Page 9 - Katalog SCHLiNGEL 2021

Grußworte Welcoming addresses

The last time I addressed you in a greeting, no one knew whether and how we would be able to
come together in 2021. Everything we took for granted in our common past had been questioned,
and the future was in the dark.

Today we know: We can meet again, and I am particularly pleased to welcome you to the 26th In-
ternational Film Festival for Children and Young Audience – most of which will even take place here
in Chemnitz. I greet just as warmly all those who were unfortunately unable to travel and who have
therefore received this catalogue digitally.

While not every obstacle has been removed, the latest developments are a positive sign for most
of us, including our festival. The insights we could gain from the film viewing phase have also been
positive: the inventiveness and creative power of the film industry has not diminished, at least with
regard to this year’s festival edition. On the contrary: The 26th SCHLiNGEL has reached new dimen-
sions, with 193 films from almost 50 countries included in its competitions.

As always, the festival mornings are dedicated to schoolchildren, who will have very special cinema
experiences at now even five venues in Chemnitz and Filmpalast Astoria in Zwickau. In the after-
noons and evenings, we will open our doors to audiences from the city and surrounding areas. And
of course you are here – a professional audience looking for outstanding children’s and youth films
from all over the world, which you will definitely find.

In addition to the film screenings, SCHLiNGEL Industry Forum offers room for professional discus-
sions of all kinds. Our established ComingSoon gives you a glimpse of upcoming projects. The pre-
lude to the Central European Children’s Film Market, which we will organise regularly in future with
two other festivals, and our first WINDOW TO THE WORLD will complete the events on Monday and
Tuesday.

7 world premieres, 1 world cinema premiere, 6 international, 5 European and 31 German premieres
in the feature film section alone are just some of the highlights of our film programme. This year’s
“Focus Russia” is dedicated to children’s and youth films from a country that has excelled not only in
quantity but also in quality in recent years and has repeatedly produced SCHLiNGEL award winners.
In 2021, “Vision Central and Eastern Europe” will continue to focus on a region that is very close to
our hearts. 77 feature films and 116 short films will compete in the festival and be judged by top-
class expert jurors as well as our children’s juries.

We would like to thank our co-organiser, Sächsische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue
Medien (SLM). We also cordially thank our patrons and sponsors who have stood by us in these
difficult times! Without this outstanding support from both the institutional and private sectors,
it would not have been possible to find adequate answers to all the unpredictabilities of this time.

Already last year and this year again, one of these answers has been the Club of Festivals. More
than 20 festival directors and programmers from all over the world come together in Chemnitz (and
digitally). This way, we not only stay in touch, but continue to help valuable children’s and youth
films that may not always make it across national borders on their own.
I wish all of us an eventful week, great impressions, a lively exchange as well as just the right amount
of normality. Enjoy the 26th SCHLiNGEL International Film Festival for Children and Young Audience!

7