Two films from this year’s PLUS program selection, curated and awarded by highschoolers, Let there be Light by Marko Škop and The Diary of Diana B. by Dana Budisavljević, were awarded at the Festival of Eastern European Cinema in Cottbus.

Let there be Light, a family drama about moral responsibility and xenophobia in Eastern Europe won the Prize for Best Youth Film for the “way it depicts complicated family relations, and especially for depicting specific situations and values within a small village society”. The film is the current Slovak Oscar contender, and it had its premiere in Karlovy Vary (Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Best Actor Award).

The film will be screened tomorrow, Monday, November 11, at 2 PM in Tuškanac Cinema. The film will be presented by the young curators of PLUS program, followed by Q&A with director Marko Škop.

The shocking feature debut by director Dana Budisavljević The Diary of Diana B. was awarded the prize for best debut film in Cottbus, and according to the jury it is “convincing and powerful depiction of a dark chapter in Croatian history which successfully combines documentary material with fictional scenes and making them one.”

The story about a humanitarian who saved more than ten thousand children from Ustasha camps during World War Two has been left untold and forgotten for decades won several awards in Pula, including those for best film, director and the audience award. The film will also be presented to the ZFF audience. On Thursday, November 14, at 2 PM in Tuškanac Cinema, the film will be presented by the young curators of PLUS program, followed by Q&A with the director Dana Budisavljević.