SEOUL – „Fantastic, Czech!“ section at family film festival

Only a mere two weeks after the closing of the Pusan International Film Festival with its „Czech Film Now: Cinema of Liberalism“ section, another film festival in the Republic of Korea – 4th Seoul International Family Film Festival - presents a wide range of Czech films. A selection of old and new animation films by leading Czech creators, such as Karel Zeman, Břetislav Pojar, Jiří Trnka and Aurel Klimt, was jointly organized by Korean and Czech filmmakers.

Among 126 films from 36 countries, a special section „Fantastic, Czech!“ presents three puppet feature films (The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, the Sailor from York /1981/ by Stanislav Látal, Jan Werich´s Fimfarum /2002/ by Aurel Klimt and The Midsummer Night´s Dream /1959/ by Jiří Trnka) and 20 short animations by such acclaimed Czech artists as Břetislav Pojar, Karel Zeman and Jiří Trnka at the 4th Seoul International Family Film Festival (SIFFF)

Last year´s SIFFF was attended by Petr Koliha, director of the oldest world film festival of children´s films which is annualy organized in the city of Zlín in the Czech Republic, who has established a close contact between the two festivals. Both festivals then even signed an agreement of mutual cooperation. The first ripe fruit of this agreement was the participation of SIFFF representatives at the 50th Zlín Film Festival this year at the end of May. The visit is now reciprocated by the two members of Zlín´s festival – Ms. Markéta Pášmová and Ms. Jaroslava Hynštová - through which Zlín's festival strives to fulfill its intention to become a bridge between the cinema of East and West.

SIFFF was officially opened by the Mayor of Seoul Mr. Oh Se-hoon on October 28, 2010 with Ambassador of the Czech Republic Mr. Jaroslav Olša, jr. attending this event. Visible Czech presence at this year´s SIFFF will be added by a fact, that Ms. Jaroslava Hynštová will be sitting in the main jury and Mr. Aurel Klimt, leading Czech animator, is giving a master class and is one of the leading guests of the festival.