International Film Festival for Children and Young People
Czech Republic

Monday
It’s beautifully hot and sunny outside, with blossom-laden trees swaying in a light breeze. But we, the jury, are folded into hard seats in a small screening room at the Zlin Atelier film school

Zlin, home of the Tomas Bata shoe empire and renowned among architects as a perfect example of early modern functionalist town planning - Corbusier had a role in its design - is also the site of the world’s oldest international film festival for children and young people. The footwear connection is celebrated in the Golden Slipper award for best children’s feature film.

At our first session, the lights go down and the screen comes alive with disturbing images of a body in water being slashed with a knife. Cut to a dark, rainy winter’s night in Amsterdam and a balding, middle-aged man being led away by police as the titles roll: Olivetti 82, based on a successful Belgian stage play and directed by Eriek Verpale.

Read morenbsp;in this week’s TES Friday magazine