At the press conference, with the participation of well-known faces from the world of television and film, we presented the main topics of the program

The largest and oldest film festival for children and youth in the world will present 295 films from 50 countries this year. 

We will again bring festival-goers in Zlín a varied film program from different parts of the world and a range of accompanying activities to strengthen and develop relationships between parents, children and grandparents.

"We aim to showcase the best of the world's film productions for children and young people and offer an alternative to the audiovisual content commonly available. The festival is, above all, fun for our visitors. However, through films and supporting programs, we will also offer them, as in previous years, the opportunity to learn, to broaden their awareness of the world around them, to raise current topics and discuss them,"

said Čestmír Vančura, president of the Zlín Film Festival.

 In its film program, the festival is offering films in competition in the traditional categories, to which filmmakers have submitted over 1500 films this year. The festival programmers have selected 295 films from 50 countries, including traditional European countries such as Germany, Finland and France.

"However, exotic countries such as Peru, Qatar or Nicaragua are also represented,"

said artistic director Markéta Pášmová, confirming that this will be a year with an unusually strong participation of Canadian and Norwegian films, which is reflected in the composition of the main competitions. She also pointed out a novelty for this year's festival, which will be screenings at the Atlas cinema in Prague.

"School groups and other audiences in Prague will have the unique opportunity to be part of the Zlín Film Festival and see 14 films with special introductions with delegations, which we will broadcast directly from the festival in Zlín,"

explained Markéta Pášmová.

You can read about the opening films for children's audiences and for adults here, and about the Golden Slipper awards for lifetime contribution to cinema for children and youth here.

In the out-of-competition part of the film program, the festival will commemorate the work of Czech animators, first of all by Břetislav Poyar, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year. In response to the trend in the field of series for teenagers, the festival programmers have prepared a new section for European web series for young audiences. This year we will focus on Scandinavian productions and each day of the festival we will present one series with themes reflecting contemporary teenage issues - identity, immigration, coming out, bullying and more.

The festival’s supporting program will also focus on themes aimed not only at the young generation.

"Among other things, there will be lectures and a talk show called Life is Like That, where we will talk to interesting personalities about their ups and downs in life,"

said Jarmila Záhorová, the executive director of the festival:

"However, we don‘t want to forget the anniversary of our partners, Czech Radio and Czech Television. We will focus on the 60th anniversary of the Czech televised Bed-time Stories, for which we have prepared a composite program with interesting guests, and we are preparing an exhibition with props from the series Studio Kamarád. And of course, we will also be running again as part of the 8th year of the MONET+ Zlín Festival Half Marathon and the RBP Family Run."

This year the festival will focus on film professionals during the Zlín Industry Days. Educators will be the focus of a conference block full of themes and personalities called Children Without Borders.

As far as which films will ultimately take home an award from the 63rd Zlín Film Festival is concerned, this will again year be decided by expert juries. The 18 jurors will include director Šimon Holý, animator Alexandra Májová, Slovak journalist Martin Kudláč, as well as actresses and Hana Vagnerová and Jitka Schneiderová, who will chair the main festival jury.

For the seventh time, the festival will officially close with the Mikulov Echoes of the Zlín Film Festival. It is scheduled to take place from June 13 to 15, 2023.