Comedies show that the world is getting better

The town of Slovenj Gradec will host its annual Zebra Film Festival starting Saturday, August 1, with three evenings of cinematic programming featuring diverse content, meet-and-greet sessions with creators, delicious snacks, cocktails, and refreshing drinks. The festival will take place in the old town center, offering a selection of animated short films suitable for different age groups. Attendees can freely move between screening locations, as projections will repeat every 30 minutes throughout the day. Creative activities such as face painting, hair styling, children's motor skills parks, and an exhibition by students of the Slovenj Gradec Film School will complement the event. Jernej Kovač Miynt, creative director of the festival, explained that visitors are always given brochures containing maps of the central area, marking hidden corners. When attendees find these spots, they receive a package of animated films tailored to their age group. He noted that this year’s edition marks the last before a milestone anniversary. This year’s festival attracted a record number of 349 submitted films, with 31 short animated works selected from 20 countries. A third of the chosen films are comedies. The afternoon program on five screening sites is primarily aimed at children, while evening screenings at a sixth location cater to adults. The venues remain the same as last year, with continued collaboration with MOCIS, which kindly provides spaces. Themes centered around family and the influence of social media dominate this year’s selection. According to producer Maša Flogie, the quality of films has improved each year, reflecting current global events. Selected films subtly convey important messages, encouraging viewers to reflect. The highlight of the first festival night will be the Zebra Stars Evening, beginning at 21:00, showcasing twelve short animated films for adults. The evening will open with the premiere of With Head in Nature, directed by Jernej Kovač Myint, created under the initiative of the Slovenian Environmental Protection Agency with support from the European Union within the framework of the European Regional Development Fund and the Interreg Slovenia-Austria program. Myint mentioned that organizing the festival brought him a special honor this year, as his team prepared a short animated film titled With Head in Nature over the past year. This film will open the Zebra Stars Evening, inviting all to watch. Each year, Tilen Breznik adds a unique touch to the festival venue with his sculpture, which engages passersby and invites them into the cinematic experience. This year, he created a totem linked to the town center, undoubtedly attracting attention from all visitors. On Tuesday, August 4, the second part of the film week will continue with a professional workshop titled “Introduction to Film Criticism,” led by renowned French film critic Thomas Pouteau, who is also a jury member this year. From August 6 to 8, the festival will move to the Rotenturm Palace, hosting the International Film Festival Shots. Flogie emphasized that since the first year, the goal was to create a festival they themselves would want to attend. She expressed happiness that more short films are being submitted each year, allowing them to enrich each festival evening with genre-diverse films. Many authors participate in the festival, and this year over 19 will join them. From the 1173 submitted short films worldwide, selectors have chosen 16 European films from 11 countries. French, Belgian, and Spanish films dominate, with two Slovenian films included, one classical documentary and another experimental documentary, highlighting this year’s interest. In Zagreb, the Comedy Theatre has many top performers. Occasionally, they entertain Zagreb residents who cannot visit the theater due to various reasons. Before Christmas, they performed at the Clinical Hospital Center Zagreb, known as Rebro, delighting patients and staff with concerts. Songs from musicals filled them with optimism needed daily, especially during the struggle against serious illnesses. Recently, the musicians and singers visited the Park Elderly Care Home, where Richard Simonelli, a singer, actor, director, and former head of the Comedy Theatre, resides. Colleagues described the meeting as touching, noting tears of joy on faces. Since I wasn’t there with them, I visited the Park Elderly Care Home on Lašćinská Street later with colleagues Davor and Mladen. We arrived just in time for a concert by Argentine singer Lucrecia Aragon, who immersed the residents in Latin American rhythms. After the event, the kind manager invited us for coffee. The building, ten years old, is bright, modern, and well-organized. The Shostanka Wind Orchestra prepares for a busy second half of the year.