The most significant event organized by the School of Animated Film is certainly the “Golden Snail” festival. This year, we held the 9th World Children’s Animated Film Festival “Golden Snail 2025” from September 9 to September 13.
A total of 885 films were submitted to this year’s festival, from which the selection committee carefully chose 75 films to be screened in the competition program. This year’s selection committee consisted of Seta Veličković Cvetković, Snežana Trajković, and Nela Ćurčija, all employees of the School of Animated Film and actively involved in the organization of the festival.
The members of this year’s children’s jury were distinguished students of the School of Animated Film: Vlada Ljubić (12), Melanija Mančić (12), Lazar Drmonjić Ljubisavljević (9), and Jovan Veličković (11). All of them have been attending the school for quite some time, have successfully mastered the basics of animation, participated in several group projects, and have already won one or more awards at festivals both in Serbia and abroad.
Starting this year, the main award of the children’s jury bears the name “Miroslav Miki Simonović Award,” in honor of the founder and long-time director of the School of Animated Film and the founder of the World Children’s Animated Film Festival “Golden Snail.” He dedicated his life to children’s animated film and passed away in August 2023.
This year, our professional jury consisted of:
Dejan Dabić, editor of the Film and Video Program at the Niš Cultural Center and, for more than thirty years, one of the main organizers of the “Film Encounters” Festival of Acting Achievements in Niš;
Hrvoje Selec, president of the VANIMA Film-Creative Studio and one of the founders of VAFI & RAFI – the International Children and Youth Animated Film Festival held in Varaždin since 2010, where he has also served as festival director from the very beginning;
Zang Ci, Deputy Secretary General of ASIFA-China and Deputy General Director and Producer at Beijing Dison Animation Co. Ltd.; Head of International Exchange at Beijing Dison Digital Entertainment Technology Co. Ltd.; and Secretary General of ASIFA in China.
As part of the festival, in addition to five official film screenings, guests had the opportunity to visit the landmarks of our city and taste traditional specialties from Vranje such as samsa, banica, and tarana. The Deputy Mayor of Vranje, Milan Ilić, hosted a reception for the festival participants. The special program also included screenings of contemporary Russian films, and we visited the Prohor Pčinjski Monastery. Therefore we believe that our guests will remember their stay at the festival and in our city with fond memories.
