23-05-2010

FESTIVALS: Zlin announces final competition line-up

By FNE Staff

    The 50th anniversary edition of the Zlin film festival for children and youth (May 30-June 6, www.zlinfest.cz) has finalized its competition sections, with 34 feature films competing in four competition sections, and 80 films competing in the section of animated films. The festival celebrates its golden anniversary with two sections devoted to Czech and Slovak films that span seven decades of filmmaking. Altogether, some 400 films will be screened at the festival.

    Central European film has an especially strong presence this year, reflecting a renewed regional emphasis on films for children and families. Notable entrees include the popular Polish film Magic Tree from director Andrzej Maleszka in the competition of children's films.The European Debut competition includes Foxes from Slovak director Mira Fornay and If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle from Romania's Florin Serban. The Visegrad competion of films from Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary pits Marek Najbrt's award-winning Czech film Protector against Slovak box office hit Soul at Peace by Vladimír Balko and Poland's gritty Mall Girls by Katarzyna Roslaniec .The exception is the competition of films for youth which has a more international flavor.

    This year's honorary Recognition for Creative Contribution to Filmmaking for Children and Youth will be presented to Czech actor and screenwriter Zdeněk Svěrák, along with a screening of Oscar winner Kolya, which he wrote an starred in, and which was directed by his son Jan Svěrák.

    The festival has been marking the centennary of legendary Czech filmmaker Karel Zeman with a travelling exhibit throughout the year.Ten of Zeman's films will be shown in the Days of Czech and Slovak Cinema section, including The Fabulous Baron Munchausen and The Fabulous World of Jules Verne.

    Among the guests expected at the festival are venerable Oscar-winning Hungarian director István Szabó and British shooting star Jodie Whittaker.

    The complete list of feature-length competition films follows.

    International Competition of Feature Films for Children:

    The Crocodiles, (2009), Christian Ditter
    Three Investigators in the Secret of Terror Castle, (2009), Florian Baxmeyer
    Storm, (2009), Giacomo Campeotto
    Magic Tree, (2009), Andrzej Maleszka
    The Rain Fairy, (2009), Milan Cieslar
    The Indian, (2009), Ineke Houtman
    Long Live the Knights!, (2009), Karel Janák
    East End Angels, (2010), Lars Berg

    International Competition of Feature Films for Youth:

    A Cargo to Africa, (2009), Roger Cantin
    St Trinian´s 2 & The Legend of Fritton´s Gold, (2010), Oliver Parker, Barnaby Thompson
    Sebbe, (2010), Babak Najafi
    Karla and Jonas, (2010), Charlotte Sachs Bostrup
    The Last Summer of Boyita, (2009), Julia Solomonoff
    Dear Lemon Lima, (2009), Suzi Yoonessi
    Bran Nue Dae, (2009), Rachel Perkins
    Echoes of the Rainbow, (2010), Alex Law

    Competition of Films from Visegrad Countries:

    All That I Love, (2009), Jacek Borcuch
    Prank, (2009), Péter Gárdos
    Protector, (2009), Marek Najbrt
    Soul at Peace, (2009), Vladimír Balko
    Paper Planes, (2009), Simon Szabó
    Broken Promise, (2009), Jiří Chlumský
    Men in a Rut, (2009), Robert Sedláček
    Mall Girls, (2009), Katarzyna Roslaniec

    International Competition of Full-lenght European Debuts:

    What You Don't See, (2009), Wolfgang Fischer
    The Scouting Book for Boys, (2009), Tom Harper
    Silent Voices, (2009), Léa Fehner
    Bank Robbery, (2009), Andrus Tuisk
    Foxes, (2009), Mira Fornay
    Chicks, (2009), Sophie Letourneur
    The Boat Race, (2009), Bernard Bellefroid
    Days of Harvest, (2009), Marco Righi
    When Heaven Falls, (2009), Manyar I. Parwani
    If I want to whistle, I whistle, (2010), Florin Serban