Zlin, South Moravia, May 26 (CTK) – The 57th Zlin international festival of films for children and youth opened on Friday, offering 18 world premieres including a document on Hermina Tyrlova, one of the Czechoslovak animated film’s founders, the event’s artistic director Marketa Pasmova told reporters.
The festival, which is the world’s oldest and largest event of its kind, will present 326 films from a record number of 62 countries.
A total of 152 films will compete for prizes in the long-film (26), short animated film (60) and short student film (66) categories,” Pasmova said.
The festival runs through June 3.
It will focus on Swedish cinematography with emphasis being placed on the work of Astrid Lindgren, whose 110th birth anniversary is marked this year.
Swiss cinematography will also be presented in Zlin.
The prize for an extraordinary contribution to the cinematography for children and youth will go to Czech painter and costume designer Theodor Pistek.
The foreign guests will include the late Swedish film maker Ingmar Bergman’s son Daniel.
“A total of 91 delegations will come to promote their films,” Pasmova said.
Swedish film maker Catti Edfeldt, Slovak Juraj Nvota and Ludmila Zemanova, daughter of the late popular Czech film director Karel Zeman, will be among the members of the festival juries.
The festival will be accompanied by theatre performances, concerts, creative workshops and exhibitions.
“The programme is not targeted unilaterally, we have aimed it not only at children and youth but also at adult visitors. Apart from films, they may enjoy sports, active relax, gastronomy, science and entertainment,” Zlin Film Festival President Cestmir Vancura said.
Last year, the festival registered a record attendance of 125,000 people.
