What have we prepared for our youngest audience members?

Hello, parents and guardians! As we do every year, the festival program includes screenings for younger audiences. Bring your kids along and set off on an animated adventure!

The “Animator for Kids” program was created in collaboration with the Slovenian Animateka International Animated Film Festival. The screening is curated by Jelena Dragutinović, a cultural professional and film educator. She has included in the Animator program two feature-length films that are visually and narratively rich, as well as two sets of short films (for audiences aged 6 and 11 and older).

In addition, the screenings for children are part of the International Animated Series Competition. This year, as many as two of the three sets were prepared with young audiences in mind. Every participant in the screening will be able to vote in the Audience Award, and the Youth Jury will also select a winner from among the series.

Let’s not forget about the “Animator of Tomorrow” screening, during which the results of the workshops for children and teens will be presented.

“Animator for Kids” program:

Program 6+ 

On the Mat Outside my Door, reż./dir. Antje Heyn, Niemcy/Germany 2025, 4’44’’
An oversized, cheeky rat has moved in with our protagonist. She whistles along with the radio, sits in the fridge, splashes in the tub, and is simply everywhere – loud, pesky, full of life. When she suddenly disappears, he realizes: it’s never been this quiet – or this empty. 

Sounds Between the Crowns, reż./dir. Filip Diviak, Czechy/Czech Republic 2020, 14’40’’
A homeless musician was kicked out of the city after the queen saw his face. Although the guards destroyed his instrument, he didn’t lose the motivation to fix it. 

Night Boots, reż./dir. Pierre-Luc Granjon, Francja/France 2024, 12’20’’
The forest can be full of scary creatures, Eliot's parents caution, but the mystery might be too tempting for a kid who doesn't want to go to bed.

To Be Sisters, Anne-Sophie Gousset, reż./dir. Clément Céard, Francja/France 2022, 7’15’’
Two sisters bonded by love grow up together but with great disparities. Despite all the wondrous, funny and everyday experiences of their childhood, the younger sister is always dependent on the older one’s help. That is, until she gets a fast wheelchair! An authentic, heart-warming homage to childhood and the special bond between siblings. And a film that promotes a natural and positive way of dealing with disability. 

A Stone in The Shoe, reż./dir. Eric Montchaud, Francja/France 2020, 11’30’’
A pupil turns up to his new class for the first time. This pupil however is different to the others, he’s a frog in a class of rabbits. 

Filante, reż./dir. Marion Jamault, Francja/France 2024, 8’49’’
Every night, Paulette observes the same shooting star in the sky. She makes her deepest wish: to find her mysteriously missing pet rat. The days go by, but the animal doesn't return. Paulette wants to understand what's wrong with her star.

Program 11+ 

Head in the Clouds, reż./dir. Rémi Durin, Francja/France 2023, 10’30’’
Alphonse, a little squirrel, always has his head in the clouds. He loves to gaze at them and sometimes even take photos of them. Neither his parents nor his friends truly understand this passion. Yet, contemplating clouds is no easy task. Sometimes, Alphonse has to show a certain courage, worthy of the greatest explorers.

The Invention of Less, reż./dir. Noah Erni, Szwajcaria/Switzerland 2021, 3’3’’
In 2031, due to global warming a young polar bear has to leave her home and moves to Zurich. Together with the other animals who have fled, she ekes out a living with odd jobs. But then she has a world-changing idea!

Birth of the Oases, reż./dir. Marion Jamault, Francja/France 2021, 9’
In the desert, the hill snake meets the camel. One is very cold, while the other is so hot. So, why not travel together? Their understanding, initially based on mutual interest, gradually transforms into a long and precious friendship.

Cases of Sergeant Goodmind, reż./dir. Filip Tatýrek, Czechy/Czech Republic 2024, 6’45’’
This artistically fresh film, popular with children, consists of four episodes. In each episode, Lieutenant Goodmind has to use his daring and creatively comical approach to take on a new challenge. Every case is a fight of good against evil, particularly in the last episode, when Goodmind meets the Devil himself. 

Yuck, Loïc Espuche, reż./dir. Francja/France 2023, 13’10’’
Yuck. Couples kissing on the mouth are gross. And the worst is, you can't miss them: when people are about to kiss, their lips become all pink and shiny. Little Léo laughs at them, just like all the kids at the summer camp. But he has a secret he won't tell his friends: his own mouth has actually begun glistening. And, in reality, Léo desperately wants to give kissing a try. 

The Girl Who Wasn't Afraid of Bears, reż./dir. Lea Vučko, Słowenia, Węgry, Chorwacja/Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia 2025, 20’
In a silent animated folktale rooted in Balkan mythology and told with the starkness of a feminist western, a young girl escapes the roles forced on her by disguising herself as a man. On her journey, she outwits devils, slays beasts, and earns the respect of kings-proving to the world that she has no fear. But her final test comes when she meets a shapeshifting dragon who sees what she’s tried to hide all along. The Girl Who Wasn’t Afraid of Bears is a story about courage, identity, and the quiet cost of becoming what the world expects. 

The 5-Second Rule, reż./dir. Yura Boguslavsky, Armenia 2025, 1’25’’
A short film in pixilation technique by the group Invisible Friends. The film plays with the well-known “5-second rule” – a folk belief that food picked up from the floor within five seconds remains safe to eat. 

Sirocco and Kingdom of Winds / Sirocco i Królestwo Wichrów, reż./dir. Benoît Chieux, Francja, Belgia/France, Belgium 2023, 8+

One day, the adventurous Juliette and her sister Carmen find an enchanted toy and get swept away into the Kingdom of the Winds. They are transformed into cats and find themselves in a fantastical new world full of flying divas, technicolor dragons, and other mind-melting creations. When Juliette causes an accident that draws the ire of the local inhabitants, the Mayor gives Juliette to the beautiful songstress Selma and sentences Carmen to marry his son as punishment. The sisters must find a way to escape before the wedding bells ring, but the key to their journey home lies with Sirocco, the mysterious wizard feared for his ferocious storms. 

Tales of the Magic Garden / Opowieści z magicznego ogrodu, reż./dir. Patrik Pass Jr., Jean-Claude Rozec, David Súkup, Czechy, Słowacja, Słowenia, Francja/Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, France 2025, 5+

Three kids spend the night at their grandpa’s house. To fill the silence after losing their grandma, the family’s storyteller, they create their own stories and discover the power of imagination. This uplifting stop-motion film celebrates creativity and its healing magic. 

Jelena Dragutinowicz – cultural worker and film educator. She studied philosophy with a focus on the psychoanalysis of fairy tales. She collaborates with the Slon/Elephant association as a workshop mentor and program coordinator, leading workshops and moderating educational discussions accompanying film screenings. She is the coordinator of the children’s jury at the Animateka International Film Festival and a programmer for children and youth at Slon/Elephant, as well as at the ZOOM Festival and StopTrik Festival.