Zlin Festival is one of the oldest festivals dedicated to films for children and youth. Films compete in six sections - film for children, for youth, animated film, European debuts, student films and films from Visegrad countries. The project is supported by the Czech Parliament and Ministry of Culture, the EU Media Programme and the International Visegrad Fund. Festival is held under the auspices the Czech UNESCO Commission and the Czech UNICEF Commission. For more information, visit www.zlinfest.cz.

The Zimbabwe International Film Festival (ZIFF) is back for its 9th edition. The event screens feature films, documentaries and short films from any genre. The films will be up for 11 coveted Mweya awards at the annual Closing Night ceremony on Saturday Sept. 2, 2006. In 2006, the festival will be bringing audiences in Harare, Chitungwiza and Bulawayo the best in world cinema. For more information, visit www.ziff.co.zw.

From 6:00 - 9:00 pm, Gnomon School of Visual Effects welcomes back Pixologic for its first User Group Meeting since the release of ZBrush 3. Learn how two artists: Meats Meier and Ian Joyner use ZBrush to create models and illustration. In particular, Meier will be demonstrating his working processes when using ZBrush 3 for character creation and texturing and he'll show his efficient methods of base model creation using Zspheres. Then, he will take the sculpture all the way to a final model, ready to animate in an external 3D package. Ryan Kingslien will also talk in-depth about ZBrush 3 and what it's like to develop a next generation sculpting application. He'll demonstrate how to look at it, how to understand the brushes and what it means, as a developer, to be thinking about a users experience. The event will take place at the Gnomon School of Visual Effects - Stage 15, 1015 N. Cahuenga Blvd. Hollywood, California 90038. To RSVP to the free event, e-mail reserve@gnomon3d.com.

We are Europe's second oldest animation festival, better known as "Animafest Zagreb" or simply "Zagreb" among animation connoisseurs. Zagreb is the capital city of Croatia, and Animafest is the friendliest gathering place for all generations of filmmakers and fans of different genres and categories of animated film. During festival week, we aim to promote and advance the art and production of animated film in general, recalling the past through national, personal or thematic retrospectives, and assessing recent worldwide film production via both competitive and non-competitive programs. We also prepare exhibitions, lectures, panel discussions and other related events. During the rest of the year, we try to help and encourage film animators and their projects.

Zagreb Film Festival

October 14th-21st 2012

Zagreb, Croatia

The tenth Zagreb Film Festival will be taking place from 14-21 October 2012. The screenings and events will be taking place in several venues in Zagreb: in cinemas Europa, Tuškanac, Grič and Dokukino Croatia and in Zagreb Dance Center which will be turned into an attractive cinema during the festival week. A part of the program will also be shown in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Novi Zagreb. By spreading across the Sava River, Zagreb Film Festival will merge with the city more than ever and will remain the biggest and most important film festival for the people and visitors of Zagreb. Some 90 films will be shown in seven programs. On average, the festival screenings are seen by around 30,000 viewers.

The main competition program of the festival will present new first or second films of international directors: eleven long feature films, ten short feature films and some fifteen documentary films. The films will be competing for Golden Pram Awards in their respective categories. Besides its international program, the festival will also present Checkers, the national short film competition program. It will include a dozen of films made by new Croatian authors in order to boost and promote Croatian film production.

Every year, Zagreb Film Festival presents a few additional programs the purpose of which is often educational. These programs are realized in cooperation with Croatian and foreign selectors and international festivals and institutes. Some of such previously presented programs include Red Westerns and Wheel (in cooperation with Rotterdam International Film Festival), Film: Protest, Film as Propaganda (selector: Daniel Rafaelić), Bunker (selector: Bernd Buder, Berlinale)... and many others.

Also, in order to help promote Croatian authors and short film production, for the third year in a row we are cooperating with relevant short film festivals (last year it was Tampere Film Festival). In addition to film programs, the festival features numerous presentations of festivals and institutes, book promotions, lectures, photo exhibitions and – in cooperation with Croatian Film Association – Palunko Screenwriters' Workshop.

Zagreb: 18th World Festival of Animated Films is an ASIFA sanctioned competitive festival. The festival was formed in 1969 to encouraging creativity, which eschews pre-set patterns and ideas/notions/conceptions, and finds new ways of exploring the possibilities of film animation. Awards with cash prizes will be given as follows: grand prize, best first production, best student film, plus five special prizes and three special distinctions.

Deadline for films made in 2004 and 2005 is Dec. 15 2005. Deadline for films finished in January 2006 is Feb. 15, 2006. For more information, visit www.animafest.hr.

Zagreb: 17th World Festival of Animated Films is an ASIFA sanctioned competitive festival. The festival was formed in 1969 to encouraging creativity, which eschews pre-set patterns and ideas/notions/conceptions, and finds new ways of exploring the possibilities of film animation. Awards with cash prizes will be given as follows: grand prize, best first production, best student film, plus five special prizes and three special distinctions. For more information, visit www.animafest.hr.

Zagreb is perhaps the hidden gem that has survived through some terribly tough times and blows. Borivoj "Bordo" Dovnikovic supplies us with a history and look at Zagreb today. Click here!

Zagreb: 16th World Festival of Animated Films is an ASIFA sanctioned competitive festival. The festival was formed in 1969 to encouraging creativity, which eschews pre-set patterns and ideas/notions/conceptions, and finds new ways of exploring the possibilities of film animation. It is accepting all animation works completed in 2002 or after. Awards with cash prizes will be given as follows: grand prize, best first production, best student film, plus five special prizes and three special distinctions. For more information, visit http://www.animafest.hr.

Zagreb is perhaps the hidden gem that has survived through some terribly tough times and blows. Borivoj "Bordo" Dovnikovic supplies us with a history and look at Zagreb today. >Click here!

WICM (Women in Children

On Friday, Jan. 26, 7:30 pm at the Museum of the Moving Image, David B. Levy, author of YOUR CAREER IN ANIMATION: HOW TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE will moderate a special industry panel. Speakers will include Traci Paige Johnson (BLUE'S CLUES co-creator), Alice Cahn (vp of programming, Cartoon Network), Ila Abramson (i spy recruiting) and Oscar nominees Michael Sporn and Bill Plympton. Book signing will follow the event. Admission is $10 per person, which includes museum admission. Arrive early and enjoy a day at the museum -- special half-price offer, two admissions for the same price of $10. Museum of the Moving Image is at 35th Ave. and 36th St. in Astoria, Queens (N or W subway). Please visit www.movingimage.us for details.