Interviewing the animation jury is usually fun - animators are often a bit weird by nature, and they talk easily about animals and princes and dragons. Arba Hatashi, Corinne Destombes and Filip Posivac are no exception to this rule. But they also come with an interesting plea; an advice for festival organisers around the world.

Katerina Hager and Teresa Lima both look nervous and fancy - on a previous occasion Katerina didn’t expect cameras and spotlights and was therefore slightly embarrassed about her casual looks. Now she wears a beautiful necklace (“bought in Sarajevo”) and a dress… but there’s nowhere a camera to be seen. 

You thought festival juries were like a big mystery; a somewhat cultish bunch of erudite gurus? Or would they be more like simple human beings, doing simple human things? Like running marathons, collecting shoes and living joyless lives? You’ll find it all out through a list of questions we gave to the International Expert Jury in the Junior & Youth Category.

9-year-old Franz is the smallest kid in his class. On top of that, his voice often lets him down in exciting situations, and all that is left is a squeaky sound. He experiences many adventures, which often call for creative solutions to the everyday problems of growing up. And Franz finds them, often with the help of his two best friends, the self-confident and opinionated Gabi and the fiercely loyal Eberhard.

Things could be better for 8-year-old Hung, who is grieving the loss of his mother. His relationship with his father is strained, his only friend is moving away, and to top it all off, a greedy landlord is bullying his father. Watching the night sky, suddenly he sees a falling star that lands in the nearby countryside. Investigating the scenery, instead of finding a fallen star, he meets a new friend… MAIKA will spur all your best mood swings, dragging you from lived through drama to hilarious comedy and back, with an extra treat for all Czech audiences...

School life sucks for 12-year-old Alberte. Her old android Robbi is quite an embarrassment to her. With the perfect birthday present – the newest model of humanoids – everything seems to change. The new robot Konrad looks and acts completely as if he were human and suddenly Alberte’s popularity spikes as she is now the kid with the most advanced technology at school. But can the connection between Alberte and Konrad hold up to a real friendship?

Dylan and Youssef are best friends, and football is all they dream about. When Dylan ends up in a wheelchair following an accident, he must come to terms with his new life. His dad – and former coach – wants him to accept his disability and keep football from his life, but Dylan is determined to play again. Will Youssef choose to ditch or support him?

The Slovak-Czech JOURNEY TO YOURLAND is a project ambitious in its storytelling and visual approach. Now the Zlin Film Festival is proud to have the animated feature premiering on its opening night. With warm congratulations to director Peter Budinsky and his team.

Da-yi’s mother is in the hospital. Why exactly? Da-yi doesn’t know, as his father hasn’t told him. In fact, he doesn’t tell him much at all. But when his mother is transferred to another hospital, Da-yi is determined to go and visit her, even if he has to head out on a trip to a far and unknown destination in the company of some new friends and classmates.