Everything is different, but the Zlín dog is still running!

This year, everything is truly different from what we are used to in the Zlín festival's well-established routine and life cycle. The festival has moved to September and the organizing team faces a big challenge on how to deal with the limitations that are still ahead of us. During the festival's sixtieth anniversary, nearly the same number of films will be screened symbolically within the student section called Zlín Dog. A total of 62 films from around the world will compete against each other.

It should be noted that this year's selection took place during the pre-coronavirus period, so the program organizers have been wondering about which films would have been chosen in a completely different context. And maybe that's just as well. Chosen films should open new dimensions of vision and take audiences away from everyday reality. Let's forget about the fact that there was a pandemic here, at least for a while, and let's just enjoy the films, whatever the themes.

Live-acted productions include 19 movies. We are grateful for this year's increased number of comedy films over previous years. The turn of puberty of two fourteen-year-old friends and their transformation into women is solved with exaggeration by the Slovak film M. Menstruation is not something for which girls should be ashamed. All three Czech films that are included in this genre category have their own specific kind of humor. The Undertaker, produced by a school in Písek, is an absurd comedy about a mortician who has to make sure he has business. Don’t Be a Pussy covers the topic of followers, who never come for free. The Czech-Slovak coproduction Once Upon a Time in the East Slovakia shows that cooperation between two universities can work very well and it has given us the story of Jan, a man who cleans cesspits and who must fight against a new legislation introducing a tax on old bachelors. So that we don't stick with only Czech domestic comedies, another film that made it into selection is the Dutch film Shalky, from the environment of a rather strange tenement building. Rio, from the Russian university VGIK, blurs the boundaries between absurdity and dream and follows the poetics of films from the Greek Weird Wave. Representing serious films is the movie Potato season with the theme of school bullying and its impact on a young girl. That the line between childhood and adolescence is very narrow is proven by The Last Children in Paradise. Until a few months ago, we had no idea how current the reflection of the US police state in Interstate 8 could be.

There are 11 short films in the documentary film competition. The popular Iranian film Howling, based on the rising popularity of “anidocs”, is based on the theme of self-reflection of one's own guilt. PolarBarry – Let's Break the Ice!! – Vlog #207 discusses climate change with respondents. From the FAMU films, Forget Me Not and S P A C E S focus on the theme of children's institutions and brain disease. The world of the blind is presented by two documentaries, namely the Polish Connected and I See in the Dark from Slovenia. We will learn how much a young person can be affected by their relationship with a parent in the film My Father's Son. The actors of the film Our Daily Dance will tell us that dance also has its ruthless side.

Student animation is at a very high level worldwide, which is also evidenced by the success of Daria Kashcheeva and her victory at the student Oscars. Her film Daughter will of course compete in the Zlín Dog competition. All the more interesting is the fact that in the competition section you will also find another Oscar-nominated film Sister, directed by Siqi Song. Animation in which the story is not the essential part, but rather the expression, is represented by the musically tuned Cante,, Idyla, the videoclip Running with Wise Fools, and the surrealistic The Wellspring and the Tower. An original artistic side, humor and from sexual to animal behavior of the characters can be found in the films Room with a Sea View, SH_T HAPPENS, and somewhat in the Polish film Thicket. Animated films are represented by a total of 32 films this year.

We believe that there will be (and we look forward to) an emergence of completely different themes for filmmakers next year, which have marked them during this special time. There is also no doubt that this autumn will be quite varied for cinephiles. Everything is different, but let's look to the near future with enthusiasm and look forward to movies that will be back in cinemas after such a long break. Let's not forget the feelings that art, culture or festival meetings can evoke in us. The diverse range of these impressions will clearly be evoked in you by the Zlín Dog.

List of competition student titles of 60th Zlín Film Festival:

Live-action films:

The Undertaker, dir. Barbora Kočičková, CZE, 2019, 15 min, Film Academy of Miroslav Ondříček

I Was Still There When You Left Me, dir. Marie McCourt, BEL, 2019, 23 min, Institut des Arts de Diffusion

Hairy, dir. Mul-geol Kang, KOR, 2019, 14 min, Korean National University of Arts

The Buzz, dir. Dániel Füzes, HUN, 2019, 34 min, Budapest Metropolitan University

Meatgrinder, dir. Vladislav Bakhanovich, RUS, 2019, 20 min, The Russian State University of Cinematography (VGIK)

The March, dir. Michal Blaško, SVK, 2018, 20 min, Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava

Raya, dir. Sepide Berenji, IRN, 2019, 14 min, Tehran University of Arts

Our Time, dir. Veronica Spedicati, ITA, 2019, 16 min, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia – Rome

Once Upon a Time in the East Slovakia, dir. Adam Šoltés, CZE/SVK, 2019, 30 min, Thomas Baťa Univerzity, Academy of performing arts Bratislava

Adam, dir. Shoki Lin, SIN, 2019, 20 min, Nanyang Technological University School of Art, Design and Media - Wan Murni

Rio, dir. Evgeniya Kazankina, RUS/FIN, 2019, 22 min, Russian State University of Cinematography named after S.Gerasimov (VGIK)

Potato Season, dir. Lucas Tanghe, BEL, 2019, 16 min, LUCA School of Arts

The Last Children in Paradise, dir. Anna Roller, GER, 2019, 29 min, University of Television and Film München

Shalky, dir. Lance Hossein Tangestani, NLD, 2019, 25 min, The Netherlands Film Academy

Don't Be a Pussy, dir. Jakub Jirásek, CZE, 2019, 20 min, Studio FAMU

Interstate 8, dir. Anne Thieme, GER/USA, 2019, 15 min, Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF

Tradition, dir. Zhanuzak Mamytov, KGZ, 2019, 13 min, Kyrgyz-Turkish University of Manas

M, dir. Gabriela Gažová, SVK, 2018, 22 min, Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava

Under the Skin, dir. Emma Branderhorst, NLD, 2019, 20 min, HKU University of the Arts Utrecht

 

Animated films:

To the Dusty Sea, dir. Héloïse Ferlay, FRA, 2020, 13 min, École nationalesupérieure des Arts Décoratifs

Blieschow , dir. Christoph Sarow, GER, 2019, 10 min, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg

Infraction, dir. Marion Decoste, Mickaël Nezreg, Manon Ryckelynck, Maiwen Koskas, FRA, 2019, 2019, 5 min, Isart Digital

Forget-me-not, dir. Katarina Lundquist, DNK, 2019, 8 min, The Animation Workshop

Episode 11, dir. Viktor Svoboda, CZE, 2019, 9 min, Thomas Baťa Univerzity

Nigel, dir. Natasza Cetner, GBR/POL, 2020, 9 min, Royal College of Art

The Zoo, dir. Marie Nováčková, CZE, 2019, 5 min, University of West Bohemia

Cante, dir. Teresa Baroet, EST, 2019, 5 min, Estonian Academy of Art

SH_T HAPPENS, dir. Dávid Štumpf, Michaela Mihályi, CZE, 2019, 13 min, Studio FAMU

Crossfire, dir. Ekin Koca, FRA, 2019, 7 min, Ecole des Métiers du Cinéma d'Animation

Combing, dir. Eglė Mameniškytė, LTU, 2019, 6 min, Vilnius Academy of Arts

Helfer, dir. Anna Szöllősi, HUN, 2020, 10 min, Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest

Thicket, dir. Adrianna Matwiejczuk, POL, 2018, 4 min, Polish National Film School in Łódź

Different, dir. Lucie Amherdt, Joanna Charpentier, Ananda Gay, Samantha Pioch, Axel Méchin, FRA, 2019, 2 min, MOPA

I Want A Sun In My Pocket, dir. Laui Laessa, CAN/CRC, 2019, 4 min, Vancouver Film School

Running with Wise Fools, dir. Ivan Štrobl, CZE, 2019, 2 min, Faculty of Multimedia Communications, Tomas Bata University in Zlín

Oeil pour oeil, dir. Thomas Boileau, Alan Guimont, Robin Courtoise, Mathieu Lecroq, Malcom Hunt, FRA, 2019, 6 min, ESMA

The Wellspring and the Tower, dir. Melinda Kádar, HUN, 2020, 8 min, Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest

Disoriented, dir. Jérémie Cousin, FRA, 2019, 4 min, La Poudrière

The Beauty, dir. Pascal Schelbli, GER, 2019, 5 min, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg

Norma, dir. Agata Mianowska, POL, 2018, 7 min, Polish National Film School in Łódź

Pearl Diver, dir. Margrethe Danielsen, NOR, 2020, 9 min, Volda University College

Idyll, dir. Miriam Obršlíková, CZE, 2019, 3 min, Faculty of Multimedia Communications, Tomas Bata University in Zlín

Daughter, dir. Daria Kashcheeva, CZE, 2019, 15 min, Studio FAMU            

Sister, dir. Siqi Song, CHN/USA, 2019, 8 min, California Institute of the Arts

Irma, dir. Lisa Cruz, GBR/FRA, 2020, 5 min, Royal College of Art in London

Trois Francs Six Sous, dir. Clémence Ottevaere, Florence Blain, Louise Leblond, Varoon  Indalkar, Morgane Ladjel, Hugo Valdelièvre-Rattier, FRA, 2019, 7 min, Supinfocom Rubika

Silence, dir. Isis Leterrier, FRA, 2019, 10 min, EMCA - Ecole des Métiers du Cinéma d'Animation

Room with a Sea View, dir. Leonid Shmelkov, EST, 2020, 12 min, Estonian Academy of Arts

Granpa´s Journeys, dir. Tereza Šimanovská, CZE, 2019, 4 min, University of West Bohemia

Like a Bear, dir. Hamid Ayad, Maxime Lemanne, Vianney Palierne, Florian Petheau, Louis Radanne, FRA, 2019, 7 min, ESMA

One Left, dir. Sebastian Doringer, AUT, 2020, 6 min, University of Applied Arts Vienna

 

Documentary films:

Connected, dir. Aleksandra Maciejczyk, POL, 2018, 18 min, Polish National Film School in Łódź

Forget Me Not, dir. Adéla Križovenská, CZE, 2019, 9 min, Studio FAMU

Gando, dir. Teymour Ghaderi, IRN, 2019, 8 min, Payam Noor University

Howling, dir. Parsa Bozorgani, IRN, 2019, 9 min, Soore university in Tehran

I Love You More Than My Soul, dir. dir. Anna-My Novotny, SWE, 2019, 24 min, Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts

I See in the Dark, dir. Lana Bregar, SLO, 2019, 17 min, Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television

My Father's Son, dir. Hillel Rate, ISR, 2018, 32 min, Maaleh School of Television & Film

Our Daily Dance, dir. Matúš Druga, SVK, 2019, 27 min, Academy of Arts Banská Bystrica

PolarBarry – Let's Break the Ice!! – Vlog #207, dir. Wouter Dijkstra, NLD/GBR, 2019, 5 min, University of the Arts Utrecht

S P A C E S, dir. Nora Štrbová, CZE, 2019, 8 min, Studio FAMU

Sweet Priorities, dir. Robin Aldag, Elena Rix, Ninja Annighöfer, GER, 2020, 3 min, University of Applied Sciences Europe in Hamburg