01/06/2026, 
Uncategorized
The International Animated Film Festival Animafest Zagreb, which begins on June 8, will this year pay special attention to Slovenia as the country in focus. In total, several hundred films will be screened at the festival, and visitors will also be able, for the first time, to try out visually engaging video games.
The International Animated Film Festival Animafest Zagreb, which begins on June 8, will this year pay special attention to Slovenia as the country in focus. In total, several hundred films will be screened at the festival, and visitors will also be able, for the first time, to try out visually engaging video games.
Animafest Zagreb will take place from June 8 to 13 at multiple venues in the Croatian capital. The organizers received more than 2,100 submissions from 95 countries, and more than 300 films will be shown overall, including 38 world premieres. More than 300 international guests will attend. This year’s country in focus is Slovenia, and the program was curated by the founder of Animateka and curator of the Slovenian Cinematheque, Igor Prassel.
Due to historical ties with former Czechoslovakia, Slovenians have, since the 1950s, inherited a strong tradition of puppet animation. This tradition is evident in the works of Saša Dobrila, Dušan Kastelic, Leon Vidmar, and Špela Čadež, which will be presented in the first segment of the Slovenia in Focus program. This section will also feature animated films by the legendary Miki Muster, Črt Škodlar, Koni Steinbacher, and Grega Mastnak.
The second segment is marked by the groundbreaking feature-length film Socialization of a Bull? by Zvonko Čoh and Milan Erič, while the third is dedicated to the contemporary scene, showcasing diverse techniques and authorial approaches represented by Leo Černic, Lea Vučko, Zarja Menart, Miha Reja, Špela Čadež, and others.
The fourth and fifth segments are entirely dedicated to children’s films, a field in which Slovenians have been achieving outstanding results for years, with already established names such as Timon Leder, Grega Mastnak, and Kolja Saksida. His series Koyaa and the Naughty Objects is also popular in Croatia, which is why it has been given a special program that will be screened not only at the Cinematheque but also in city cultural centers as part of the “Animafest in Your Neighborhood” program.
