Highlights of the 11th Juniorfest

The Int. Film Festival for Children & Youth Juniorfest, taking place in five regional towns, has become an integral part of the autumn cultural events in the Pilsen Region in Czech Republic. This year, the historical town of Domažlice will be the centre of all festival events. The 11th festival edition (9-15th November) will once again host an ‘Industry Day’. On Sunday 11th November local and international professionals will be offered a masterclass with Oscar nominated director John Stevenson (KUNG FU PANDA, and story artist for animated features like SHREK and MADAGASCAR), debates on film and media education across Europe, an overview of upcoming Czech young audience films in 2019 and informal meetings. The event will end with a screening of the restored version of JOURNEY TO THE BEGINNING OF TIME (1955), the legendary film by Karel Zeman.

Juniorfest takes pride in its role as preserver of the Czech fairy tale film heritage and is proud to present a brand new Czech title as the opening film. THE MAGIC QUILL (by Marek Najbrt) is an epic fantasy based on a traditional fairy tale. Festival spokesperson Judita Soukupova: “It’s a story about heaven and hell, and how paradise must be earned by each man for himself. Devils, in the Czech and Slovak fairy tale tradition, are often not evil horrifying creatures, but rather guardians of justice, ready to restore peace.”

Contact: Judita Soukupova or programme director Barbora Kyaswww.juniorfest.cz.