International Film Festival For Children And Youth Zlin

As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, the Zlin Film Festival in eastern Czech Republic is mounting a photo exhibition of top Czech and Slovak directors. Yesterday afternoon, the photo exhibition was unveiled at the new University Centre, a strikingly modern building that is now a huge addition to the Zlin skyline.

The photographs are thework of famed advertising and commercial photographer Karel Česal, wth a theme of highlighting the best film directing talents in both the Czech Republic and its neighboring sister country, Slovakia.

Several of the directors included in the exhibition were personally on hand, including such leading auteurs as Jiří Menzel, Jiří Krejčí, Vojtěch Jasný and Dušan Hanák. Other directors featured in the exhibition include Miloš Forman, Juraj Jakubisko, Věra Chytilová, Juraj Herz and many others. The exhibition startsits long journey through Europe in Zlín and afterwards heads to North America. 

Between the classic films shown this week and now this photo exhibition, this week's Zlin Film Festival has been a kind of encyclopedia of the glories of both the Czech and Slovak cinemas of the past fifty years......an impressive and inspirational body of work indeed.

Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Dailies Editor