Central European film has an especially strong presence this year, reflecting a renewed regional emphasis on films for children and families. Notable entrees include the popular Polish film Magic Tree from director Andrzej Maleszka in the competition of children's films.The European Debut competition includes Foxes from Slovak director Mira Fornay and If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle from Romania's Florin Serban. The Visegrad competion of films from Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary pits Marek Najbrt's award-winning Czech film Protector against Slovak box office hit Soul at Peace by Vladimír Balko and Poland's gritty Mall Girls by Katarzyna Roslaniec .The exception is the competition of films for youth which has a more international flavor.
This year's honorary Recognition for Creative Contribution to Filmmaking for Children and Youth will be presented to Czech actor and screenwriter Zdeněk Svěrák, along with a screening of Oscar winner Kolya, which he wrote an starred in, and which was directed by his son Jan Svěrák.
The festival has been marking the centennary of legendary Czech filmmaker Karel Zeman with a travelling exhibit throughout the year.Ten of Zeman's films will be shown in the Days of Czech and Slovak Cinema section, including The Fabulous Baron Munchausen and The Fabulous World of Jules Verne.
Among the guests expected at the festival are venerable Oscar-winning Hungarian director István Szabó and British shooting star Jodie Whittaker.
The complete list of feature-length competition films follows.
International Competition of Feature Films for Children:
The Crocodiles, (2009), Christian Ditter
Three Investigators in the Secret of Terror Castle, (2009), Florian Baxmeyer
Storm, (2009), Giacomo Campeotto
Magic Tree, (2009), Andrzej Maleszka
The Rain Fairy, (2009), Milan Cieslar
The Indian, (2009), Ineke Houtman
Long Live the Knights!, (2009), Karel Janák
East End Angels, (2010), Lars Berg
International Competition of Feature Films for Youth:
A Cargo to Africa, (2009), Roger Cantin
St Trinian´s 2 & The Legend of Fritton´s Gold, (2010), Oliver Parker, Barnaby Thompson
Sebbe, (2010), Babak Najafi
Karla and Jonas, (2010), Charlotte Sachs Bostrup
The Last Summer of Boyita, (2009), Julia Solomonoff
Dear Lemon Lima, (2009), Suzi Yoonessi
Bran Nue Dae, (2009), Rachel Perkins
Echoes of the Rainbow, (2010), Alex Law
Competition of Films from Visegrad Countries:
All That I Love, (2009), Jacek Borcuch
Prank, (2009), Péter Gárdos
Protector, (2009), Marek Najbrt
Soul at Peace, (2009), Vladimír Balko
Paper Planes, (2009), Simon Szabó
Broken Promise, (2009), Jiří Chlumský
Men in a Rut, (2009), Robert Sedláček
Mall Girls, (2009), Katarzyna Roslaniec
International Competition of Full-lenght European Debuts:
What You Don't See, (2009), Wolfgang Fischer
The Scouting Book for Boys, (2009), Tom Harper
Silent Voices, (2009), Léa Fehner
Bank Robbery, (2009), Andrus Tuisk
Foxes, (2009), Mira Fornay
Chicks, (2009), Sophie Letourneur
The Boat Race, (2009), Bernard Bellefroid
Days of Harvest, (2009), Marco Righi
When Heaven Falls, (2009), Manyar I. Parwani
If I want to whistle, I whistle, (2010), Florin Serban
