Two children's films with serious topics took top honours at the Copenhagen International Children's Film Festival BUSTER, which wrapped this weekend for the first time in collaboration with the industry event New Nordic Children's Film.

Dominique Standaert's Belgian Hop about illegal refugees in Europe was chosen as the best feature by the children's jury, and received $7,800 from the Nordisk Film Foundation.

The children's jury, which consisted of eight boys and girls aged 11-13, chose as best short film the equally tough drama from editor turned filmmaker Morten Giese, Diver Boy, a drama starring Mads Mikkelsen (Open Hearts) as an alcoholic father on holiday with his son in Greece.

The international (adult) jury also gave the UN's CIFEJ-Award to Standaert's Hop, while they awarded the BUSTER Grand Prix to Henrik Ruben Genz' Danish Someone Like Hodder as best film.

The jury chose Houdini's Hound from Norway's Sara Johnsen as best short, and gave a special mention to Klaus Haro's Finnish-Swedish Elina.

At New Nordic Children's Film's separate award ceremony it was Danish animation veteran Jannik Hastrup's The Boy Wanted To Be A Bear which took top honours as best Nordic feature film.

As best documentary the NNCF agreed with BUSTER's documentary jury in naming Benedicte M. Orvung's Norwegian Disa Moves To Japan. A special mention was given to Dagur Kari's multiple award-winning Icelandic Noi Albinoi.

Ane Skak is festival director for BUSTER and Gunvor Bjerre is project manager for New Nordic Children's Film.

This was the third year that BUSTER was held in the Danish capital Copenhagen. This year the festival's new section for youth films saw the world premiere of Aage Rais Nordentoft's new Danish film 2 Moves And A Pass as well as Christina Olofson's A Different Way from Sweden, and the Panorama section of Linus Troell's new Swedish children's film Misa Mi.