary people during World War II.
Prize of the TV Festival Press Vitez
"The Cortege" (Spain). Directed by Marina Sereseksy.
A PRIZE from the Fogelsong Family Foundation of the United States.
"A School for One Kid" (Macedonia). Directed by Baze Dulev.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
For Cinematography: "Butterfly Orchestra" (Spain) Directed by Isabel Soria.
"Screw Loose" (Slovakia). Directed by Alžbeta Gavendovà.
"One Day in Smara" (Spain). Directed by Isabel Soria.
"Where Is Your Head" (Bulgaria). Directed by Nenko Genov.
"Telescope" (Hungary). Directed by Alejandro Reyes.
