International Film Festival For Children And Youth Zlin

2010 is a special year in the history of Czech cinema. Not only is it the 50th anniversary of the Zlin Film Festival (which runs from May 30 to June 6 in the UNESCO heritage city in the Czech Republic) but the Festival will honor milestones in Czech cinema, both old and new.

The Festival is marking the centenary of the birth of one of the cofounders of Zlín’s film studios, Oscar-winning director Elmar Klos, who won the Best Foreign Film Oscar together with Jan Kadar for the celebrated film THE SHOP ON MAIN STREET. Klos, was a major figure of the Czech film scene and a prime mover in the establishment of Zlin as a city of culture and filmic art. His 17 year collaboration with Jan Kadar produced some of the most memorable films of Czech cinema. Klos was born on January 26, 1910 in Brünn, Moravia, Austria-Hungary, now Brno, Czech Republic. He died in Prague on July 31, 1993 at the age of 83.    

Another milestone event being celebrated this year is the 70th anniversary of the Film Harvest, also known as the Zliennale, which was the first major film event in what was then Czechoslovakia. Held in 1940 and 1941, and then suspended due to the depravation of the war years, the event was one of the first of its kind held in Europe. Film selections from those early years of this international showcase of cinema, including the presentation of many restored and “lost” Czech films, will be part of the celebration. The films and the special events surrounding their presentation will provide a celebration of both Czech cinema and the city of Zlin’s importance in Czech film history.  

However, this year’s celebration does not ignore the new works being produced by innovative Czech film artists. The Festival will be dedicating a non-competitive Festival section to Czech and Czechoslovak cinema. This special "country focus" will be part of a program that will showcase nearly 500 hundred feature films, documentaries, animation and short films from around the world.   

For more information on this year's program and special events, visit the Festival's website: http://www.zlinfest.cz/en/

Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Dailies Editor