The 63rd edition of the Zlín Film Festival (1-7 June), also known as the International Film Festival for Children and Youth, will get under way with the premiere of a domestic animated flick by Filip Pošivač, Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light (see the news), before the film heads to the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival later in June. The Zlín Film Fest will feature competition films in a number of traditional categories, and directors submitted around 1,500 titles this year. The festival programmers have made a selection of 295 films from 50 countries, including traditional European nations like Germany, Finland and France, plus more exotic ones like Peru, Qatar and Nicaragua. Festival president Čestmír Vančura stated: “Our aim is to showcase the best of global creations for children and youth, and offer an alternative to the commonly available audiovisual content.”

The European Feature Documentaries section offers insights into young lives worldwide through seven documentaries sharing the theme of "The Future". The selected movies portray the diverse prospects for the future, highlighting the importance of this theme to the young generation and to European filmmakers. Futura [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], from the directorial team of Alice Rohrwacher, Pietro Marcello and Francesco Munzi, explores the perspectives of Italian youngsters, while Alisa Kovalenko’s We Will Not Fade Away [+leggi anche:
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The Zlín Film Festival will showcase 12 films in the Junior and Youth sections, half of which are by debut directors, including an animated feature by film legend Véra Belmont, My Father's Secrets [+leggi anche:
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scheda film]. This year's selection focuses on North American films, with Corey Sherman's Big Boys, a queer coming-of-age story, and I Like Movies by Chandler Levack, a Canadian film depicting a teenager's obsession with filmmaking. The Finnish film Bubble by Aleksi Salmenperä presents a fresh family comedy that centres on 16-year-old Eveliina's coming-of-age journey. The pictures Sea Sparkle [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Domien & Wendy Huyghe
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In response to current trends in teenage series, the festival has prepared a new section, European Web Series for Young Audiences, which features a range of engaging series, including Get a Life by Daniel Kragh-Jacobsen, which explores the fragility of mental health through the story of 16-year-old Helga, who forms an unexpected bond with Ingrid while planning her perfect suicide. Dome 16 by Thomas Seeberg Torjussen is a dystopian sci-fi show set in 2138, in which the Earth’s climate crisis has forced humanity to live under domes. It follows the story of 14-year-old Anton, who seeks a normal life amidst this crisis. Petra Lumioksa’s Short Fuse is a Finnish series about 16-year-old Meri, who, fuelled by her hatred of school and bullies, decides to plant a bomb with her new friends, only to discover that their budding friendship might be a more powerful detonator for their adolescence.

The festival will also mark the 100th birthday of influential Czech animator Břetislav Pojar with a section dedicated to renowned Czech animation. Furthermore, the gathering has again prepared an accompanying industry programme for film professionals, Zlín Industry Days, which will tackle various themes of relevance to Gen Z. Some examples include the “Sex, TikTok&TV” panel, a presentation of contemporary books for children and young audiences that are ripe for the big- or small-screen treatment, a presentation of upcoming film projects from budding young filmmakers at the FILMTALENT Pitching Forum, and “Check the Czechs: Work in Progress”, a presentation of Czech short films for children, which are currently in post-production.

The festival’s full programme is available to peruse here.