The EFA European Young Film Audience Award in Slovenia was originally scheduled for Sunday, April 26, at the Odeon Art Cinema in Izola. After the COVID-19 lockdown happened in most of the participating countries, we moved the event online and expanded it to four days, from 26 to 29 April 2020. For the new online format a record 124 participants from all over Slovenia applied, as Odeon cinema can only host 95 of them each year. We achieved greater accessibility of the program, as many of the registered participants were from distant places, from the far East to the West of the country. The films were available for viewing for three days. Every day, we prepared an online meeting for Slovenian participants via videoconference, where they had hour-long discussions with the moderator about the three films they had seen, and on the fourth day they were able to meet online with other participants from Europe. The moderator vas film education expert Lea Škerlič. We also asked them to send us photos of them participating or viewing films at home.

The event was also monitored by many primary school teachers in Slovenia, who registered their students as part of their school subject. Teacher Manica Baša, Rudi Mahnič – Brkinac Primary School, Pregarje: ” As a film education mentor at the school, I am grateful for the web, which enables the implementation of many events and activities. It was good to be able to watch movies, it was good to be able to do it at a time of our own choosing. This time, a lot was left to the students, their responsibilities and love for the film. On the other hand, the experience confirmed how much more authentic is the film experience in the cinema, where we watch movies in a darkened hall together, where we can share impressions immediately after watching, where for a while there is only us and the movie. Let’s hope to see you again in a full house next year. “