30/5 — 5/6/2024
64th International Film Festival
for Children and Youth
23. 4. 2019

Discover and explore extraordinary films in a thematic section at 59th Zlín Film Festival

With cinema as a gateway to the great big world out there, the Zlin International Film Festival opens all gates and spurs the public (families and professionals) with a double mission: discover and explore! Inspired by the famous Czech traveller Miroslav Zikmund (born 100 years ago) who travelled the world in his iconic Tatra 87 car. In this new festival section are programmed old and new films that take the audience by the hand and guide them into the world.

Films in the ‘Explore & Discover’ section are divided into three categories:

- Nature

- People

- Countries

These are three elements that can make every journey - and every festival screening - an unforgettable experience. 

Nature

We’re setting off for a series of magnificent journeys: bear spotting in Kamchatka (KAMCHATKA BEARS - LIFE BEGINS), monkey spotting in the Amazon rain forest (AMAZONIA), shark spotting in the company of famous shark master Steve Lichtag (presenting his film ALDABRA: ONCE UPON AN ISLAND at the festival), rhino spotting in Kenya (THE LAST MALE ON EARTH), living among chimpanzees together with Jane Goodall (JANE), and exploring wild nature in China (BORN IN CHINA).

But how can we – in the light of recent tendencies – fully enjoy nature’s beauty while ignoring the ecological context? Films like ARK OF LIGHTS AND SHADOWS and A PLASTIC OCEAN put nature’s unspeakable beauty in the right environmental perspective. Beauty, owe, concern and awareness go hand in hand in films like HOME, EARTH: ONE AMAZING DAY and SEASONS. 

People

A look into the lives of indigenous people, fighting to keep their identity alive in a more and more globalized world. This section compiles a series of extraordinary testimonies from ethnic groups all over the world, from the American continent (INDIAN HORSE, ONCE UPON A RIVER, TAINÁ 2 - A NEW AMAZON ADVENTURE, THE LEGEND OF SARILA, KAYAK TO KLEMTU) all the way till Australia (SATELLITE BOY, EMU RUNNER) and New Zealand (BOY, POI E, WHALE RIDER). Wonderful films passing on stories that sprouted directly from the roots of mankind. 

Countries

Now that Central and East European cinema is ready for a revival, this is the moment to sketch you a profile of young audience cinema in the Balkans and offer you some cinematographic highlights from former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia), Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece. Not to be missed, with films such as IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE (Romania), the two masterful films of Xhanfise Keko that recently have been rediscovered in the treasure chest of Albanian youth cinema TOMKA AND HIS FRIENDS and SPOILED MIMOZA, THE FLEA (the directorial debut of Dimitris Spyrou, nowadays known as the director of the Greek Olympia Film Festival), ENCLAVE (Serbia), the landmark debut of Emil Kusturica WHEN FATHER WAS AWAY ON BUSINESS (Yugoslavia) and the poignantly funny TITO AND ME (Serbia). Artistic Director Markéta Pasmova: “The festival keeps to its profile in all its sections: all these films show us the world from a child’s perspective.”

 More than 40 films and documentaries will be screened within the Explore & Discover section. Furthermore Miroslav Zikmund's anniversary is commemorated in film screenings, debates and exhibitions, in the presence of Czech travellers and adventurers .

Discover & Explore. Nature

Home, 2009, France, dir: Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Amazonia, 2013, France/Brazil, dir: Thierry Ragobert

Born in China, 2016, USA, dir: Chuan Lu

The Ark of Lights and Shadows, 2018, Czech Republic, dir: Jan Svatoš

Kamchatka Bears. Life Begings, 2018, Russia, dir: Irina Zhuravleva, Vladislav Grishin

Jane, 2017, USA, dir: Brett Morgen

Earth: One Amazing Day, 2017, United Kingdom, dir: Peter Webber, Lixin Fan, Richard Dále

Seasons, 2015, France, dir: Jacques  Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud

A Plastic Ocean, 2016, Hong Kong/United Kingdom, dir: Craig Leeson

The Last Male on Earth, 2019, Belgium/Netherlands, dir: Floor van der Meulen

Aldabra: Once Upon an Island, 2014, dir: Steve Lichtag

 

Discover & Explore. People

Satellite Boy, 2012, Australia, dir: Catriona McKenzie

Boy, 2010, New Zealand, dir: Taika Waititi

Poi E: The Story of Our Song, 2016, New Zealand, dir: Tearepa Kahi

Indian Horse, 2017, Canada, dir: Stephen Campanelli

Emu Runner, 2018, Australia, dir: Imogen Thomas

Tainá 2 - A New Amazon Adventure, 2005, Brazil, dir: Mauro Lima

Whale Rider, 2002, New Zealand/Germany, dir: Niki Caro

The Legend of Sarila, 2013, Canada, dir: Nancy Florence Savard

Kayak to Klemtu, 2017, Canada, dir: Zoe Leigh Hopkins

 

Discover & Explore. Countries

Shelter, 2010, Bulgaria, dir: Dragomir Sholev

The Mystery of Green Hill, 2017, Croatia, dir: Čejen Černić

If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle, 2010, Romania, dir: Florin Șerban

Tomka and His Friends, 1977, Albania, dir: Xhanfise Keko

Spoiled Mimoza, 1973, Albania, dir: Xhanfise Keko

Hang on Doggy, 1977, Yugoslavia (Slovenia), dir: Jane Kavčič

The Flea, 1990, Greece, dir: Dimitris Spyrou

Avé, 2011, Bulgaria, dir: Konstantin Bojanov

Enclave, 2015, Serbia/Germany, dir: Goran Radovanović

Do You Remember Dolly Bell?, 1981, Yugoslavia (Bosna and Hercegovina), dir: Emir Kusturica

Tito and Me, 1992, Yugoslavia (Serbia), dir: Goran Markovič

The Lonely Wolf, 1972, Yugoslavia (Croatia), dir: Obrad Gluščević

When Father Was Away on Business, 1985, Yugoslavia (Bosna and Hercegovina), dir: Emir Kusturica

The Way I Spent the End of the World, 2006, Romania/France, dir: Cãtãlin Mitulescu

 

Miroslav Zikmund´s Century, 2014, Czech Republic, dir: Petr Horký

Indie Rickshow, 2017, Czech Republic/India, dir: Manťáci.cz

Break Leg!, 2014, Czech Republic, dir: Martin Matěj

Oymyakon, 2018, Slovakia, dir: Dominik Bari

A Journey Like No Other, 2019, Czech Republic, dir: Viktorie Lörinczová

Trabant on the Silky Road, 2009, Czech Republic, dir: Dan Přibáň, Dana Zlatohlávková

Trabant: There And Back Again, 2019, Czech Republic, dir: Dan Přibáň