At the European Film Festival in Brežice, the film Two Prosecutors by Ukrainian director Sergei Loznica was celebrated

The international jury at the European Film Festival in Brežice awarded the main prize, the Golden Eye, to the Ukrainian film Two Accusers directed by Sergey Lozhkin. The four-day festival, which concluded on Sunday, saw the audience vote for their favorite film, choosing Rabbit Hill. The decision was announced during the final ceremony, with organizers confirming that the jury recognized the film's tense and striking narrative about bureaucratic mechanisms enabling totalitarian regimes. Two Accusers follows the story of a young idealistic accuser in the Soviet Union in 1937 who attempts to expose crimes against political prisoners. Through the system’s mechanisms, the film reveals lies, insincerity, and the danger faced by individuals who challenge authority. The jury praised the film for its intense portrayal of how bureaucratic structures can facilitate oppressive systems, highlighting its relevance to contemporary issues. In addition to the Golden Eye, several other awards were presented. Silver Eye for Best Actress went to Anna Geislerová for her role in Caravan, while the Silver Eye for Best Actor was shared by the acting duo Ljubica Novosel and Andrija Žunac for their performance in Rabbit Hill. Silver Eye for Best Direction was awarded to Hlynur Pálmason for Love That Remains, with special mention given to Andrea Cristina Bortun for River Reflections. A honorary award for outstanding contribution to European cinematography was presented to Boris Cavazzi, one of Slovenia’s most prominent actors, directors, and filmmakers. The organizers highlighted his long-standing influence on Slovenian, former Yugoslav, and broader European cultural landscapes over more than six decades of creative work. The three days of the festival transformed Brežice into a vibrant space for encounters among European filmmakers and audiences. This year’s program featured films that had previously premiered at major global festivals, Slovenian festival debuts, and works by some of today’s leading names in European cinema. According to the festival’s programming director, Aleš Pavlin, the third edition of the European Film Festival in Brežice demonstrated that high-quality European cinema can find its audience beyond major cultural centers and create a lively space for art, dialogue, and meetings. The presence of European film creators further solidified the festival’s place on the cinematic map. The international jury consisted of Croatian actress Leona Paraminski, Slovenian director Marko Naberšnik, and Cypriot director Petros Charalambous. During the opening of the festival, Minister of Culture Ignacija Fridl Jarc emphasized that European cinema provides a space where we recognize our cultural roots, memories, and questions about who we are and who we wish to become. She noted that film allows us to momentarily step outside our own perspective and enter another’s, embodying its deeply humanist dimension. The festival continued to draw attention to the power of storytelling through film, offering a platform for diverse voices and perspectives within the European cinematic landscape. As the festival drew to a close, the community of filmmakers, critics, and audiences remained engaged, reflecting the enduring impact of the event on both local and international levels.