Czech films at the ZLÍN FILM FESTIVAL

Although cinemas were closed for a long time, Czech filmmakers never surrendered. They were able to adapt to the difficult conditions and make new films! Therefore, high-quality Czech film for children and young people is being reborn after many years, and the proof is that we will present four Czech films in the main competition.

The opening film, which is also a competition film, is the animated film Even Mice Belong in Heaven. After almost ten years of preparation, development, filming and post-production, audiences will have an exciting adventure that takes place mainly in the afterlife. It is a film about hope, about the search for love and courage, about overcoming prejudices and old pains, which will certainly find audiences among all generations.

The tradition of Czech film for children is honored by the feature film by director Petr Oukropec Martin and the Magical Forest, which will fight for the Golden Slipper in the category of films for children. The family film tells the story of a city boy, Martin, who initially is not happy to find himself at a scout camp in a magical forest full of magical forest creatures.

In the category of films for teenagers, you can look forward to a feature-length stop-animation film with the poetic title A Colourful Dream. An adventurous story about how easy it is to lose one's freedom and how difficult it is to regain it, the movie was filmed by renowned director, animator and artist Jan Balej, who won the Czech Lion award for him.

And for a third film, the Czech Republic will be represented in the main competition by the co-production animated film The Crossing by the French director Florence Miailhe. The story, which deals with the theme of freedom, tells the story of our eternal effort to achieve it; it's something for which we are capable of risking our own lives for whilst looking for a new home to live a better life. The film, in which the Czech company MAUR Film played a significant role, won a significant award at the most prestigious festival of animated films in Annecy, France, and is created using a special technique of hand painting on glass.

The figurative icing on the cake is the short animated film Red Shoes, shot by Anna Podskalská, a talented FAMU student. This year, the film was the only Czech representative to take part in the competition at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, and our joy is all the greater because its creation was supported by the FILMTALENT ZLÍN Endowment Fund. You can look forward to it in the international student film competition.

A number of other Czech films will also appear in the official festival program, which you will be able to see on the movie screen!

Sleeping City

Four siblings, the oldest Kryštof, twins Ema and Kristýna, and little Samuel, live happily in a happy family. But one morning they wake up to a strange situation. Their parents cannot be woken and the kids suddenly have to cope on their own. They soon realize that parents all over the world have fallen asleep. What's worse, little Samuel has been kidnapped! For the siblings, a daily struggle begins in which the strong and clever win against the cunning and ruthless. This dystopic thriller for the whole family was shot by director Dan Svátek based on the book of the same name and the popular bestseller by the writer Martin Vopěnka, and we will also welcome a large delegation of its actors to the festival!

Lame-Os

You can look forward to the premiere of a Latvian co-production film with Czech participation with the apt title Lame-Os. After the successful film The Pack, Czech producer Julietta Sichel bet on a teenage retro comedy – this time for girls! The year is 1999 and the celebrations for the end of the millennium are approaching. Sarmite, Sveta and Katrina, three 9th grade students, have had enough of school bullying. They decide to change that and become the most popular girls in the school by the date of the ball. Armed only with the inspiration gained from Hollywood movies and TV series, they intend to achieve popularity by getting the class’s coolest guys as their prom dates...

City

Don't miss the premiere of a feature film shot on iPhones! The story takes place over 24 hours in Prague. Klára, Viki, and Mechanik live on the edge of the law. As a junkie, Viki is looking for money for a regular dose, preferably by stealing. Mechanic keeps his distance; he's a dealer but doesn't use. Klára has partially recovered from addiction, but she's homeless. And soon she'll give birth. The turf they run in is ruled by a pair of loan sharks: an ex-boxer and his partner Majk. Their destinies intersect dramatically over the course of one day.

My Sunny Maad

The animated film My Sunny Maad has a very topical feel to it. The story of a Czech girl named Helena who goes by the name of "Herry", who leaves Prague to marry her classmate Nazir in Kabul, Afghanistan. This was filmed by director Michaela Pavlátová and won the jury prize at the Annecy festival. The film enters distribution in October this year, so you will have a unique opportunity to see it earlier than other moviegoers.