The Zlín Film Festival, the world’s oldest and largest showcase dedicated to children’s and youth cinema, returns for its 65th edition from May 29 to June 4. Held annually in the southeastern Czech city of Zlín, the festival will offer a rich program of more than 300 films from 50 countries, including world premieres, student films, and Oscar-recognized titles.
This anniversary year will be marked by both celebration and reflection, with tributes to prominent Czech and Slovak filmmakers, international guests, and a slate of new programming initiatives aimed at younger audiences and film industry professionals. The festival will also include a special tribute to Japanese animation giant Studio Ghibli for its 40th anniversary that will include screenings of some of the studio’s celebrated films.
Premieres, guests, and global selections
The 2025 Zlín Film Festival will open with the Czech animated film Tales from the Magic Garden (Pohádky po babičce), based on a work by celebrated Czech author Arnošt Goldflam. The film had its world premiere earlier this year at the Berlin International Film Festival.
This year’s festival will host more than 300 films across six competition categories and multiple thematic sections. Among the featured films are three recent Academy Award contenders: Polish Oscar submission The Peasants (Chłopi), French-Latvian co-production Flow, which won Best Animated Feature Film at this year’s Academy Awards, and Oscar-winning Iranian short In the Shadow of the Cypress.
Other highlights include the Czech premiere of Nawi, a German-Kenyan co-production addressing child marriage in Kenya. Michelle Lemuya Ikeny, lead actress of Nawi is expected to attend the festival in person. Additional films hail from regions as varied as the Dominican Republic, Chile, Qatar, Uruguay, South Africa, and the Cape Verde Islands.
The festival will also spotlight emerging Czech productions, such as the family film Sugar Candy (Cukrkandl), the teen-oriented High School Heist, and the historical adventure Fichtelberg. Viewers can also look forward to the Czech Television series Pád domu Kollerů (The Fall of the House of Koller) and Zrození alchymistky (The Birth of the Alchemist).
Among the Czech and Slovak celebrities set to attend are Emília and Magda Vášáryová, Pavel Zedníček, Jaromír Hanzlík, and director Filip Renč.
New sections and tributes for a milestone year
This year’s Zlín Film Festival introduces Young Industry, a new initiative aimed at students and young creatives, hosted at the local Tomas Bata University in Zlín. The parallel professional program Zlín Industry returns with workshops and panels. Student work remains a key pillar of the event, with about 50 films selected for the Zlínský pes competition.
Tributes will play a significant role in the anniversary edition. Special screenings and discussions will honor what would have been the 100th birthdays of Czech filmmakers Jindřich Polák and Vojtěch Jasný. Slovak animation pioneer Viktor Kubal will be celebrated in a section marking 60 years of Slovak animation.
Japan’s Studio Ghibli will be recognized for its 40th anniversary during this year’s Zlín Film Festival. British film critic and Ghibliotheque co-host Michael Leader will lead a masterclass on May 31 exploring the themes of childhood and adolescence in the studio’s most iconic works. Titled Forever Young, the talk will delve into films like My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Princess Mononoke, offering insight into how Ghibli’s storytelling captures the imagination and resilience of youth.
Longtime special honors, the Golden Slipper awards, will be presented to effects artist Boris Masník at the opening ceremony and to actress Simona Stašová at the closing gala. The festival’s Walk of Fame will add new stars for Linda Rybová and Saša Rašilov.
The Young Stars program will spotlight four up-and-coming actors, including Antonio Šoposki, who will also serve as the festival’s on-screen ambassador in daily segments for Czech Television.
To honor its legacy, this year’s event will incorporate its original 1965 logo, created by Václav Dobrovolný. A new animated festival jingle, designed by Czech Lion-winning student filmmaker Poly Kazaková, was unveiled during the festival’s media launch.
More information about this year’s festival can be found at the official Zlín Film Festival website.
Lead photo: Studio Ghibli’s Whisper of the Heart (1995)
